The Arena (1974 film)
Encyclopedia
The Arena is a 1974 gladiator
exploitation film
, starring Margaret Markov
and Pam Grier
, and directed by Steve Carver
and an uncredited Joe D'Amato
. Grier and Markov portray female gladiator
s in ancient Rome, who have been enslaved and must fight for their freedom. This marks the second teaming of Grier and Markov; in 1972 they starred together in the women in prison film Black Mama, White Mama
.
girls who are sold to a man named Timarchus (Daniele Vargas), the organizer of the events that take place in the town’s colosseum. After a fight breaks out amongst the girls, Timarchus gets the idea of putting the women in the ring to fight to the death. The recently captured Mamawi (Pam Grier) and Bodicia (Margaret Markov) realize they must stick together if they are to survive.
in 2001. It was filmed in Russia
by Russian director Timur Bekmambetov
with a Russian crew, and it featured Playboy
playmate
s Karen McDougal
and Lisa Dergan in their feature film debut.
The film was initially titled Gladiatrix but was deemed to be a knockoff of Gladiator
. Although the film was not well received, it has turned into a lesser known cult film
.
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
, starring Margaret Markov
Margaret Markov
Margaret Markov is an American film and television actress. She had a supporting role in the romantic drama The Sterile Cuckoo with Liza Minnelli and co-starred in There is No 13 , as well as appearing in other films.She was in the 1969 outlaw biker film Run, Angel, Run directed by Jack Starrett...
and Pam Grier
Pam Grier
Pamela Suzette "Pam" Grier is an American actress. She became famous in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison and blaxploitation films such as 1974's Foxy Brown. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film...
, and directed by Steve Carver
Steve Carver
Steve Carver is an American film director and producer from Brooklyn, New York.-Biography:Carver first held a camera when he was eight. He attended high school in Manhattan, New York and received his B.A. from Cornell University and his MFA from Washington University in St...
and an uncredited Joe D'Amato
Joe D'Amato
Joe D'Amato, was a prolific Italian filmmaker who directed roughly 200 films, usually at the same time acting as producer and cinematographer, and sometimes providing the script as well...
. Grier and Markov portray female gladiator
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
s in ancient Rome, who have been enslaved and must fight for their freedom. This marks the second teaming of Grier and Markov; in 1972 they starred together in the women in prison film Black Mama, White Mama
Black Mama, White Mama
Black Mama, White Mama is a 1973 women in prison film with elements of blaxploitation, starring Pam Grier and Margaret Markov, and directed by Eddie Romero.-Plot:...
.
Plot
The Arena, set in the ancient Roman town of Brundusium, is about a group of slaveSlavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
girls who are sold to a man named Timarchus (Daniele Vargas), the organizer of the events that take place in the town’s colosseum. After a fight breaks out amongst the girls, Timarchus gets the idea of putting the women in the ring to fight to the death. The recently captured Mamawi (Pam Grier) and Bodicia (Margaret Markov) realize they must stick together if they are to survive.
Cast
- Margaret MarkovMargaret MarkovMargaret Markov is an American film and television actress. She had a supporting role in the romantic drama The Sterile Cuckoo with Liza Minnelli and co-starred in There is No 13 , as well as appearing in other films.She was in the 1969 outlaw biker film Run, Angel, Run directed by Jack Starrett...
— Bodicia - Pam GrierPam GrierPamela Suzette "Pam" Grier is an American actress. She became famous in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison and blaxploitation films such as 1974's Foxy Brown. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film...
— Mamawi - Lucretia Love — Deirdre
- Paul MullerPaul Müller (actor)Paul Konrad Muller is a Swiss character actor. Notice: In fact his real name is "Muller" not "Müller". It seems that it is not possible to change the false written name in the headline of this article.- Theatre :...
— Lucilius - Daniele Vargas — Timarchus
- Marie Louise — Livia
- Mary Count — Lucinia
- Rosalba NeriRosalba NeriRosalba Neri , sometimes credited as Sara Bey or Sara Bay, is a retired Italian actress.-Biography:When she was very young, she won a beauty pageant and attended il Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia...
— Cornelia - Vassili Karis — Marcus
- Sid Lawrence — Priscium
- Mimmo Palmara — Rufinius
- Antonio Casale — Lucan
- Franco Garofalo — Aemilius
- Pietro Ceccarelli — Septimus
- Jho Jhenkins — Quintus
Remakes
A remake of this film was released directly to videoDirect-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
in 2001. It was filmed in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
by Russian director Timur Bekmambetov
Timur Bekmambetov
Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov is a Kazakh-born director, producer and screenwriter who has worked on films and commercials. He is mostly popular for the Russian film Night Watch and its sequel Day Watch , and the American film Wanted .-Early life:Bekmambetov was born on June 25, 1961 in the...
with a Russian crew, and it featured Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
playmate
Playmate
A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of Playboy magazine as Playmate of the Month . The PMOM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, as well as a short biography and the "Playmate Data Sheet", which lists her birthdate, measurements, turn-ons, and...
s Karen McDougal
Karen McDougal
Karen McDougal is an American model and actress. She is known for her appearances in Playboy magazine as Playmate of the Month for December 1997 and Playmate of the Year of 1998. In 2001, the readers of Playboy voted McDougal "No...
and Lisa Dergan in their feature film debut.
The film was initially titled Gladiatrix but was deemed to be a knockoff of Gladiator
Gladiator (2000 film)
Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed...
. Although the film was not well received, it has turned into a lesser known cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
.