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The Great Alligator
DVD/APPROX. 85 MINS/1979/ITALY UNRATED
DVD/APPROX. 85 MINS/1979/ITALY UNRATED
7
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Most Italian filmmakers from the golden age (Arguably 1975-1982) dipped there fingers into all sorts of different styles of film and Sergio Martino is
no different. Martinos Giallo films from the early 70’s (Torso, Case of the Scorpions Tale) are right up there with the best of Argento. When Sex
comedies were in, Martino made a few of them as well. Hell, he also struck right in the middle of the Cannibal genre with Mountain of the Cannibal
God in 1978.
1979 though, was a genre defying year for Martino. First up was the Island Of Dr Mareau styled Island Of The Fishmen, and then later in the
year this very film, The Great Alligator.
The Great Alligator is set in Sri Lanka where a rich developer, Joshua (Mel Ferrer of Nightmare City) has just finished building a new resort. Some
of the first guests to arrive are Photographer Daniel (Claudio Cassinelli, Mountain Of The Cannibal God, Flavia the Heretic) and his model Sheena
(Geneve Hutton. Interestingly this is her only film appearance!). Once they have met everyone else at the resort (including one of the employee’s
Alice played by Barbra Bach) Daniel and Sheena do their thing for a while, including taking heaps of photos of the natives that live close by.
All seems rosy. Everyone is having a good time, Daniel is falling for Alice, more guests arrive…. And then people start disappearing.
At first the natives believe it is the work of an ancient god called Kruna, who is pissed off about the new resort being built on his sacred land.
Kruna in bodily form is actually one huge ass fucking crocodile (albeit a rubber one with legs that don’t move!) who starts of slowly by gnawing on
a native or two and the odd guest silly enough to go swimming at night.
However the natives decide in order to appease Kruna, they must kill off all the foreigners and prepare Alice as a sacrifice. Can Daniel save the
day?
Imagine that Jaws is an alligator living in the river featured in Mountain of the Cannibal God and that is a very loose description of the proceedings
here. You can tell right from the get go that this is a late 70’s Italian Action/Adventure/Horror movie. It just oozes the feeling and styling of that
era. Put in the hands of an American director, this could’ve turned out to be a huge steamer. Instead, with Martino behind the helm, this is another
slice of that big cheesy pizza I like to call the Italian Cinema Industry. Any fans of Italian Horror/Exploitation of the era will have a great time with
this film.
Special mention must be given to the little girl Minou (Silvia Collatino of House by the Cemetery Fame) for some real crack-up lines, the best being
when she sees her mother kissing a man and little Minou blurts out “I know you! You’re the guy from Paris and you’ve come here to play with
mums tits again! I saw you through the keyhole!” this in front of all the guests as well mind you!
Rare License DVDs have graciously added the German X-Rated Kult DVD to there title list, and it’s a very nice DVD, albeit slightly bare bones. A
couple of trailers, a bonus scene that lasts about 2 seconds, and a Super 8 version of the film round out the Extras. The movie is English friendly;
however it has an annoying burned in Subtitle saying "Only for sale in Germany, Austria and Switzerland".
Also don’t let the front cover (A naked woman in an n alligator’s mouth) fool you, as the only bit of skin in the flick is provided by a wet T shirt.
Still you could do a lot worse than to watch this film, and Italian cinema fans in general should really dig this.
no different. Martinos Giallo films from the early 70’s (Torso, Case of the Scorpions Tale) are right up there with the best of Argento. When Sex
comedies were in, Martino made a few of them as well. Hell, he also struck right in the middle of the Cannibal genre with Mountain of the Cannibal
God in 1978.
1979 though, was a genre defying year for Martino. First up was the Island Of Dr Mareau styled Island Of The Fishmen, and then later in the
year this very film, The Great Alligator.
The Great Alligator is set in Sri Lanka where a rich developer, Joshua (Mel Ferrer of Nightmare City) has just finished building a new resort. Some
of the first guests to arrive are Photographer Daniel (Claudio Cassinelli, Mountain Of The Cannibal God, Flavia the Heretic) and his model Sheena
(Geneve Hutton. Interestingly this is her only film appearance!). Once they have met everyone else at the resort (including one of the employee’s
Alice played by Barbra Bach) Daniel and Sheena do their thing for a while, including taking heaps of photos of the natives that live close by.
All seems rosy. Everyone is having a good time, Daniel is falling for Alice, more guests arrive…. And then people start disappearing.
At first the natives believe it is the work of an ancient god called Kruna, who is pissed off about the new resort being built on his sacred land.
Kruna in bodily form is actually one huge ass fucking crocodile (albeit a rubber one with legs that don’t move!) who starts of slowly by gnawing on
a native or two and the odd guest silly enough to go swimming at night.
However the natives decide in order to appease Kruna, they must kill off all the foreigners and prepare Alice as a sacrifice. Can Daniel save the
day?
Imagine that Jaws is an alligator living in the river featured in Mountain of the Cannibal God and that is a very loose description of the proceedings
here. You can tell right from the get go that this is a late 70’s Italian Action/Adventure/Horror movie. It just oozes the feeling and styling of that
era. Put in the hands of an American director, this could’ve turned out to be a huge steamer. Instead, with Martino behind the helm, this is another
slice of that big cheesy pizza I like to call the Italian Cinema Industry. Any fans of Italian Horror/Exploitation of the era will have a great time with
this film.
Special mention must be given to the little girl Minou (Silvia Collatino of House by the Cemetery Fame) for some real crack-up lines, the best being
when she sees her mother kissing a man and little Minou blurts out “I know you! You’re the guy from Paris and you’ve come here to play with
mums tits again! I saw you through the keyhole!” this in front of all the guests as well mind you!
Rare License DVDs have graciously added the German X-Rated Kult DVD to there title list, and it’s a very nice DVD, albeit slightly bare bones. A
couple of trailers, a bonus scene that lasts about 2 seconds, and a Super 8 version of the film round out the Extras. The movie is English friendly;
however it has an annoying burned in Subtitle saying "Only for sale in Germany, Austria and Switzerland".
Also don’t let the front cover (A naked woman in an n alligator’s mouth) fool you, as the only bit of skin in the flick is provided by a wet T shirt.
Still you could do a lot worse than to watch this film, and Italian cinema fans in general should really dig this.
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| "Kruna is hungrier than ever before" |
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