1961

Today I've been through the Monthly Film Bulletin index for 1961 to catalogue all the international films reviewed in that year. This is the most complete record I have found to work out what was distributed. The MFB were very thorough and reviewed virtually every film released every month, and they also include production and (most importantly for me) the distributor.

In 1961 there were one hundred and forty-eight international films distributed and seen by British audiences. Sixty-two of these are some form of co-production, the most common being France and Italy. The variety of countries that had films shown here is quite astonishing. It is no surprise to find Italy and France, but also in cinemas were films from Pakistan, Kenya, East Germany, Brazil and many more. Twenty-two different countries in total.

There are some hilarious titles in there, such as The Cow and I (La Vache et le prisonnier), a France/ W. Germany co-production, or the exciting Death Comes From Outer Space (La Morte viene dallo spazio), an Italian/ French co-production, and possibly Italy's first science fiction film.

Amongst the films of 1961 are a few that were distributed by Compton Films, including Assassins in the Sun (Assassinos), from Brazil, and The Captive (Vacances en enfer) from France.

There are no prizes for guessing why the Italian I Piaceri del sabato notte, which translates as "the pleasures of Saturday night", was retitled Call Girls of Rome by Gala Film Distributors. This kind of import was something of a speciality for Gala, and I expect to see their name crop up frequently amongst the sexploitation titles.

These are scans of press books that I found amongst the vast collection at the Cinema Museum. I need to go back there some time soon.

Isabel Sarli

One of Compton's discoveries in the mid-1960s was the Argentinian actress Isabel Sarli. Working with her husband, film director Armando Bo, she rapidly became a star thanks to her "give it to me big boy" eyes and her propensity to shed clothes whenever possible. It is surprising given the strict Catholic sensibility of her home country, but these were qualities that Compton were certainly keen to exploit here in the UK. Below is an example of typical Compton marketing; self-promotion as news.

Tony Tenser always claimed to have dubbed Brigitte Bardot "sex kitten" when he marketed And God Created Woman (1956) for Miracle Films. He was at it again here, with Sarli becoming "The Goddess" in yet another tempting offering.

Sadly the movies themselves are difficult to see now, at least with English subtitles. Isabel Sarli is still alive, and someone recently made a Spanish language documentary about her. She is more-or-less forgotten over here now, a footnote in international cinema, but she was certainly a hit in the 1960s. Tony Klinger, an employee of Compton, remembers meeting her when she visited the UK to help promote her films. She was as stunning in real life as the pictures from this press release suggest.

Amidst the relics of the Compton archive I found a packet of materials on Isabel Sarli, including press cuttings from Argentina and a showman campaign created by Steve Prentoulis Films of New York, so she clearly made some sort of impact in the States.

Im not sure whether Isabel Sarli will figure large in my PhD, but she is another example of the diversity of choice in British cinemas in the 1960s.