The New Barbarians (Italian: I nuovi barbari; also known as Warriors of the Wasteland) is a 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic action film directed by Enzo G. Castellari, written by Castellari and Tito Carpi, and starring Giancarlo Prete and George Eastman. The plot takes place in 2019, following a nuclear holocaust, where two loners among the remains of the starving human race protect a group of pilgrims from a vicious gang bent on genocide.
Plot[]
In the year 2019, after a nuclear war, humanity is reduced to a few starving groups. A ruthless gang called "The Templars" constantly raid settlers in an attempt to exterminate everyone in order to purge the Earth. A former Templar, Scorpion, along with his allies, prevents a small band of religious colonists from being massacred by the Templars.
Cast[]
- Giancarlo Prete (as Timothy Brent) as Scorpion
- Fred Williamson as Nadir
- George Eastman as One
- Anna Kanakis as Alma
- Ennio Girolami (as Thomas Moore) as Shadow
- Venantino Venantini as Father Moses
- Massimo Vanni as Mako
- Giovanni Frezza as Young Mechanic
- Iris Peynado as Vinya
- Andrea Coppola as Mako's Friend
- Zora Kerova as Moses' Woman
Production[]
The New Barbarians was shot outside of Rome in late 1982.[1][4] When discussing 1990: The Bronx Warriors, The New Barbarians and Escape from the Bronx, Castellari stated the three films were written, prepared and filmed in six months.[5]
For the stunts in the film, Castellari stated that he filmed each scene at three different speeds: 24fps, 55 and 96. Castellari stated that this allowed him to "edit the whole sequence in a more interesting way. It gives much more impact to the entire stunt and it actually looks much more impressive and powerful than it actually is."[4]
Release[]
The New Barbarians was released in Italy on 7 April 1983.[6] It was released in the United States in January 1984 under the title of Warriors of the Wasteland.[4][7] It was distributed by New Line Cinema.[1]
Reception[]
Castellari had positive recollections of making the film, stating that it "was an extremely cheap movie. The budget was incredibly small but I'm quite proud that I succeeded in making a movie shot on the outskirts of Rome."[4] Variety found the film derivative of Mad Max 2 as well as having elements of Hal Needham's Megaforce and other films.[1] Variety felt that Casterllari made a mistake in using slow motion opposed to George Miller's exciting high-sped action scenes, finding that the films car chases "look to be occurring at 25 mph".[1] In his book Phil Hardy's book Science Fiction (1984), a review found the film to be too derivative of Mad Max 2.[3] The Monthly Film Bulletin described the film as a "shamelessly watered-down, warmed-over" version of Mad Max 2.[8]
In a retrospective review, AllMovie awarded the film two stars out of five, found that the film captures "the true spirit of the low budget rip-off flicks from early 80's, The New Barbarians is neither smart nor original, but a riot for anyone who gets off on Mad Max and all of its the junky followers."[9]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Willis, John 1985, p. 439: "Review is of 87 minute version viewed in New York on January 15, 1984"
- ↑ "I nuovi barbari (1983)". Archivo Cinema Italiano.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hardy 1984, p. 382.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Fischer 2011, p. 130.
- ↑ The New Barbarians [liner notes] (Media notes). Enzo G. Castellari. Death Waltz. DW025.CS1 maint: others (link)Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ Mannikka, Eleanor. "The New Barbarians". AllMovie.
- ↑ Willis, Donald 1985, pp. 158, 204.
- ↑ Taylor, Paul (1983). "New Barbarians, The "(I nuovi barbari)"". Monthly Film Bulletin. British Film Institute. 50 (588): 219–220.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ Wheeler, Jeremy. "The New Barbarians". AllMovie.
Bibliography[]
- (1984) Science Fiction. New York : Morrow. ISBN 0-688-00842-9.
- Fischer, Dennis (2011). Science Fiction Film Directors, 1895-1998. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786485055.
- (1985) in Willis, Donald: Variety's Complete Science Fiction Reviews. Garland Publishing Inc.. ISBN 978-0-8240-6263-7.
- Willis, John (1985). Screen World36. Crown Publisher, Inc.. ISBN 0-517-55821-1.
