BLU RAY REVIEWS

This recent release from Grindhouse combines two previous releases into one box set. If  you already have these discs you are probably asking yourself if you should buy these films  again. The answer is YES! With this box set, in addition to the two great films, Grindhouse  has included a CD of the music from Gone With The Pope.  

For those not familiar with Duke Mitchell and why his films are important I will help you out.  Duke was an Italian singer born Dominic Salvatore Miceli. In 1951 he was paired with  Sammy Petrillo, a young comic who bore an uncanny resemblance to Jerry Lewis and the  duo began doing a copycat version of the popular Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin act. They  appeared in the now cult status film Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla but broke up the  act after threats from Lewis. Mitchell went on to be a recording artist and built a following  performing at clubs in Las Vegas, New York City, Los Angeles and Palm Springs. It has been  said that he was one of Frank Sinatra’s favorite performers.  

After the successful release of The Godfather, with some financial help from Sinatra,  Mitchell wrote, directed, produced and starred in Massacre Mafia Style. While he  supposedly assured Sinatra that he felt The Godfather had unfairly portrayed Italians as  bloodthirsty criminals and that he intended his film to be a tribute to the positive things  about Italian culture, he did not succeed. The film is a wild, bloody and often offensive  exploitation film. And it is fantastic. Fans of gnarly, low budget showcases of violence and  sexism need go no further.  

The following year Mitchell started work on his second film. It went under various titles  during production as Mitchell would have to have the film processed at different labs due  to unpaid bills and constantly changed the name of the film to fool labs he owed money to.  The film remained unfinished as Mitchell pursued other projects including an unaired TV  special where Mitchell impersonated Jimmy Durante. The film elements were discovered in  a garage years after Mitchell’s death from cancer and completed and released by  Grindhouse. Looking at the various titles they chose the excellent Gone With The Pope. Like  its predecessor, the film is a tough, politically incorrect masterpiece of exploitive violence  and sleaze.  

Mitchell’s 7” vinyl releases can be found on for sale on the internet, but fans have been hoping for an official release of the Gone With The Pope score for years, and it is finally here.  Was it worth the wait? The answer is yes. The CD contains Mitchell’s previously released  Italian songs in addition to the music score, his son Jeffrey’s rock songs, and the songs by the Las Vegas lounge act Frankie And The Nov-elites. The quality is very good and there are a couple of bonus tracks I won’t spoil. 

Duke Mitchell’s legacy has grown and grown over the years, and if you have not experienced his songs or films and love Italian crooning along with fucked-up gangster films with an edge than this release is screaming out your name.