Poppea: A Prostitute in Service of the Emperor
| Poppea: A Prostitute in Service of the Emperor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Alfonso Brescia |
| Written by | Mario Amendola Alfonso Brescia Vittorio Vighi |
| Starring | Femi Benussi Don Backy |
| Cinematography | Franco Villa |
| Edited by | Vincenzo Vanni |
| Music by | Carlo Savina |
Release date |
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| Language | Italian |
Poppea: A Prostitute in Service of the Emperor (Italian: Poppea... una prostituta al servizio dell'impero) is a 1972 commedia sexy all'italiana film co-written and directed by Alfonso Brescia starring Femi Benussi and Don Backy.
Plot
Cast
- Femi Benussi as Poppea
- Don Backy as Ottone
- Peter Landers as Savio
- Vittorio Caprioli as Nero
- Linda Sini as Agrippina
- Eva Czemerys as Virgin of Cappadocia
- Esmeralda Barros as Tortilla
- Howard Ross as Tigellino
- Giancarlo Badessi
- Mimmo Poli
- Nello Pazzafini
- Andrea Scotti
- Carla Mancini
Production
The film was produced by Luis Film.[1][2] As with other Alfonso Brescia productions of the time, it reuses scenes from other 1960s peplum films.[2][3] According to screenwriter Vittorio Vighi, the Terence Hill and Bud Spencer duo was the inspiration for the characters played by Don Backy and Peter Landers.[2]
Release
The film was released in Italian cinemas on 21 November 1972.[2]
Reception
Italian film critic Marco Giusti described it as funny and better than expected.[2] According to Derek Elley, it is a film that "with its floating morality, picaresque leads, arena scenes, convenient baptism and final miracle, satirises the popular aspects of the [epic] genre".[4] Paolo Mereghetti described it as "a failed attempt to mix a parody of the sword-and-sandal genre, the spaghetti western fistfights, and a bit of sexy comedy".[3]
References
- ^ Casadio, Gianfranco (2007). I mitici eroi: il cinema "peplum" nel cinema italiano dall'avvento del sonoro a oggi (1930-1993) (in Italian). Longo. p. 272. ISBN 978-88-8063-529-1.
- ^ a b c d e Giusti, Marco (2019). "Poppea, una prostituta al servizio dell'impero". Dizionario Stracult della commedia sexy. Bloodbuster edizioni. p. 355-6. ISBN 978-88-943385-3-9.
- ^ a b Mereghetti, Paolo (2010). "Poppea una prostituta al servizio dell'impero". Il Mereghetti 2011. Vol. 2. Baldini Castoldi Dalai. ISBN 978-88-6073-626-0.
- ^ Elley, Derek (4 December 2013). The Epic Film: Myth and History. Routledge. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-317-92887-4.