'The women, the women are ruining us.'
Welcome back to my Dark Corner of this Sick World.
‘You should thank the Gods that people come to see you.’
1974’s The Arena is a film which actually feels like a metaphor for its own origins.
‘Strip’ ‘No, I will not.’
As you’ll know if you’ve seen our School of Corman special – please check it out if you haven’t
in the early 70s Roger Corman made a string of very successful women in prison exploitation films.
Which, by the way, gave Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme his start in films.
You’d know this if you watched the special.
But by 74, Corman had mined the genre clean.
‘I know, I know, but what can I do?’#
But demand remained. So how could he deliver the same thing but different?
‘I need something new, something really exciting’
By making it period.
Much as it looks like with girls, The Arena is a women in prison movie but set in Roman times
and starring Pam Grier and Margaret Markov who were previously paired in Black Mama, White Mama,
'Ooh how bad are you?'
Which we have reviewed.
Not Corman, but written by Jonathan Demme.
But enough history. #
‘I am Boudecia from the Britany’
Seriously, history has no place here.
Bodacious or whatever she’s calling herself is a priestess,
enslaved by the Romans,
‘That’s a nice piece. Save it for the market’
While Grier’s Mamawi is a dancer.
Both end up in the slave market.
'Yes females, each one a man's delight.'
Where they are bought as a job lot by a gay stereotype.
‘Well I won’t handle them at all’
Named Priscium, and taken back to his master’s home.
'Priscium, we have enough kitchen help.'
From here the women in prison essentials come thick and fast;
cat fights,
a variation on the shower scene,
a tough female warden,
'Now get out of those filthy rags.'
We’re trying to make an exploitation movie here.
Played by Dark Corners favourite Rosalba Neri,
and subtle innuendo.
‘Would you like to pluck them for me?’
The women’s duties vary from cleaning up the arena after the gladiatorial fights,
let me cop one last feel before I die.
to dancing, at the degenerate house parties of Rob Reiner.
‘Nice! Nice!’
and of course, taking care of the gladiators.
‘Do you mean we have to satisfy their animal heat?’
You’ve been in a Corman film before.
'There must be another way.'
But Arena owner Timarchus has a problem not dissimilar to Roger Corman’s;
the people still like gladiators but want something new, and the girls are it.
‘If they could put on such a show in the arena’
But they’re girls! They can’t fight.
‘You’ve come to see women fight. Prepare yourselves.’
Seriously, prepare yourselves.
'Here they are.'
'Hail, we who are about to die salute you.'
At first the girls’ fights are a comedy sideline,
but pretty soon it becomes more serious.
And if they refuse to kill their own friends they are picked off by archers.
And it's only a matter of time before our leads are pitched against each other.
'If it did come down that, could you really kill me?'
Now, just fighting for their lives, but also for their freedom.
Seriously, credit to fight scene director Joe D’Amato,
the prolific director of such Dark Corners favourites as Ator The Fighting Eagle and The Devil’s Wedding Night.
Will Mamawi kill the woman she has slowly come to respect?
‘Freedom!’
Massive improvement on Mel Gibson, and this is more historically accurate than Braveheart,
but what about the archers?
‘Archers, shoot!’
Not one person in the vast crowd noticed the serving girls, armed with nothing but a jug of wine,
overwhelming all of the archers and taking their place.
Here’s the thing, somewhat reluctantly I have to give this film the coveted Dark Corners Russ Meyer award for..
‘it’s rubbish, but really quite well done’
For all that this exists just so Pam Grier can wear a costume only slightly more supportive than nudity,
it’s a well put together story; I even found myself caring about the characters.
‘We’ who are about to die salute you.
But, come the ending when the guards are beaten by women who began their training less than a week ago,
when the audience, out of nowhere, switch allegiance,
'I'm one of you! I'm Roman, like all of you.'
and when the arena turns out to have a convenient underground tunnel leading to the sea.
It did strike me as silly.
Which is a very minor complaint all things being considered.
It’s pure exploitation, but it’s been done right – which is what you expect from Roger Corman.
'Bird of paradise.'
Thanks for watching. If you haven’t already check out our School of Corman special here.
What are your favourite Pam Grier films that aren’t Corman or Jackie Brown? Let us know in the comments below.