Exploitation film legend Roger Corman had had great success with his women in prison pictures ("The Big Doll House", "The Big Bird Cage", etc.) and was looking for a fresh spin to put on the formula. It was his head of development Frances Doel who came up with the idea to transplant it to ancient Rome, and the screenplay was written by John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington, whose other credits include "The Omega Man", "Boxcar Bertha", "Battle for the Planet of the Apes", and Corman's own "Von Richthofen and Brown". The result is an engagingly trashy variation on the classic gladiator film. Stars Margaret Markov and Pam Grier had previously been paired in "Black Mama, White Mama", and they re-team in a story about a disparate group of women, taken from their homes around the globe by the Romans, thrown together, and graduating from slaves to full blown gladiator women. As befitting Corman's style, there is undeniable exploitation here - the attractive female cast go full frontal for us in one memorable and enticing scene - yet at the same time it's also empowerment, featuring strong female characters who ultimately are going to stand up for themselves and rebel against their sleazy male captors. Debuting director Steve Carver, who went on to direct "Big Bad Mama", "Capone", and "Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider" for Corman, keeps this well staged, visually impressive movie humming along nicely. The widescreen cinematography is courtesy of Aristide Massaccesi, better known as Joe D'Amato, and the credited editor (on American prints) is Joe Dante, another of Corman's many successful alumni (the movie was actually cut in Italy; Dante merely did a final bit of trimming). Francesco De Masi supplies the wonderful, rousing music. And former actor Mark Damon, who went on to marry co-star Markov, is the producer. What makes "The Arena" so enjoyable is the fact that the actresses are so fun to watch. The cast also includes cult performers Paul Muller (as Lucilius) and Rosalba Neri (as Cornelia), who can be seen together in "Lady Frankenstein" as well. The final 20 minutes or so feature a great deal of action, and the movie begins with a bang as well, with an efficient, straightforward story with moments both comical and dramatic. It definitely comes recommended. Seven out of 10.

I still remember, how excited I got when I first saw this film in VCD back to the 1990s. It was just a wonderful surprise to have rented a film so entertaining and provoking.If you try stubbornly to take this film with the 21st production for its acting, or video definition and so fort. I have to say, you are just making yourself unnecessarily unhappy. True, the actresses hadn't gone that far in some sections, for the film is neither the porno nor the violence type. So save your hard criticism.The plot was really a good one. Pace is tight, hasn't let you have time leave to have a break. The idea is also amazing, letting the women slaves fight each other. The happy ending satisfies me, for I can't digest so many and so often tragedies.Markov is a very beautiful and elegant actress. This blond gladiator really hold the entire movie interesting. Can't image how the film were going to look like without this gorgeous female.

Steve Carver's "The Arena" aka. "Naked Warriors" of 1974 is a highly entertaining piece of 70s exploitation that should not be missed by a B-movie fan. Produced by the almighty Roger Corman, co-directed by the king of exploitation himself, Joe D'Amato, and starring the sexiest duo of 70s cult heroines, the wonderful Pam Grier and Margaret Markov, this is pure Grindhouse cinema for lovers, and should not leave anybody bored.Abducted from their homelands and enslaved by Romans, two young women, the Nubian Mamawi (Pam Grier) and Bodicia (Margaret Markov) from the Brittany, are, along with other female slaves purchased by the Roman owner of an arena, where they are to do domestic work and serve as mistresses/sex slaves to the gladiators. After a fight at the dinner table, however, one of their unscrupulous slaveholders suggests to have the women fight for their lives in the arena, in order to offer something fresh to the blood-thirsty audiences...Both stunningly beautiful, charismatic, sexy and cool, Pam Grier and Margaret Markov are a true dream team in exploitation cinema (something they already proved in "Black Mama, White Mama" of 1972). Apart from Grier and Markov, the cast furthermore contains Lucretia Love ("Battle Of The Amazons", "The Sexorcist") and Rosalba Neri ("Lady Frankenstein", "Johnny Yuma"). Another cool role is that of Paul Mueller, a huge, ugly and bald Tor Johnson-lookalike, who plays an invincible gladiator. I personally also found the score pretty cool, although it is certainly not too original. The sleaze and violence are not quite as extreme as in many other exploitation flicks of the kind, but there's enough of both to entertain. Being a fan of exploitation flicks (or not) is a matter of taste, of course, and "The Arena" may therefore not be everybody's type of film. I personally love this kind of films however, and I therefore recommend this to all my fellow exploitation-enthusiasts. Especially Pam-Grier fans should give it a try!

At first glance, it appears that Roger Corman was trying something new and different with The Arena. But once you get into it, it's easy to see that the movie is yet another Women in Prison film, albeit in a different setting. As far as WIPs go, it's middle-of-the-road - some of the movie works while while some of it doesn't.There are a couple of things that The Arena has going for it. First and most obvious is Pam Grier and Margaret Markov. These two seem to have a natural chemistry. The scenes with both actresses are the highlight of the movie. After watching Grier and Markov together, I really want to see Black Mama, White Mama more than ever. Another thing The Arena has going for it is a sense of fun. If you don't take it too seriously, there's a lot of silly, almost cheesy fun to be had.Unfortunately, not everything in the movie works. I'll start with the plot. Actually lack of a plot would be a better description. Women are kidnapped, taken to Rome to serve as slaves, forced to fight, and try to escape. There's absolutely no character development and no reason to care about most of them. Another area where The Arena doesn't hold up to close scrutiny is the fight scenes. These scenes are so obviously choreographed and staged that nothing looks natural. Usually I enjoy seeing Pam Grier kicking butt, but here it's not as good as I had hoped.