Frankenstein, Italian Style

Here’s a poster for Casanova Frankenstein, an evocative title for the German version of the 1975 Italian sex farce Frankenstein all’italiana. A French version played up the film’s comedic aspects as Plus moche que Frankenstein, tu meurs, “Uglier than Frankenstein, You Die”. The film also played in Turkey as… Young Frankenstein (Genç FrankenStein).

Inspired — in spirit only — by the Mel Brooks/Gene Wilder comedy of 1974, Frankenstein all’italiana has bawdy jokes and liberal doses of T&A substituting for sharp satire and smart sight gags. Case in point, the reassembled Monster first shows signs of life by opening his eyes and breaking wind.

Turns out The Monster, played by broad, brassy comic Aldo Maccione, is monstrously endowed, boinking everyone in sight, including Baron Frankie Frankenstein’s two female assistants and his fiancée (softcore star Jenny Tamburi), nymphettes all. The Baron’s bright solution is to switch members with his Creature, but the experiment leaves both creator and creation impotent — and last seen idling time away, embroidering — while the long-suffering Igor has free reign with the castle’s insatiable femmes.

The French poster shows Maccione, a popular actor on the Continent, in a trademark pose (think “wild and crazy guy”). Also referenced is an elaborate gag sequence inspired by the Hermit scene in Young Frankenstein, in which Igor feeds Pablum to the Monster, with messy results.

Notable cast members include classically-trained actor Gianrico Tedeschi as Baron Frankie, and Ninetto Davoli, a veteran of several Pasolini films, as Igor. The film was the last directorial job for Armando Crispino, whose credits included The Dead Are Alive (1972) and Autopsy (1975).

Thanks to Kimberly of the ultra-cool Cinebeats for the poster.