H2S (1968) Roberto Faenza | Counterculture Banned Film
3345DVD
director:
Roberto Faenza
starring: Lionel Stander · Carole Andre · Denis Gilmore
· Giancarlo Cobelli · Paolo Poli · Franco Valobra
Often called "a hidden Italian masterpiece," this film was only
released in Germany and Italy [where it was reportedly banned from distribution
and all known prints destroyed]. The director, university professor Roberto
Faenza, had received some notoriety with his previous counterculture movie,
ESCALATION.
But this one delved much deeper into the drug-laced netherworld of the
hippie culture. It is a surreal futuristic 'comedy' drama set in London
England where students are controlled by a dictatorship Government and
most everything - including sex - is outlawed, causing the young people
to revolt. The narrative is puzzling and eccentric as it meshes SciFi
with political statements and weird repressed sexual perversions, but
the set designs are truly amazing and the Ennio Morricone soundtrack is
superb [arguably his best].
Italian critic Richie Pistilli wrote: "This is the kind
of obscure, freewheeling satire that could only have been made in the
late 1960s, under the influence of suspicious substances. Faenza didn’t
make another movie for 10 years, although he has since achieve a respectable
career in Italian arthouse cinema."
Before this film, Carole Andre played Mike's girlfriend in
The Monkees TV series,
afterwards she would appear in numerous genre hits including ENCOUNTERS
IN THE DEEP.
An
Italian film with optional English subtitles;
widescreen format, (81 min.),
in DVD format, encoded for ALL REGIONS, playable on any American DVD machine.
Extras include selected trailers.
Drugs/Nudity/Violence/Strong
Sexual Themes
Intended For Mature Audiences
Often called "a hidden Italian masterpiece," this film was only
released in Germany and Italy [where it was reportedly banned from distribution
and all known prints destroyed]. The director, university professor Roberto
Faenza, had received some notoriety with his previous counterculture movie,
