Saturday, March 31, 2012

SUPERARGO CONTRO DIABOLIKUS - Franco Pisano - "SUPEREXCITEMENT" (1966)

"Good evening everyone! It is of considerable pleasure that I present the most stupendous and unique event of the season", "Superargo Vs Diabolicus!" This film was made in what some people consider to be the best year ever in history, 1966! It's also time to give another shout out to "The Trash Palace" for providing us with this tasty bit of killer tiramisu! Thanx Brian!!!

Here he is in all his glory, Giovanni Cianfriglia as the amazing Invincible Superman, the masked wrasslin' champion of the world, Superargo!! In this, and many of his other films, Giovanni chose to be credited as Ken Wood! Ken has had the role of an uncredited thug in more movies than most actors ever appeared in! Quite the athlete, Giovanni has worked as a stunt man in a number of movies too!

In this opening scene Superargo is putting his undefeated record on the line against another undefeated wrassler named El Tigre, but something goes horribly wrong in the script, and El Tigre dies after being tossed out of the ring and cracks his head open on the hard concrete floor!

That series of events throws Superago into a mental tailspin, because El Tigre was his friend!

Superargo has an array of interesting powers, he can hold his breath underwater for at least 7 minutes, and swim down to a depth of 300 feet, and he also drinks like a fish!!

Aha, The Argophone, and to think I thought I was the only one with a two-tone phone!!

This is Gérard (Baraka sur X 13) Tichy as master henchman Diabolicus! Unlike a lot of European actors, Gérard was able to make the international crossover, and had roles in some major movies like "Doctor Zhivago" and "El Cid!" Diabolicus has his own island, and big plans to take over the whole world!

Diabolicus basically kills Superargo a number of times, but one of his powers is that Superargo is tough as Hell! He can take a lot of heat, and in this case, get frozen, but it doesn't have any effect on him. You also can't stab him, and the secret service provided him with a costume that is bulletproof, so it's pretty difficult to dispose of him!

Diabolicus's posse kidnaps Superargo's girlfriend, Mónica Randall as Lidia and takes her to the island! Mónica's God-given name was Aurora Julià Sarasa and she made most of her films in Italy and Spain in titles that translated into things like "Ringo and Gringo Against All" or "A Fistful Of Knuckles!"

Superargo is hot on the trail! Never once does he take off his mask during the course of the film. With his back to the camera, he does have it yanked off by Diabolicus, and him and his girlfriend gasp, put the mask back on and say something like, "I don't get it, he looks normal enough to me!"

The action is continuous except for a series of underwater scenes, and the music is fantastic through the whole movie. One of the coolest themes ever was composed by a guy we've never mentioned before, Maestro Franco Pisano! Franco has only 16 credits, but one of them is the even rarer superhuman flick, "Goldface, Il Fantastico Superman" made in 1969!

Diabolicus and his crew try to stall off Superargo's imminent attack with an attempted barbecue of Lidia. Diabolicus's main squeeze is portrayed by the dynamic Loredana Nusciak! Loredana was in some whack titles including "Revenge For Revenge," "God Will Forgive My Pistol" and "Something Is Crawling In The Dark," and she fleshed out her career in sword and sandal epics!


Nothing is going to keep Superargo from his love, as he fights fire with fire, and freakin' melts the house down!!

Despite all the carnage, there's always time for a short, but tender moment!

Diabolicus's mistress shows her true colours! Can't anybody be trusted anymore??

They really thought they got him this time, but another thing that Superargo can do is take a tremendous electrical licking, and still come out ticking!! That Superargo is one tough cookie!

Superargo was given a set amount of time to save his girl, and get off the island before the military comes in and blows the living Hell out of the whole damn place! Aloha Muthafuckahs!!!

Most heroes could only hope to be half as cool as Superargo, and even though it's over for now, Superargo comes back again in 1968 and another earth shaking battle with a different mad man and his army of robots, in "L'Invincibile Superman"

5 comments:

Scumbalina said...

How cool! I desperately need this. *runs to trash palace*

Eegah!! and Tabonga! said...

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!!!


Eegah!!

Scumbalina said...

I love how his phone matches his face

Anonymous said...

Just amazing... great review!

Eegah!! and Tabonga! said...

Gracias G

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