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OPERACION MANTIS
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| Cast: Paul
Naschy, Julia Saly, Fedral Lorente, Paloma Cela, Yolanda Farr, Antonio
Gamero, Jose Sazatornil Saza Director: Jactino Molina Producer: Aconito Productions (Spain), Amachi Films (Japan) Screenplay: Jacinto Molina, Joaquin Oristrell Photography: Julio Burgos Music: Fernando Garcia Morcillo Running time: 103 min. Fujicolor U.S.
theatrical release: None Notes: This joint production between Naschy's company, Aconito Films, and Masurao Takeda's Amachi Films failed to find a domestic and international audience, and bankrupt Naschy's company. A spoof of super spy films, with a satiric swipe at the sexes (the film was subtitled "El exterminio del macho" -- "The Extermination of the Male"), OPERACION MANTIS remains a curious, and perhaps misunderstood, work in Naschy's career. But maybe not. In an interview in VIDEOOZE, Naschy's judgment was harsh: "The great failure in my career; the film that ruined me and was for me a disaster, nearly fatal for the tremendous displeasure it brought me." So, the "extermination of the male" became the extermination of a film company and nearly the man, who, using his well-honed survivor skills, would rebound four years later with the exceptional HOWL OF THE DEVIL. OPERACION MANTIS either came too late as a spy spoof (by 1984 spy films had been passé for over a dozen years) or too early (Austin Powers was still years ahead)--or it simply wasn't good enough regardless. The difficulty of successfully translating the particular humor of the Spanish people to foreign audiences didn't help. After this film, longtime Naschy co-star Julia Saly packed it in and moved to Barcelona, not to be heard from again. |
Paul Naschy and Julia Saly share one |
