Originally posted in September of 2009.
Superargo:
carrying on the fine tradition of Italian cinema shamelessly ripping
off whatever is currently popular in international entertainment, in
this case a gene-splicing of Batman, James, Bond, and Mexican luchador
heroes.
After not having seen it since a vaguely recalled
viewing on Channel 5 while I was still in the single digits, I finally
tracked down SUPERARGO VERSUS DIABOLICUS in a widescreen VHS edition
thanks to eBay. (I have since seen it in a gorgeous widescreen transfer via YouTube.) As you may recall from another CINE-MISCREANT posting,
its sequel, SUPERARGO AND THE FACELESS GIANTS (1968), is a film so wretched and
dull that I still get shit about it from my mother some thirty-seven
years after she took me to see it, and I was intrigued to see if the
film that spawned such an abomination could have any redeeming merit
whatsoever.
SUPERARGO VERSUS DIABOLICUS is yet another of the legion of campy
Italian/Spanish 007 and Batman knockoffs made between 1966-1969, this
time drawing considerable inspiration from Mexican wrestling flicks of
the time (such as WRESTLING WOMEN VERSUS THE AZTEC MUMMY, or EL SANTO
VERSUS THE VAMPIRE WOMEN), but with a lot more technical savvy behind
the camera (namely the film has such frills as editing, lighting, and a
frame that moves). The film looks great and moves with a brisk pace (for
a while, anyway), employs a score that is equal parts Ennio Morricone
and John Barry, plus the hero is a masked man of mystery, so what’s not
to like?
The movie opens with Superargo (Ken Wood, nee Giovanni
Cianfriglia) accidentally killing a friendly opponent in the ring and
swearing off his wrestling career forever, but his self-enforced
retirement from the world of adventure is cut short when he’s recruited
by the government as a spy to take on the evil plans of Diabolicus
(Gerard Tichy), a mad scientist bent on — what else? — world domination
via uranium theft and turning sea water into gold (?). There are a bunch
of fights with thugs, lots of pretty-though-G-rated ladies,
super-powers without much by way of explanation, and all manner of
mayhem common to this kind of thing, but try as I might I can’t make it
through to the end of the film. I have tried four times to get to the
end, but about three-quarters of the way through the flick, right about
when Superargo ends up in the clutches of Diabolicus, the film hits a
wall of sheer boredom brought on by an interminable sequence of
Superargo swimming the undersea entrance to the bad guy’s lair. As
anyone who’s ever seen the James Bond film THUNDERBALL (1965) can tell
you, nothing brings the action to a screeching halt like stuff shot
underwater, an environment that slows down the movements of life forms
not designed to be there, such as a goofy-looking Italian wrestler in a
red leotard and black leather mask.
SUPERARGO VERSUS DIABOLICUS is worth a look for the curious and those in
need of a surefire cure for insomnia. I’m sure my collection could have
gone without its inclusion, but I had to measure it against its
followup. If I actually make it all the way through it I’ll let you
know.
ADDENDUM as of Mach 10th, 2022
So, here it is, 13 years after my last abortive attempt to make it all the way through to the end of this film, and I finally managed to complete it. It took me watching it in three staggered segments to get it done, and I have to say that it wasn't worth the effort. I have no idea how or why so many '60's-era Italian superhero/super-spy mashups possess all of the elements that would make such a movie fun, yet somehow nearly always come out boring to the point of utter tedium. I just don't understand it, and it's made all the more tragic by Superargo being a fun and intriguing character who deserved a lot better.
And yes, my mother, a recent 89, still grouses about SUPERARGO AND THE FACELESS GIANTS.
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