The Pumaman

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The Pumaman

Italian one-sheet for The Pumaman
Directed by Alberto De Martino
Written by Luigi Angelo
Alberto De Martino
Massimo De Rita
Starring Walter George Alton
Donald Pleasence
Miguel Ángel Fuentes
Sydne Rome
Silvano Tranquilli
Benito Stefanelli
Guido Lollobrigida
Music by Renato Serio
Cinematography Mario Vulpiani
Editing by Vincenzo Tomassi
Release dates February 14, 1980
Running time 100 min
Country Italy
Language English

The Pumaman (L'uomo puma, in Italian) is an Italian-produced English-language movie about a superhero of the same name, released in 1980. It was mocked in a 1998 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Plot

The villainous Dr. Kobras (Donald Pleasence) has found a golden Aztec mask which he plans to use to control the minds of world leaders, starting with the Dutch ambassador's blond daughter Jane Dobson (Sydne Rome), who had translated the instructions on it for him. However, he fears the interference of the Pumaman, a legendary "man-god" sired by aliens and the protector of the mask whom he believes to be living in nearby London.

After somehow learning that the Pumaman is an American male living in London, Kobras' henchmen begin to test people matching these criteria by throwing them from high windows as only the Pumaman will be able to survive such a fall. Not only is Kobras looking for the Pumaman but so is a large, muscular and mysterious Indian named Vadinho (Miguel Angel Fuentes).

The Pumaman turns out to be mild-mannered young professor Tony Farms (Walter George Alton), an American paleontologist working at the Natural History Museum. Vadinho, who turns out to be a mystic Aztec priest who knew Tony's physician father, confirms Tony’s status as the latest in a line of Pumamen by throwing him out a window. Vadinho then gives Tony a magical golden belt that when worn gives him amazing super powers.

Pumaman ultimately defeats Kobras by crashing the helicopter in which the evil doctor is attempting to flee. Tony then decides to marry the no longer brainwashed Jane while Vadinho returns with the mask to his hidden temple in the Andes in an alien spacecraft.

Puma Powers

Every Pumaman is born with innate feline abilities including:

  • Cat-like agility, including the ability to land safely on his feet when dropped from a great height.
  • Superhuman night vision that allows him to see in the dark.
  • The ability to sense imminent danger, warned by a brief and quickly passing feeling of nausea.

The magic belt augments these abilities as well as granting him further god-like powers including:

  • Flight. This is described by characters as superhuman leaping like a puma, but aside from some fight scenes involving a hidden trampoline, it is usually depicted through special effects as somewhat traditional superhero flight.
  • Super strength and the ability to use his hands like claws to tear through metal and brick.
  • Teleporting himself to any location with which he is familiar, although if he attempts to teleport to any location which he is not familiar, he risks becoming lost forever in a dark and hellish void. This ability also allows him to pass ghost-like through walls and floors.
  • Feigning death by temporarily stopping his heartbeat for ten minutes.

Trivia

While the rest of the cast refers to the title character using the American pronunciation "poo-ma", Donald Pleasence uses the British pronunciation "pyu-ma".

External links

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