This is a showcase of one of the lesser known movie genres: the macaroni combat movie. What is a macaroni combat movie you ask? Simply, it's a war movie made in Italy. Just like the term "spaghetti western" describes a western made in or by Italian filmmakers, "macaroni combat" describes war movies (that might be American in theme or nature) made in Italy or by Italian filmmakers or producers. The term originates from Japan, where spaghetti westerns are called macaroni westerns. In a wider sense, and the way we understand it, Macaroni Combat describes a genre of war movies made in Europe during the 60s, 70s and 80s, that are of an exploitative or low-budget nature, mimicking the bigger war movie productions of the time, but with lesser known actors, smaller budgets and of a rougher nature.
What follows are some of the genre's highlights. Why are we posting this? We think these movies are great pieces of cinema and deserve more of your attention!
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Inglourious Bastards (1978) directed by Enzo G. Castellari
Inglorious Bastards was in fact the original title before it was changed to its current Italian title which translates to "that damn armored train". It is Force 10 From Navarone with a twist, or The Dirty Dozen with nudity and a shot of blaxploitation. While the story is a straightforward men on a mission flick, heavily inspired by American blockbusters, it adds its own flavors to the genre and makes for a very entertaining adventure. It boast a fine cast, from Fred Williamson as some kind of 'GI Shaft' to Bo Svenson as a military officer, Raimund Harmstorf as a German called Adolf and Donald O'Brien as an SS commander. Iit also features outstanding stuntwork and action scenes, a little lovestory subplot, a group of nude bathing female German soldiers with machine guns, and lots of racism and politically incorrect dialogue as well as Italy's first usage of a steadicam! Enzo Castellari manages to direct a no holds barred action adventure that looks great, sounds great and is entertaining, too. Iit is a classic in its own right, and a masterpiece of the genre, the movie is a major inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds..... More about this movie at: The GCDB
Where to get it?
DVD: Amazon.com Amazon.de Amazon.co.uk BluRay: Amazon.com Amazon.de Amazon.co.uk

Battle Squadron (1969) aka Eagles over London,  directed by Enzo G. Castellari
Almost 10 years before directing Inglorious Bastards, director Enzo G. Castellari made this other highly entertaining Macaroni Combat classic. The film follows the exploits of the British Army and their forces led by Captain Paul Stevens (Frederick Stafford). As the men evacuate the wartorn area of Dunkirk, an elite group of German SS officers who are masquerading as Brits, ambush some English soldiers and kill them all. Their main objective is to take the dead men's dogtags, steal their identities then infiltrate and destroy England's radar stations so the Germans can level London into smithereens. Hollywood star Van Johnson plays American Air Marshal George Taylor who joins up with Stevens on their mission to stop the Nazi's plans before its too late. One of the most colorful characters in the film is Sgt. Mulligan (Renzo Palmer) who plays a loudmouth always throwing wisecracks towards the soldiers to do their jobs. The German spies are led by the sinister Major Krueger, played by Luigi Pistilli, an actor who Italian genre film fans will certainly recognize. The film cleverly moves back and forth between talky espionage-thriller and action packed war film. Theres ambushes, doublecrossing, aerial dogfights, tank battles & shootouts aplenty.... More about this movie at: The GCDB
Where to get it?
DVD: Amazon.com BluRay: Amazon.com

Five For Hell (1969) directed by Gianfranco Parolini (aka Frank Kramer)
Gianfranco Parolini's take on The Dirty Dozen (this time only five) is a World War II/Men On A Mission film that features some really wacky soldiers. These guys don't only use machine guns to get the job done, they employ exploding softballs and trampolines! If you've seen any of Parolini's other work (like Sabata) you'll notice that he always has some kind of acrobatics in his films. Its interesting to see how other countries like Italy would take American genre films and put their own twist on them. This one will surely provide plenty of fun for Italian exploitation film fanatics! Look out for Klaus Kinski as the German Nazi commander. Hes at his eccentric best here..... More about this movie at: The GCDB
Where to get it?
DVD: Amazon.de