A year after "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" came out, Italy gave us this feature. The makers of this film let us know that we are indeed watching a true story. One other thing the Italians have given us in this film that the Spielberg did not, and could not...Euro-Babes! Yep, Euro-Babes in danger from government spooks, the media, UFOs and aliens, UFO experts, and a super secret society. Euro-Babes in peril. So sad, they will get b#@&h-slapped, pummeled, possessed, have their brains drained, etc. The misogyny the Italians seem to have for babes must stem from World War 2 when their women mocked their husbands and boyfriends who claimed to be fighting a war. Our feature today is 1978's "Eyes Behind the Stars," directed by Mario Gariazzo (the Spielberg of Italy).
Okay, fashion photographer, and hunk Peter (Franco Garofalo) is shooting sultry model Karin (Sherry Buchanan). Karin poses well and looks very fashionable...though she will not continue looking fashionable. No, after Peter gets abducted by ETs because he accidentally photographed them, he's brought on their spaceship, put on a slab, probed, and studied and sent back to some alien planet. Karin will also be abducted, and we can imagine what happens to her...though she'll be back. Tony (Robert Hoffman), a hunk reporter, and Perry (Victor Valente), a UFO expert, team up. Tony has Peter's pics of that fashion shoot and sees the ETs and their UFO. Tony has a smoking hot secretary, Monica (Nathalie Delon), and what happens to her will be difficult to watch, though one wonders if Tony had hidden women-issues as he pummels and tortures her...anyway, let's leave these scenes out.
Also interested in the pics of the aliens are...the aliens! They want the pics and people with knowledge of them start dying from radiation burns. Inspector Grant (Martin Balsam) also wants the pics, as he heads the secret police in Italy. Oh yes, The Silencers want the pics. These Silencers keep secrets and prevent the public from finding out information that would drive them into a panic. Meanwhile Karin reappears as a drooling idiot and is sent to a psyche ward...typical woman! Monica displeases Tony and Perry and she will have the snot kicked out of her while looking very fashionable. The aliens get closer to Perry and Tony, who never come across as that smart. Uh oh, all these organizations are coming together and none of them show an ability to play nice.
Will Perry and Tony sexually assault the fashionable Monica? Will any of the aforementioned groups prevail or will they all knock-off each other? Is some of the plot lost in over-ambitious dubbing? For some wonderful European misogyny, and a conspiracy anthem, see "Eyes Behind the Stars."