Oasis Of Fear
December 2008ZANI on An Italian Horror Classic
The work of Italian director Umberto Lenzi has always been an unusual mixed bag best known for his movies Cannibal Ferox, Ghosthouse, Eaten Alive and Nightmare City; while the directors agenda of intense thrills bought him a certain amount of acclaim, nay notoriety his story telling has always been the subject of much debate, with many asking "where was the story?" one of his last works (he's not dead!) Black Demons, consisted of a plot that involved Zombies that just happened to be black, end of story. Having little genuine respect for Lenzi, I was however intrigued by Shameless Screen Entertainments latest offering, Oasis Of Fear (AKA Diry Pictures, An Ideal Place To Kill, Un Posto Ideale Per Uccidere), a movie that journeys back to the directors early career. Made and set in 1971, Oasis Of Fear is a like a leftover product of the 1960's, its message during the opening moments is one of peace and love. The opening credits show young lovers Dick Butler (Ray Lovelock here credited as Raymond Lovelock) and Ingrid Sjoman (Ornella Muti) as they travel their way through Europe in an ultra extended holiday, in order to pay for this trip they peddle pornography in the form of mucky pictures, records containing the sounds of sex, and dirty magazines. Offering peace and love to all they encounter that comes across as a form of cookie sarcasm, the two frequently find that they are on the rough end of the law, often for the wrong reasons. After a period of luck and certain fortune, the couple find themselves broke, then robbed; and as often is the case bad luck comes in threes and they end up on the run from the law. As the two run out of fuel, they stumble upon a house in the middle of nowhere. In search of fuel the two stumble across something far more serious than they have ever been involved in before.
This is a curious little movie, a real oddity in the history of the Italian thriller genre. It's a proper mixed bag, a mongrel of a movie if you will; because it starts as one thing then evolves into something very different. The history of Dick and Ingrid is told in about the first ten minutes, bringing you up to speed with whom they are and exactly what they are all about. When the movie starts proper arriving at the isolated house, referred to by Ingrid as an Oasis, it becomes a very much three handed piece with the arrival of lonely housewife Barbara Slater (Irene Papas). The three bounce off each other exposing secrets, lies, and unlocking sexual passions. Those looking for hard edged action or horror are bound to be disappointed by this movie, while death is on the agenda it's in very short supply.
You do have to ask what happened to Lenzi, because he is very clearly telling a story here, and it's a slow burning tale that's in no big hurry to get to its point, instead you have a slow meandering through a conflicting series of encounters (instigated by Barbara), while all the time you're asking "what's the secret?" As explained at the beginning in future movies Lenzi was never quite so hot on the story telling aspect of his movies, opting instead to focus on the gross out gore instead.
More than anything else Oasis Of Fear is a cultural education, lots of throwbacks to the seventies, while almost debunking the aspect that some European countries offered a much more sexually liberating lifestyle than our own. After all, the couple made their way from country to country selling pornography to the masses, and its far from being the hardcore end of the business. It's curious that even the sound of a couple having sex, would be enough to make the wealthy put their hands in their pockets.
Oasis Of Fear is a bizarre offering, a little fraught sexual tension, some pretty risqué (for the day) sex scenes and some completely off the wall almost comic book humour. It does show that Lenzi has the ability to deliver something, trouble being to be fair after a reasonable 50 minutes the story slows right down and almost trudges along at a snail's pace, this is not something that the action fan will really get, but as a cultural piece of Italian movie heritage it's a pretty enjoyable nights viewing.
I recently saw an interview with Ray Lovelock who said "When I was beautiful!" get over yourself I thought, in the movies I had seen the star in Last House On The Beach, to Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue and Murder Rock to name a handfull, he certainly never offered anything that I was jealous of. But the star I'm assuming meant that you needed to go further back, and I guess in 1971 you'd regard the actor as a pretty boy, in a kind of oddball confused Scooby Doo style way. Dick Butler (Lovelock's character) seems like a fun kinda guy to hang around with, if you're into simple. You can't help but laugh at Lovelock's great nightclub dance scene, are later scene with Papas, in which his body seems to belong to someone very different.
Bringing up a great supporting role is Ornella Muti, not a name that is common to those out of Italy but is best known as Princess Aura (Daughter of Ming The Merciless) in the 1980 Flash Gordon movie. Incredibly sexy, in a wrong sort of way (she was barely 16 when Oasis Of Fear was made); her character is the mature lynchpin of the relationship, aged mentally way beyond her years. And Muti as an actress despite her young age delivers this maturity rather well.
I should of course draw attention to Irene Papas as the despicable Barbara Slater, who between throwing her kit off, addresses the correct acting "standard" of treachery and all-round pretty unreasonable behaviour, not a woman to trust with your aging mother in law, or indeed your mother, she's sell their legs for a quick buck. Papas to me is most memorable for her role in Don't Torture a Duckling, this is one role I'll also now remember the actress for.It seems even Umberto Raho deserves a mention, twice in fact; because as the movies credits roll at the beginning he is mentioned twice.
It's a rather interesting journey that Shameless Films have taken us on as volume one (hopefully a second will emerge) of their movie offerings is drawing towards an ever closer finale (apparently 20 movies will be the limit). Beginning with some pretty notorious and bloody offerings, they have widened the viewer's recognition of horror and thriller movies from the Italian movie stable, as soon as the 10th volume was out of the way, these obscure little numbers started to appear, many enjoying their first DVD appearances, and a lot of credit should go to the guys for that. 30 odd years after many of the movies were made Shameless are broadening the viewing horizons of a whole new generation of Italian cinema lovers, and bloody good for them too.
I never saw Oasis Of Fear before, but apparently the DVD offers a restored series of sequences, according a sex scene with Papas and Lovelock, obviously these additional scenes were better preserved than some other Shameless releases additional footage because the join marks are not even obvious, a true masterwork of splicing.
Onto the DVD itself:-
The DVD's front cover shows Dick Butler dressed in his nice Union Jack shirt, while the reverse looks like a steamy Mills and Boone cover (Shameless always double side their more recent DVD releases).
There are the usual host of trailers from other Shameless DVD releases, Strip Nude For Your Killer looks and sounds like the ultimate in soft core pornography. Future release Baba Yaga not only gets a trailer but a little story telling. While Watch Me When I Kill gets a pretty action packed looking trailer, offering a fairly action packed sequence of nastiness. Finally Torso AKA Carnal Violence, The Frightened Woman, and The Designated Victim also get a mention. I should of not forget the ultra funky Oasis Of Fear trailer, you'll be singing your head off.
Like The Designated Victim, this DVD offers a fact track that plays as text at the bottom of the screen (should you so wish it) sadly, and I mean no offense when I say this, it's just a little too much. With Victim you could watch the movie and enjoy the quirky bites of trivia as the movie went along, the Wilson Brothers offering for my liking was just too much, rather than sticking to the point they engage in their (and probably mine to be fair) sense of humour, but it's annoying not being able to tell where the good stuff and the nonsense are divided as a result it's impossible to enjoy the movie and the facts together, worse still for me was that the rambling they went off on was often exactly what I was thinking, rather sad to discover aspects of your humour are not unique.
Oasis Of Fear is out now on DVD. You can pick it up from Play.com for just £7.99.
©Words - Spencer Hawken/ ZANI
