The Eroticist
The Eroticist
| 01 November 1975 (USA)
The Eroticist Trailers

Senator Pupis feels a strong and uncontrollable urge to grab women's bottoms, a habit than can lead to embarrassment, especially if the woman in question is head of another state and the occasion a state visit. In his desperation Pupis turns to the clergy for spiritual and psychological help.

Reviews
Lee Eisenberg

Italian director Lucio Fulci is best known for horror flicks. He ventured into political satire with "All'onorevole piacciono le donne" (alternately called "The Senator Likes Women" and "The Eroticist" in English). The main character is a libidinous politician who spends a few days at a spiritual retreat full of hot women. Italian politicians have a reputation as corrupt lechers - Silvio Berlusconi's shenanigans could fill a book - so this movie comes across as a little too obvious, but I liked it. I got the feeling that they had a lot of fun making the movie. Not surprisingly, it faced censorship when it got released; some people just can't take a little criticism.As for the some of the cast members. Lionel Stander was an American actor who appeared in movies from the '30s through the '90s; he played the Ferris Wheel owner in Steven Spielberg's "1941". Corrado Gaipa played Don Tommassino in "The Godfather Part 2".The main thing that I derived from the movie is the same thing that I derived from "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", "Dr. Strangelove", "Wag the Dog" and "Fun with Dick and Jane": comedy is the best way to draw attention to political issues. Really fun movie, if really weird. Those were some hot nuns.

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peterosenau

Italian cop & mafia thrillers of the Seventies regularly brought up political corruption and drawbacks, but a dark comedy on said topic was a rare thing. And that's exactly what horror cult director Lucio Fulci had in mind with „...All' onorevole piacciono le donne".Senator Giacinto Pupis is a successful politician, bachelor, totally asexual and married to his job you could say. Now, while running for state presidency, he has developed a nasty habit: He can't control his urge to grab womens' butts. When such an incident is even caught on film and he's blackmailed, he flees into a convent headed by a friar who's dabbling in psychology and tries to help Pupis. Meanwhile in Rome, rumours around Pupis' mysterious disappearance spread: Police, army, mafia, and the unscrupulous cardinal Maravigli suspect a coup and a chain reaction gets started...This movie did have problems with the Italian censorship board, but as so often, the extra publicity made it even more successful. It's easy to see why some people felt offended, as the politicians and state representatives are shown at their worst – stupid, greedy, malicious. The Catholic Church is getting hit the hardest, however, with Cardinal Maravigli depicted as puppet master that will work with the Mafia and will kill anybody who might cause problems to his interests. This is a very biting, dark satire that can at some points astonish and offend. Everybody gets the just desserts.While the English title might suggest an easy erotic comedy, the movie is clearly talkative, plot-driven, has depth. A lot of parties and characters are introduced, and especially while Pupis is in the convent, a very complex subplot unfolds. For such a vehicle you need a convincing lead actor, and Lando Buzzanca is great as usual.There is a marginal amount of nudity during the hilarious dreams (and one daydream) of Pupis. But this gets pushed extremely after 85 minutes, when Laura Antonelli is seen for about fifteen minutes – mostly in the nude. Her part is not written too well (added very late on request of the production). Why on earth would Pupis overlook the probably hottest nun ever during his crazy night at the convent? Said cathartic experience would have served far better as the turning point for him, and not this single encounter. Well, I certainly won't complain about seeing the nude Laura, what a feast for the eye, even with her extremely short „nun" haircut. There is at least one good aspect about all this: The "German" Italian of the convent members is as ridiculous as it is funny (all added in post-production dubbing of course).So overall, „All' onorevole piacciono le donne" is a dark, fun and biting satire, focussing on the political aspects, and benefitting from the great Lando Buzzanca. Definitely offending and not stopping for anything. If you expect a typical sexy comedy, you might be disappointed and should better go for „Il Merlo Maschio" - Lando, Laura and lots of fun.

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lazarillo

Like Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci is most famous as a horror director. But also like Mario Bava (with "Four Times That Night"), Fulci has made here one of the better continental sex comedies I've seen. While most sex comedies contain broad and idiotic humor (think of the American "Porkies" or the long-running British "Benny Hill Show")this film contains well-aimed satire that cleverly skewers corrupt Italian politicians, power-mad clergy, the panting news media, and even the apathetic Italian public that suffers all these fools gladly. And while most sex comedies shy away from anything remotely controversial (as sex and nudity are often controversial enough)this movie courts it by viciously attacking its targets with hilarious but frightening caricatures like Lionel Stander's corrupt and evil archbishop who likes to "canonize" his enemies by murdering them and using their likeness on cheesy plaster saints.The main story is about, Giovanni Puppi (Gianfranco Buzzanca), a senator and potential presidential candidate who up until the present has been a discreetly-closeted homosexual (and thus a perfect candidate for the Vatican), but suddenly develops an irresistible urge to pinch women's butts. After he is caught on film groping a female dignitary, one of his cronies (a Catholic priest)sends him to a German nunnery/clinic for a cure. Unfortunately, as the monetary is staffed with the likes of Laura Antonelli and Agostina Belli, the "cure" ends up turning him from a repressed heterosexual into, well, a typical philandering Italian politician, much to the chagrin of his Vatican sponsors.This movie is surprisingly long on plot, if a little short on sex and nudity. Agostina Belli keeps her clothes on for once, and Anita Strindberg (as a diplomat's wife Puppi drags into the bushes at a garden party)is two large coins and some American dollars short of a nude scene. Laura Antonelli doesn't disappoint though as a guilty but lust-crazed nun who demands Puppis whip the sin out of her but only gets more aroused when he does. The best scenes though are several surreal fantasy sequences (similar to those in Fulci's previous film, the giallo "A Lizard in Women's Skin")where Puppi makes his away along a long line of bare-assed nuns or finds himself in a Boschian world where voluptuous women's butts protrude from giant flowers. There is some good comedy too--Giovanni Buzzanca is great, especially when he falls into one of his bottom-pinching spells, and there is a hilarious scene involving a Scotsman in a kilt bent over a broken-down car. This is may be sacrilege, but this movie is probably better than MOST of Fulci's horror films. Highly recommended.

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bluejuice-1

Lucio Fulci is best known for his "over the top" super gory horror Flicks: Zombie, City Of The Living Dead, The Beyond etc. This on the other hand is a full-blown comedy about a senator with a compulsive Fetish for female "buttock's". Someone will have to cure him before he creates a national scandal, so where else to go than a monastery! The film is totally insane and as funny as it can be. It's great to see films that doesn't say, "Far enough, we might offend someone". Because this movie is peppered with "let's go a bit further, and even further than that, isn't it cool to offend someone?". The film is visually beautiful as well, and Fulci's famous style is very visible. The use of hand held camera, P.O.W shots and extreme close up's is used to great effect to enhance the comedic effect. Very similar to his horror style. If you're a fan of Fulci, This is a must see because it's probably one of his best films.

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