Umberto Lenzi: Master of Exploitation

Born 6.10. 1931, Massa Marittima, Grosseto, Italia
Aka: Humphrey Humbert, Doo Yong Lee, Hank Milestone

Umberto Lenzi is legendary italian exploitation movie director. His cannibal movies are well known. He is also directed several war movies like spectacular The Greatest Attack (1977), starring John Huston, Giuliano Gemma and Orson Welles.

Umberto Lenzi was a lawyer. Then he start write movies. In 1961 he directed his first movie. Since then he is amazed in many genres. He has directed circa 60 movies.

First really important Lenzi -movie was Kriminal (1967). Then he directed some westerns and a war movie called Battle of the Commandos (1969), in this movie one screenwriter was Dario Argento. Then giallos start to be more popular in Italy. Lenzi directed Paranoia (1968) and So Sweet...So Perverse (1969).

Elia Kazan's Baby Doll was
Carroll Baker's most well known role.

1970s Umberto Lenzi started to do action movies like Almost Human (1974) and One Just Man (1975), both starred personal Cuban-born actor Tomas Milian. One Just Man was action-packed movie, it was very popular in italy then.

Sympathetic Italian actor Maurizio Merli.

Umberto Lenzi directed three cannibal movies The Man from the Deep River (1972), Eaten Alive) and Cannibal Ferox (1981), these are very violent and gory movies. Most memorable is maybe Cannibal Ferox.

Eaten Alive (1980) stars genre-regulars Ivan Rassimov and Me Me Lay.

John Saxonin and Maurizio Merlin in The Cynic, the Rat,
and the Fist (1977) it's one of the best Italian Poliziotteschi-movies.
Umberto Lenzi's filmography:
CATHERINE OF RUSSIA -- IT FR 1962 (CATERINA DI RUSSIA)

Il TRIONFO DI ROBIN HOOD -- US IT 1962

TERROR OF THE BLACK MASK -- IT FR 1963 (L' INVINCIBILE CAVALIERE MASCHERATO; AKA.The INVINCIBLE MASKED RIDER)

SAMSON AND THE SLAVE QUEEN -- IT 1963 (ZORRO CONTRO MACISTE)

SANDOKAN THE GREAT -- IT FR ES 1963 (SANDOKAN, LA TIGRE DI MOMPRACEM)

SANDOK, IL MACISTE DELLA GIUNGLA -- IT FR 1964 (Il TEMPIO DELL'ELEFANTE BIANCO)

HERCULES AGAINST THE MERCENARIES -- FR IT 1964

JUNGLE ADVENTURER -- IT 1964 (La MONTAGNA DI LUCE)

I PIRATI DELLA MALESIA -- IT FR ES 1964

A 008 OPERAZIONE TERMINIO -- IT 1965

ADVENTURES OF THE BENGAL LANCERS -- IT ES 1965 (I TRE SERGENTI DEL BENGALA)

SUPERSEVEN CHIAMA CAIRO -- IT FR 1965

Un MILIONE DI DOLLARI PER SETTE ASSASSINI -- IT 1966

SPIES LOVE FLOWERS -- IT ES 1966 (LE SPIE AMANO I FIORI)

KRIMINAL -- IT ES 1967

KRIMINAL'S FOUR BUDDHAS -- ES IT 1968 (I 4 BUDAS DI KRIMINAL; MASCARA DE KRIMINAL)

ALL OUT -- IT ES DE 1968 (TUTTO PER TUTTO)

PISTOL FOR A HUNDRED COFFINS (UNA PISTOLA PER CENTO BARE) -- IT ES 1968

PARANOIA -- IT FR 1968 (ORGASMO)

A QUIET PLACE TO KILL -- IT ES 1969 R (PARANOIA)

BATTLE OF THE COMMANDOS -- IT 1969 R (LA LEGIONE DEI DANNATI)

SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE -- IT 1969 R (COSI DOLCE... COSI PERVERSA)

AN IDEAL PLACE TO KILL (UN POSTO IDEALE PER UCCIDERE; AKA. DIRTY PICTURES) -- IT 1971

SEVEN ORCHIDS STAINED IN RED -- DE IT 1972 (SETTE ORCHIDEE MACCHIATE DI ROSSO; AKA. THE MYSTERY OF THE SILVER HALF MOONS)

THE DAGGER OF ICE -- IT ES 1972 (IL COLTELLO DI GHIACCIO)

MAN FROM DEEP RIVER -- IT 1972 R(Il PAESE DEL SESSO SELVAGGIO; AKA. SACRIFICE!)

GANG WAR IN MILAN -- IT 1973 (MILANO ROVENTE)

SPASMO -- IT 1974

EYEBALL -- IT ES 1974 (GATTI ROSSI IN UN LABIRINTO DI VETRO)

ALMOST HUMAN -- IT 1974 (MILANO ODIA: LA POLIZIA NON PUO SPARARE)

ONE JUST MAN-- IT 1975 (Il GIUSTIZIERE SFIDA LA CITTA; RAMBO SFIDA LA CITTA; AKA. SYNDICATE SADISTS)

ROME: ARMED TO THE TEETH -- IT 1976 (ROMA A MANO ARMATA)

DEATH DEALERS -- IT 1976 R (NAPOLI VIOLENTA)

Il TRUCIDO E LO SBIRRO -- IT 1976

LA BANDA DEL GOBBO -- IT 1977

The CYNIC, THE RAT AND THE FIST -- IT 1977 (Il CINICO, L'INFAME, IL VIOLENTO)

THE BIGGEST BATTLE -- IT 1977

DA CORLEONE A BROOKLYN -- IT 1978

FROM HELL TO VICTORY -- FR IT ES 1979

EATEN ALIVE -- IT 1980 (MANGIATI VIVI DAI CANNIBALI; AKA. THE EMERALD FOREST; AKA. DOOMED TO DIE)

CANNIBAL FEROX -- IT 1981 (MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY)

NIGHTMARE CITY -- IT ES 1980 R (INCUBO SULLA CITTA CONTAMINATA; TERROR 2; AKA. CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD)

GOD SAVE THE QUEENS -- IT 1980 (SCUSI LEI E' NORMALE?)

PIERINO THE PEST TO THE RESCUE -- IT 1981 (PIERINO LA PESTE ALLA RISCOSSA)

GORDINFLONA -- IT 1982 (CICCIABOMBA)

LA GUERRA DEL FERRO -- IT FR 1983 (Il DOMINATORE DEL FERRO)

THE CONDOR'S FIVE -- IT 1985

WILD TEAM -- IT 1986 R (SQUADRA SELVAGGIA)

GHOSTHOUSE -- IT 1988

CAMPER -- IT 1989

COP TARGET -- IT 1989

COMBAT FORCE -- IT 1989 (STRIKER)

HITCHER IN THE DARK -- 1990 (AKA. RETURN OF THE HITCHER)

BLACK DEMONS -- IT 1991

CACCIA ALLO SCORPIONE D'ORO -- IT 1991

MEAN TRICKS -- IT 1992

SARAYEVO INFERNO DI FUOCO -- 1996 IT

HOUSE OF WITCHCRAFT -- IT 1997

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