Avenger X

1967 film
  • Adriano Bolzoni
  • Augusto Caminito[1]
Starring
  • Pier Paolo Capponi
  • Gaia Germani
  • Armando Calvo
CinematographyEmanuele Di Cola[1]Edited byGianmaria Messeri[1]Music byManuel Parada[1]
Production
companies
  • Terra Film
  • Copercine[1]
Distributed byEuro International
Release dates
  • 1967 (1967) (Italy)
  • 22 January 1968 (1968-01-22) (Spain)
Running time
90 minutes[1]Countries
LanguageItalianBox office₤112 million

Avenger X (Italian: Mister-X) is a 1967 film based on the Italian comic series Mister-X [it]. [1]

Plot

George Lamarro is the head of a pharmaceutical company that is also involved in the production and distribution of illegal narcotics. When his secretary attempts to blackmail him for a share of the profits and his hand in marriage, he has her killed with her death arranged in a way to implicate a master criminal called "Mister X" who is a master of disguise, efficient killer and professional golf champion. The real Mister X uses his skills to discover the criminals are involved in a scheme by an unnamed foreign nation using the company and a Scottish and an American criminal to distribute illegal narcotics in the Western World.

Cast

  • Pier Paolo Capponi as Mister X
  • Gaia Germani as Timmy
  • Armando Calvo as George Lamar
  • Anna Zinnemann as Dolly
  • Umberto Raho as MacDoug
  • Renato Baldini as Jack Caruso
  • Franco Fantasia as Inspector Roux
  • Dante Posani as Jim
  • Helga Liné as Gloria

[1]

Production

Avenger X was based on the comic series Mister-X as created by writer Cesare Melloncelli and drawing artist Giancarlo Tenenti.[1] The comic was first published by Milan's Edizioni Cervinia in October 1964.[1] Unlike other fumetti neri of the era, Mister-X had very little violent content, with the titular character being a gentleman thief similar to Arsène Lupin.[1] In the film, the titular character Mister X visually differs from the comics design who had a black hood and leotard opposed to the red cape, white boots and hood that covers his face that his comic book counterpart wears.[2]

Parts of the film were shot in Rome including location shooting at the Stadio dei Marmi.[2]

Release

Avenger X was released in Italy in 1967 as Mister X.[1] The English-language title of the film ignores the characters name and is titled Avenger X.[1] Director Piero Vivarelli stated most of the violent scenes in the film were removed from the Italian version of the film to earn a V.M.14 rating.[2] Censors documents only suggested that 47 seconds of the film were cut in Italy[2] This included scenes where a blowtorch approaches Mister-X's bare chest and a shot of a speedboat moving towards a reef.[2] The film grossed 112 million Italian lire in Italy during its theatrical run.[3] The film was distributed by Euro International.[4]

The film was released in Spain on 22 January 1968 where it sold 707,889 admissions.[5]

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Curti 2016, p. 60.
  2. ^ a b c d e Curti 2016, p. 61.
  3. ^ Curti 2016, p. 62.
  4. ^ Cowie & Elley 1977, p. 317.
  5. ^ "Mister X". iicaa Catalogo de Cinespanol. Retrieved 18 July 2019.

Sources

  • Cowie, Peter; Elley, Derek (1977). World Filmography: 1967. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. ISBN 0498015653.
  • Curti, Roberto (2016). Diabolika: Supercriminals, Superheroes and the Comic Book Universe in Italian Cinema. Midnight Marquee Press. ISBN 978-1-936168-60-6.

External links

  • Avenger X at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata