Science Fiction Italian Style: Italian Science Fiction Films from 1958-2000

Book excerpt: Italy is not a country generally known for its science fiction cinema. Over the years, however, a number of films belonging to the genre have been made and - while there might not be a single, defining science fiction 'movement' as such - they make for a curious, compellingly disparate whole. From critically acclaimed futuristic satires to cheapjack exploitation films featuring deadly extra-terrestrials; from counterculture polemics set in an imminent dystopia to post-apocalyptic action movies populated by Mohican-sporting thugs. There might be many different types of films, but they all deal with shared themes and concerns. And that's not even mentioning the giant chickens and flesh-eating fish. This is the first English language book to deal comprehensively with the subject. Covering all Italian science fiction films made between 1958 and 2000 in detail - as well as including an overview of productions made in subsequent years - it examines a range of interconnected sub-genres, looking into how recurrent narratives came about, evolved and eventually faded. So... zip up your space suit, settle back in your anti-gravity seating device... and welcome to the wild, wild world of Science Fiction, Italian Style.