The 10th Victim

It’s truly an excellent film, which in the Italian theatrical spirit shows where society can go when it completely succumbs to television, to commercial illusions, and anything becomes entertainment for them. Today, it’s not as groundbreaking, but it’s still a great critique that worked even in 1965, just with the difference that more similar works have been created since then. (02/13/2015)

The film explores a number of serious topics in a satirical manner, and it is surprising (not meant as a judgment, but a simple statement) how Petri maintains his sociopolitical critique throughout. After all, the story about the institutionalization of barbaric violence - pretending to control it, while actually transferring it directly to the middle of our society and thereby engendering a shameful indifference among people, stemming from the feeling that a legalized act carried out by someone else under the guise of general benefit does not have to disturb our moral conscience in any way - directly calls for moralizing. However, the comedy genre remains intact, and we can enjoy the film's excellent aesthetic dimension. This is because if, like me, you believe that the 60s represent the aesthetic peak of the past half-century, then this film is for you. The most progressive elements of the real 60s (e.g., Jaguar E-Type) blend here with the projection of 60s ideals onto the future, thereby revealing only the expectations of the 60s (fashion, interiors, etc.). And of course, form goes along with the aesthetics, which Petri always masterfully handles (it's no wonder, with G. Di Venanzo as the cinematographer and Pasqualino De Santis as his assistant). (07/07/2014)