https://letterboxd.com/michaelblanton/film/the-climber-1975/Revisited Pasquale Squitieri's L'ambizioso (The Climber) (1975), starring Joe Dallesandro and Stafania Casini with Raymond Pellegrin, Benito Artesi, Ferdinando Murolo, Tony Askin, Giovanni Cianfriglia, Lorenzo Piani and others. Nice score, with catchy theme song, by Franco Campanino. More of a gangster film - think Little Caesar - than a poliziotteschi, Aldo (Dallesandro) is a small-time New York hood who's been sent to Napoli and set up with the local mafia as a collector, smuggling cigarettes and delivering them to bars, restaurants, stores, etc. Aldo, greedy and ambitious, starts charging customers extra for the smuggled contraband, but when his bosses find out he's beaten and he leaves Napoli for Roma. Once in Roma, he starts up a crew of small-time hoods, boxers, tough guys, etc., to try and take over the local protection rackets for restaurants, bars, etc. Fans of Marvin Leroy's Little Caesar (1931) and Larry Cohen's Black Caesar (1973) should find much to enjoy.
The transfer on the new Arrow Films blu-ray is gorgeous. There's an excellent essay, "Paradise Lost" by Roberto Curti, along with a 30 minute interview "Little Joe's Adventures in Europe" with Dallesandro discussing his work in Europe, Art Films in France, Genre films in Italy.
 (1975), starring Joe Dallesandro and Stafania Casini with Raymond Pellegrin, Benito Artesi, Ferdinando Murolo, Tony Askin, Giovanni Cianfriglia, Lorenzo Piani and others. Nice score, with catchy theme song, by Franco Campanino. More of a gangster film - think Little Caesar - than a poliziotteschi, Aldo (Dallesandro) is a small-time New York hood who's been sent to Napoli and set up with the local mafia as a collector, smuggling cigarettes and delivering them to bars, restaurants, stores, etc. Aldo, greedy and ambitious, starts charging customers extra for the smuggled contraband, but when his bosses find out he's beaten and he leaves Napoli for Roma. Once in Roma, he starts up a crew of small-time hoods, boxers, tough guys, etc., to try and take over the local protection rackets for restaurants, bars, etc. Fans of Marvin Leroy's Little Caesar (1931) and Larry Cohen's Black Caesar (1973) should find much to enjoy.<br /><br />The transfer on the new Arrow Films blu-ray is gorgeous. There's an excellent essay, "Paradise Lost" by Roberto Curti, along with a 30 minute interview "Little Joe's Adventures in Europe" with Dallesandro discussing his work in Europe, Art Films in France, Genre films in Italy.<br /><br />[img]Revisited Pasquale Squitieri's L'ambizioso (The Climber) (1975), starring Joe Dallesandro and Stafania Casini with Raymond Pellegrin, Benito Artesi, Ferdinando Murolo, Tony Askin, Giovanni Cianfriglia, Lorenzo Piani and others. Nice score, with catchy theme song, by Franco Campanino. More of a gangster film - think Little Caesar - than a poliziotteschi, Aldo (Dallesandro) is a small-time New York hood who's been sent to Napoli and set up with the local mafia as a collector, smuggling cigarettes and delivering them to bars, restaurants, stores, etc. Aldo, greedy and ambitious, starts charging customers extra for the smuggled contraband, but when his bosses find out he's beaten and he leaves Napoli for Roma. Once in Roma, he starts up a crew of small-time hoods, boxers, tough guys, etc., to try and take over the local protection rackets for restaurants, bars, etc. Fans of Marvin Leroy's Little Caesar (1931) and Larry Cohen's Black Caesar (1973) should find much to enjoy.<br /><br />The transfer on the new Arrow Films blu-ray is gorgeous. There's an excellent essay, "Paradise Lost" by Roberto Curti, along with a 30 minute interview "Little Joe's Adventures in Europe" with Dallesandro discussing his work in Europe, Art Films in France, Genre films in Italy.<br /><br />[img]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=788813207942245&set=pcb.788804514609781&type=3&theater)
