‘Naked’ Truth
Caveat Emptor: MGM/UA Home Video is about to market “Naked Warriors”--but if you’re savvy about Roger Corman flicks, it might remind you of something else.
Because it is. It’s “The Arena,” a 1973 Corman gladiator movie starring Pam Grier. Due in video stores July 26 under the new title, it bears the names of New Horizons Pictures and Concorde Pictures, Corman production and distribution companies formed since he sold New World, where “The Arena” was produced.
“We’re just trying to get more bucks for our boss,” explained a Concorde spokesman. “Roger has a lot of (old) films that he hasn’t put on video. I hope in the future we release them under their original names. This (the present situation) makes the company seem real sleazy.”
Publicity material for “Naked Warriors” freshens “Arena” by suggesting to video shops, “The competitive spirit of the Summer Olympics will put your customers in the perfect mood for this Olympian-themed release!” A poster has two buxom, bikini-clad “gladiator gals”--one black, one white--brandishing weapons at each other.
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