The Arena

A mixed assortment of female slaves, including the nubian Mamawi (Pam Grier) and the Briton Bodicia (Margaret Markov), are sold to effete nobleman Priscium who in turn gifts them to corrupt local governor Timarchus, who intends to use them to service his house, gladiators and post-arena orgies.

Unfortunately the hoi polloi are growing jaded and restless. After witnessing a ferocious catfight, Timarchus hits on the idea of making them fight in the arena, and instructs master gladiator to train them.

Initially the women welcome this as an escape from the drudgery and degradation of their lives as slaves. The crowds likewise enjoy the novel spectacle. But their bloodlust remains unsated, demanding the women engage in traditional fights to the death. Realising the hopelessness of the situation, the surviving gladiatrixes, led by Mamawi and Bodicia, plan their escape…

You can imagine how this was pitched to executive producer Roger Corman by his ex-pat countryman Mark Damon back in 1974: Black Mama, White Mama in Ancient Rome. (The tagline actually read "Black Slave, White Slave", apparently)

But if the film has that high concept formula "plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose" air about it so what? This exploitation formula is a winning one and its relocation only serves to underscore this. Whether we're in Ancient Rome as here; an 18th century nunnery as in Images in a Convent; a Nazi concentration camp as with The Beast in Heat, or a prison in some contemporary dictatorship like 99 Women, it's all ultimately the same thing.

Essentially our contract with these films is that they invites us to vicariously enjoy the pleasures of power through witnessing a succession of sadistic spectacles then, as the wheel turns, see the cycle repeat itself with the positions of victim and victimiser inverted.

The meaning, ever confused, might be taken as Sadean – take what you can get, before the next counter-revolution comes around – or Buddhist – this is not the right (in)action to escape from the karmic cycle. Whatever, it reinforces the validity of Acton's dictum: "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Enough intellectual bullshitting to justify The Arena; it scarcely needs it: besides Grier and Markov in "we'll put clothes on if the role demands it" mode the cast also includes Rosalba Neri (as Sara Bey), playing Timarchus's mistressdomo – read sadistic lesbian warden/mother superior/SS bitch – and Paul Muller as one of his degenerate cronies. (Then again, has Muller ever played anything but degenerate?) Salvatore Baccarro AKA Sal Boris is in there as well, along with the dude who played Bill Carson in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Antonio Casale (as Anthony Vernon).

Behind the camera we've got Aristide Massaccesi lensing – and according to some sources also co-directing with Steve Carver – and Francesco De Masi scoring, so you know it looks and sounds decent even if the mise-en-scene is largely uninspired.

Unfortunately this Region 2 PAL DVD from Prism Leisure which offers a frustratingly panned and scanned version of the film, the annoyance all the greater seeing as the opening and closing credits are actually presented in the proper 2.35:1 widescreen ratio.