Made and set in 1971, Oasis Of Fear is a like a leftover product of the 1960's, its message during the opening moments is one of peace and love. The opening credits show young lovers Dick Butler (Ray Lovelock here credited as Raymond Lovelock) and Ingrid Sjoman (Ornella Muti) as they travel their way through Europe in an ultra extended holiday, in order to pay for this trip they peddle pornography in the form of mucky pictures, records containing the sounds of sex, and dirty magazines. Offering peace and love to all they encounter that comes across as a form of cookie sarcasm, the two frequently find that they are on the rough end of the law, often for the wrong reasons. After a period of luck and certain fortune, the couple find themselves broke, then robbed; and as often is the case bad luck comes in threes and they end up on the run from the law. As the two run out of fuel, they stumble upon a house in the middle of nowhere. In search of fuel the two stumble across something far more serious than they have ever been involved in before.
This is a curious little movie, a real oddity in the history of the Italian thriller genre. It's a proper mixed bag, a mongrel of a movie if you will; because it starts as one thing then evolves into something very different. The history of Dick and Ingrid is told in about the first ten minutes, bringing you up to speed with whom they are and exactly what they are all about. When the movie starts proper arriving at the isolated house, referred to by Ingrid as an Oasis, it becomes a very much three handed piece with the arrival of lonely housewife Barbara Slater (Irene Papas). The three bounce off each other exposing secrets, lies, and unlocking sexual passions. Those looking for hard edged action or horror are bound to be disappointed by this movie, while death is on the agenda it's in very short supply.
More than anything else Oasis Of Fear is a cultural education, lots of throwbacks to the seventies, while almost debunking the aspect that some European countries offered a much more sexually liberating lifestyle than our own. After all, the couple made their way from country to country selling pornography to the masses, and its far from being the hardcore end of the business. It's curious that even the sound of a couple having sex, would be enough to make the wealthy put their hands in their pockets.
Oasis Of Fear is a bizarre offering, a little fraught sexual tension, some pretty risqué (for the day) sex scenes and some completely off the wall almost comic book humour. It does show that Lenzi has the ability to deliver something, trouble being to be fair after a reasonable 50 minutes the story slows right down and almost trudges along at a snail's pace, this is not something that the action fan will really get, but as a cultural piece of Italian movie heritage it's a pretty enjoyable nights viewing.
It's a rather interesting journey that Shameless Films have taken us on as volume one (hopefully a second will emerge) of their movie offerings is drawing towards an ever closer finale (apparently 20 movies will be the limit). Beginning with some pretty notorious and bloody offerings, they have widened the viewer's recognition of horror and thriller movies from the Italian movie stable, as soon as the 10th volume was out of the way, these obscure little numbers started to appear, many enjoying their first DVD appearances, and a lot of credit should go to the guys for that. 30 odd years after many of the movies were made Shameless are broadening the viewing horizons of a whole new generation of Italian cinema lovers, and bloody good for them too.