Page 1 of 1

The Climber

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:16 am
by Ribs
Image

After shooting cult favourites Flesh for Frankenstein and Blood for Dracula in Europe, Joe Dallesandro spent much of the seventies making movies on the continent. In France he worked with auteurs like Louis Malle and Walerian Borowczyk, and in Italy he starred in all manner of genre fare from poliziotteschi (Savage Three, Season for Assassins) to nunsploitation (Killer Nun).

The Climber follows in the tradition of gangster classics such as The Public Enemy and Scarface as it charts the rise and inevitable fall of small-time smuggler Aldo (Dallesandro). Beaten and abandoned by the local gang boss after he tries to skim off some profits for himself, Aldo forms his own group of misfits in order to exact revenge…

Written and directed by Pasquale Squitieri (Gang War in Naples, I Am the Law), The Climber is a prime example of Italian crime cinema – a high-octane action-thriller full of brawls, fistfights, shootouts and explosions!

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
• Original Italian soundtrack in uncompressed PCM mono with optional newly-translated English subtitles
• Alternative English-language soundtrack with optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Little Joe’s Adventures in Europe, a brand-new interview with Joe Dallesandro on his numerous European film appearances during the 1970s and early 1980s
• Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Roberto Curti, author of Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980

Re: The Climber

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 12:54 pm
by TMDaines
Interesting. Not familiar with this film at all.

Re: The Climber

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 6:46 pm
by colinr0380
Yes, aside from the relatively high profile Killer Nun all of these mid to late 70s Dallesandro crime thrillers are new to me too. It will be interesting to see what he was doing in between working on La Marge, Black Moon, the Serge Gainsbourg film, Catherine Breillat's Night After Night and Jacque Rivette's Merry-Go-Round! But at least we know it is going to have a funky soundtrack! And that revealed to me that the film also stars Stefania Casini who was also in Blood For Dracula, and who would go on to roles in Bertolucci's 1900, Suspiria (with the unforgettable wire room death scene), Bye Bye Monkey, Cocktail Molotov and The Belly of An Architect.

Re: The Climber

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 8:18 pm
by TMDaines
Any time a film with less than 50 votes in IMDb gets a Blu-ray release from a major label should be cause for celebration. Don't just want the same cannon regurgitated everywhere repeatedly.

Re: The Climber

Posted: Wed May 02, 2018 3:38 pm
by Mr. Deltoid
This is a good little package! The film is immensely enjoyable and looks great in HD. Dallesandro has a kind of wasted elegance that pulls him through the familiar rise and fall plot. Stefania Casini, as Dallesandro's saviour-turned-moll, is excellent here; vulnerable (she cries during their initial sex-scene), sexy and finally, pitiful. I need to check out more of her films! I see she was in Suspiria (which I haven't seen for years) and 1900 too! Any other recommendations?
The location-work here is good, moving from tatty dockside exteriors to kitsch 70's nightclubs. Less a poliziotteschi (the cops are nowhere to be seen and the protagonist's downfall is sheer hubris) than a rollicking Italian gangster flick, but if your a fan of the former you won't be disappointed! Great heavy rock instrumental too!

Re: The Climber

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2020 6:10 am
by zedz
Fairly standard, fairly brutal Italian gangster saga (kind of a pocket Godfather, but with Joe Dallesandro rather than Al Pacino or Robert De Niro – which kind of tells you all you need to know!) Diverting enough, and the most homoerotic overtly homophobic film I’ve seen in a long while.

Re: The Climber

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2020 7:19 am
by ex-cowboy
Fernando di Leo's Madness - starring Dallesandro - is on Amazon Prime. It's OK - at 77 minutes doesn't outstay its welcome. Apparently it was Dallesandro's last film in Europe before returning to the US and is an underwhelming send-off. The score is great (though largely recycled from Milan Calibre 9 and Designated Victim).