Le mele marce

I saw this strange film on late night cable way back in 1983 and found it oddly appealing.Obviously not filmed in the USA with dubbed dialog, weird atmosphere and the eventual appearance of William Holden as an added bonus. After searching on the internet recently I found an uncut version VHS tape for sale.* SPOILER *William Holdens character is arrested at the end which didn't occur in the edited version. The stark direction,unconventional editing techniques and haunting music make this one a seldom seen gem. I usually don't indulge in films of this type( like the repulsive, house by the lake ) but open season has enough

going for it to elevate it above other films of this genre. For Fonda/ Holden fans this film is highly recommended,others beware!

Out of the comments I have read about this movie, including the locations where the movie was supposedly shot, it appears that someone did not do their homework, or has not done much traveling. I saw this movie at a theater when it first came out, and recognized the scenery immediately. As the guys were headed out on their vacation, it showed them crossing the Mackinac Bridge, which separates lower Michigan from the upper peninsula, as they were obviously headed for Canada on their hunting trip. Whether the rest of the movie was shot in Canada is questionable, and the bridge may have been a "file shot" which is why it wasn't mentioned in the shooting locations. I have been wondering for years why this movie isn't mentioned in most of the lists of his movie credits. Good, bad, or indifferent, I for one, would like to see it again, just for old times sake. Please... would someone release this on video or DVD?!

Three buddies (Fonda, Law, Lynch) kidnap a couple (Sharpe, Mendoza) up in the mountain. Forced Mendoza to be a cook and housekeeper, and the Sharpe to be a sex slave to them. And after the weekend is over, they turn them loose in the wood to hunt them, not knowing the father (william Holden)of a girl that that they raped in High School that had their retarded kid is waiting and watching to pick off Fonda and the gang one by one. I can't understand why Fonda who was getting leads in action films and drama, and Holden who is a respectable actor to be involved in a distasteful film like this. The film looks like it was shot in Spain for the supporting actors looked dubbed. Spanish Actor Simon Andreau is billed as special guest star, but is not in the US or UK print. Annoying title song sounds like Oliver Onions from Italian pop band Guido singing it. TV print loses some of the nudity, but the violence is intact. See it if you like this sort of film, others beware.

This film is a revelation in terms of editing technique, the use of stills right in the middle of the action (this is 1974, a long time pre-John Woo)and several passages of pretty associative editing. The photography is stunning with spectacularly framed images. There is a very thought-out way of using sound, with a change of perspective (from clos up to a wide shot and vice versa) that is counteracted by the sound - a lot of close-up conversation takes place on wide shots. and finally, because some folks think this is boring - the way the topic of the movie - the use of humans as living targets - is introduced is pretty compelling - the audience is not given a clue, or a well-worded plan - we are kept just as informed as the victims, and when seeing the movie for the first time, stuff like putting the chain on the woman in the kitchen really comes as an awful surprise - yet Fonda delivers this as if it was routine as usual (which it obviously is for his character) - thrilling stuff. They did a lot of experimenting with editing and imaging in the 70s which should not be lost. this movie should be put on dvd!

What can we say about Ken, Greg and Arty? Fine upstanding citizens, respectable family men, hard workers who enjoy blowing off steam with a little bit of adultery, kidnapping and murder!

Once a year these wonderful human beings leave their families behind for a few days and head into the arms of Mother Nature. Fast flowing rivers and endless empty forests are just what the doctor ordered, the perfect place to unwind and more importantly, the perfect place to muffle the screams of their latest victims.

This year they stumble across a couple with car trouble and take them to their isolated cabin in the woods. It's a crime that is committed with such ease and bravado there's no doubt these men have done this before. In the cabin the man is handcuffed and humiliated, forced to cook and clean. His girlfriend, on the other hand, is subjected to horrors of a different kind. When the fun is over the next day the couple are told they will be set free, however, this is no cause for celebration, as they soon realize the true nightmare has only just begun.

The three men are played by Peter Fonda, Richard Lynch and John Philip Law. Apart from being war vets, little is known about the characters they play, but judging by their pastime of kidnap and murder we can guess they are struggling somewhat to settle into normal life.

Released in 1974, smack-bang in the middle of the exploitation era, Open Season is both low budget and violence heavy. Think of it as cross between a spaghetti westerns and Deliverance. It is certainly not a movie for everyone but Peter Fonda calmed it was one of his favorite. "I had a good time on that one. That was my first chance to play a really evil guy. "