The 10th Victim

The 10th Victim
File:The 10th Victim.jpg US film poster
Directed by	Elio Petri
Produced by	Carlo Ponti
Written by	Tonino Guerra Giorgio Salvioni Ennio Flaiano Elio Petri Ernesto Gastaldi
Based on	The Seventh Victim by Robert Sheckley
Starring	Marcello Mastroianni Ursula Andress Elsa Martinelli Salvo Randone
Music by	Piero Piccioni Sergio Bardotti
Cinematography	Gianni Di Venanzo
Edited by	Ruggero Mastroianni
Production company	Compagnia Cinematografica Champion Les Films Concordia
Distributed by	Interfilm (Italy) Embassy Pictures (US)
Release dates	1 December 1965 (1965-12-01)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	Italy France
Language	Italian

Elsa Martinelli in The 10th Victim (1965).

The 10th Victim (Italian: La decima vittimacode: it is deprecated ) is a 1965 Italian/French international co-production science fiction film directed by Elio Petri and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress, and featuring Elsa Martinelli in a supporting role. The picture is based on Robert Sheckley's 1953 short story "Seventh Victim". Sheckley later published a novelization of the film in 1966, and two sequels (Victim Prime and Hunter/Victim) in 1987 and 1988, respectively.

Plot

In the near future, big wars are avoided by giving individuals with violent tendencies a chance to kill in the Big Hunt. The Hunt is the most popular form of entertainment in the world and also attracts participants who are looking for fame and fortune. It includes ten rounds for each competitor, five as the hunters and five as the victims. The survivor of ten rounds becomes extremely wealthy and retires. Scenes switch between the pursuit, romance between a hunter and a victim, with a narrator explaining the rules and justification of the Hunt.

Caroline Meredith (Ursula Andress) is a huntress armed with a high caliber Bosch shotgun looking for her tenth victim. To maximize financial gain, Meredith wants to get a perfect kill in front of the cameras as she has negotiated a major sponsor from the Ming Tea Company. Marcello Poletti (Marcello Mastroianni) is the victim. He is reluctant to kill Meredith because he is not sure that she is his hunter; later he is more reluctant because they have become romantically involved.

Cast

• Marcello Mastroianni – Marcello Polletti
• Ursula Andress – Caroline Meredith
• Elsa Martinelli – Olga
• Salvo Randone – Professor
• Massimo Serato – Lawyer
• Milo Quesada – Rudi
• Luce Bonifassy – Lidia
• George Wang – Chinese attacker
• Evi Rigano – Victim
• Walter Williams – Martin
• Richard Armstrong – Cole
• Antonio Ciani

Reception

The 10th Victim received positive reviews from critics, and became an international hit. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes it received a score of 83% based on 6 reviews (5 "fresh and 1 "rotten").

In popular culture

In the early 1990s, comedian and actor Mike Myers, along with musicians Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet, started a faux British 1960s band whose members adopted personas from that era. The band named itself Ming Tea, after the company that sponsored Andress' character in the film. The band is best remembered as the first appearance of Myers' famous character Austin Powers.

See also

• Assassin (game)
• Battle Royale
• Death Race
• Girls with guns
• The Hunger Games
• The Most Dangerous Game
• The Running Man (film)
• Series 7: The Contenders
• The Tournament (film)

External links

• The 10th Victim at IMDb
• The 10th Victim at AllMovie