Forever Emmanuelle / Laure (1976)
Being able to watch the real Emmanuelle, Marayat Rollet-Andriane, in Forever Emmanuelle is a rare novelty, giving viewers and fans a chance to know, through her appearance in this film, the accredited author to the erotic French novel that influenced an entire movement in erotic film. Though it is credited as being written and directed by Emmanuelle Arsan, several accounts, including that of the producer, Ovidio Assonitis, reveals Forever Emmanuelle to be written and directed by Arsan’s husband, Louis-Jacques Rollet-Andriane, who is also purported to be the actual author of theEmmanuelle novel.
Annie Belle is thoroughly enjoyable as the lead character, the free spirited “vajayjay alfresco” Laure. Barring the exotic location shots and sex scenes that range between classy and bizarre, the main appeal, here, is an odd but intellectual emphasis on free love, as most prominently displayed by the unusual relation between the characters played by Al Cliverand Belle, who were a real life couple at the time. Cliver’s character has interesting but rather ridiculous theories for feeling love and approval when Laure feels love, even when she rooms with another man on their honeymoon.
Blow Job / Blow Job - un soffio erotico (1980)
Director Alberto Cavallone was never one to shy away from controversial subject matter or extreme set pieces in his films, so it comes as no surprise to find his 1980 effort Blow Job entering some severely psychedelic territory.
The film doesn’t possess as much overtly adult content as one might ascertain, given the blunt titling, yet Blow Job still sees fit to shift back and forth between scenes of sexuality and murder as it explores a multitude of under-developed narrative themes concerning mind-control, secret societies and…the space-time continuum? No matter, really, as Blow Job really succeeds more on a visually visceral level than anything remotely coherent or sane.
Cavallone’s crazed, fevered approach ultimately works more than it doesn’t, however, particularly within its appreciation of Italy’s classic period of gothic horror meeting minds with the giallo and crime film. Blow Job isn’t particularly easy to find, but worth a look when discovered..
Blue Belle / La fine dell'innocenza (1976)
Although perhaps best know as a cinematographer, especially his work on two of the three Dollars films, Massimo Dallamanowas also responsible for one of the finest softcore sex films of the 70s. Often dismissed as an Emmanuelle rip off, Blue Belle is actually a far superior film to Jaekin's vacuous, glossy time filler.
The House on the Edge of the Park's Annie Belle is breathtaking as the Lolita-esque nymphete, and sex-film regular Felicity Devonshire brings a good dollop of British spunk to the glamorous, globe-trotting proceedings. Lesbianism, rape and Napoli... la camorra sfida e la città risponde's Ciro Ippolio all add a welcome dash of sleaze to the gloss, which is given an added, rancid sheen by the appearance of genre regulars Al Cliver and Maria Rohm.
Though often overshadowed by more well known entries in the genre, Blue Belle is perhaps the best, and is still one of the most intriguing films of the 1970s.
Women's Prison Massacre / Emanuelle fuga dall'inferno (1985)
Starting with a little violence and a particularly sleazy air,Massacre initially feels like a remake of Franco's Barbed Wire Dolls, but with a real director. Unfortunately Bruno Matteiskimps on the lesbianism and full frontal nudity, and settles for a tired, formulaic siege film.
Starring Laura Gemser, the film is, in name only, unofficially part of the Black Emanuelle series, but severely lacking the style that Joe D'Amato, especially, bought to the better entries, such as Emanuelle in America. For a film featuring Gemser, along with exploitation regulars such as Lorraine De Selle,Gabriele Tinti and Carlo Di Mejo, the acting is uniformly dire, with Gemser in particular almost catatonic.
For fans of Gemser, Mattei and Women in Prison films, there are far better examples out there, but Massacre wins an extra star for the sight of Tinti, splattered in blood and brains, shouting "You slut!" during a fraught game of Russian Roulette.
Using a similar setting, and practically the same cast, Matteihad previously directed the far superior Violenza in un carcere femminile. Its probably better to stick with that.
Caligula (1979)
While Edward Gibbons may quibble with the historical accuracy,Tinto Brass' epic is a full-blooded, visceral portrayal of the reign of Malcolm McDowell as Peter O' Toole murdering psychopath Caligula. The majority of the film can be seen, perhaps, as I, Claudius sans Christopher Biggins, but the insertion of several hardcore sex scenes post-production certainly add to the film's notoriety.
Looking beyond the myriad of fetishes on screen, such as lesbianism, troilism, masturbation and fellatio, the production values are surprisingly excellent, as would be expected fromFellini's production designer Danilo Donati, and the cast throw themselves into the film as only actors who have not read the entirety of the script can.
Exhibitionist, The / Candido erotico (1978)
Candido erotico is largely set in Copenhagen. On the surface it is little but a slice of Euro sexploitation as a sex club performer falls for a young art student. However, scratch beneath the veneer and there is a decent, touching and somewhat tragic love story.
Serious points are made about voyeurism and exhibitionism and consideration is given to what happens when two people clearly love each other but, through no fault of their own, are unable to quite connect sexually.
The sex club scenes are a little bizarre and entail nude Swan Lake type ballet performances that culminate in copulation. They are well choreographed, beautifully realised, tastefully shot but unfortunately unconvincing as the population of the stage seem to outnumber the audience suggesting a lack of commercial viability.
Ajita Wilson appears briefly but top billing goes to Lilli Carati, who is great in this, and would next appear in Fernando Di Leo's exploitation classic To Be Twenty.
99 Women / Der heiße Tod (1969)
99 Women, a prison film that is, by proxy, a contribution to the liberalism against authoritarianism debate, has the word exploitation written right through as though it is a stick of cinematic seaside rock. However the film is still capable of making a serious point or two amongst the continuous display of unkempt and unruly lady-garden and the occasional, and somewhat genre mandatory, catfights.
Jess Franco's multinational co-production does have a certain perverse darkness as best illustrated when on-the-lam female prisoners evade the ranging hell hounds of the guards placed upon their scent only to find themselves chased through a jungle by escaped would-be rapists who were formally incarcerated in the men's prison upon the same island and are seeking their wicked non-consensual way.
The conclusion is cynical with both the defeat of hope and liberalism, presenting the notion that reform is a dead end fantasy of dreamers and the only language that can be spoken and understood is that of the lash.
Those with an aversion to hardcore inserts may be better advised to steer clear of an extended and unofficial French release. This version contains nuts and is gonna convince no one at all that the muscular young body engaged in bumping uglies is that of star Herbert Lom.
Porno Holocaust (1981)
A group of scientists travel to a mysterious island where atomic tests were once carried out. The scientists are seeking evidence of a monster who is thought to be responsible for the brutal murders of nearby fishermen. Is the monster merely superstition or science fact?
This is a very poor would be sleaze epic from Joe D'Amato.George Eastman plays one of the scientists although he walks around looking thoroughly bored throughout the entire film and who can blame him for doing so as this film is one of the weakest entries in Joe D'Amato's entire career.
Supposedly a horror film within a hardcore porn film, but instead Joe has given the viewer one mess of a film. The hardcore sex is boring, the driftwood floating nearby is more exciting than the actual sex. The horror sequences are just as unexciting, featuring a zombie like moron with a huge phallus who rapes and then murders his female victims. The makeup is truly epic in just how ridiculous it truly looks.
A waste of celluloid. Avoid, unless you happen to be a masochist.
11 Days 11 Nights / Undici giorni, undici notti (1987)
This New Orleans set Filmirage production, Undici giorni, undici notti by Joe D'Amato, clearly pitches itself in the same cinematic ballpark as Nine 1/2 Weeks albeit with the the gender power relation roles flipped.
A movie-within-a-movie credit sequence for Stagefright is shown and star Mary Sellers eludes to the fact that the film was a sweet romance while spectacularly failing to notice that it was a film in which she herself had appeared.
Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals / Emanuelle e gli ultimi cannibali (1977)
An interesting entry from the late Mr. D'Amato, as it's pretty much what you would expect. A lighthearted sexploitation flick set in the jungle. Starring the ever-captivating Laura Gemseras an undercover reporter investigating goings on at a mental asylum. Through a discovery there, she teams up with anthropologist, Mark. Together the duo head off into the Amazon in search of a supposedly lost cannibal tribe.
Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals features D'Amato's signature cinematography and camerawork, the erotic scenes are elegantly filmed. A stark contrast to the later half of the film, which becomes tonally a lot more dark and depraved.
Devil in the Flesh / Diavolo in corpo (1986)
Radical director Marco Bellocchio revisits the parapolitical fringes of Italian society and the micro-sects of the type that inhabited Slap the Monster on Page One but here the trial of a political activist is little more than a backdrop for a love affair between his fiancée, played by the beautiful Maruschka Detmers, and a schoolboy on the verge of his final exams portrayed by Federico Pitzalis.
An occasional dream sequence cut seamlessly into the narrative and a bizarre courtroom sex scene suggest, briefly, that the film would take a turn towards the surrealism of If... but this turns out, thankfully, not to be the case as the styling of counterculture cinema would be especially out of place in this 1980s arty romp-fest.
Those who appreciate the sweetness of later Tinto Brass fare such as Frivolous Lola, albeit without Tintoretto's signature themes, may find themselves equally mesmerized by this romantic drama and the camera clearly loves Detmers. She shines in every scene just as, for Brass, the incredibly telegenicAnna Ammirati does as Lola.
This is a incredibly sweet and beautifully shot feature from the director of depressing Lou Castel vehicle Fists in the Pocketand the notoriety of Devil in the Flesh can largely, if not completely, be attributed to an extended scene of non-simulated fellatio amongst all the emotionally charged humping and snogging.
Images in a Convent / Immagini di un convento (1979)
Written and directed by Joe D'Amato, Immagini di un convento is an impudently trashy entry into the nunsploitation sub-genre that one could interpret as an extreme criticism of Catholicism. With D'Amato's repertoire it was more likely about making a 'profitable' film.
Every scene of eroticism is instantly spoiled by unattractive actors and actresses but the film's saving grace is, however, the over-the-top climactic moment in which members of the convent fall into a sexual rampage.
Certainly one of the most disgusting Italian nunsploitation features. Recommended for the completist.
Emanuelle Around the World / Emanuelle - Perché violenza alle donne? (1977)
This is another orgy of sleaze and sexual depravity directed by the master of such films Joe D'Amato and starring none other than the beautiful Laura Gemser as Emanuelle.
New York journalist, Emanuelle continues her globe trotting fight against violence towards women in our male dominated society. She joins up with her rival, Karin Schubert, to uncover a white slave trading organisation, which plummets her into the twisted world of strange sex cults, rapists, perverts and even corrupt U.S. Senators. But this films key highlight is when Emanuelle travels to India and is introduced to an exotic sex guru played by George Eastman who preaches that sex is more heavenly fulfilling when the urge to orgasm has been denied and mentally controlled. But this Indian Love Guru more than meets his match when he falls for the seductive charms of Emanuelle and fails miserably to practice what he preaches by prematurely ejaculating. A laugh riot!
This is a solid sleaze epic as only D'Amato could deliver. However, the films weakest point lies with its music score composed by Riz Ortolani as it mostly consists of merely two versions of the same title song played over and over again throughout the entire film's duration. One is a vocal version, the other instrumental.
Exploitation fans can rejoice and be happy as this is a fun and entertaining entry in the famous Black Emanuelle series.
Emanuelle in America (1977)
The highly seductice and mesmerising Laura Gemser explodes onto the screen as Black Emanuelle and this time is in America is investigating an international snuff film conspiracy.
Directed by Joe D'amato, this exploitation classic is without a doubt this director's most wild and notorious of all his Black Emanuelle entries as the audience is given scenes of horrific snuff torture, a woman giving a horse a hand job in a stable and hardcore sex scenes are also thrown in for good measure.
The cinematography is beautiful and the fantastic score byNico Fidenco is just as alluring as the immortal beauty of Laura Gemser, the one and only Black Emanuelle, and a swimming pool of naked young women is definetly like "chicken soup".
Watch and enjoy or be repulsed and sickened or perhaps even a little of both.
Emanuelle in Egypt / Velluto nero (1976)
The name associated with the softcore Black Emmanuelle, White Emmanuelle is that of director and Federico Fellinicollaborator Brunello Rondi who's cinematic pedigree is an impeccable one. Names not associated with Emanuelle in Egypt are Emanuelle and Emmanuelle, neither black nor white, as this film is to English speaking audiences a retitling aimed at an association with a familiar franchise that plays to the exotic while exploiting Just Jaeckin themes.
Laura Gemser, presumably the Black Emmanuelle of the non existent pairing, is Laura a model and not a journalist. She works with an obnoxious cameraman played by her then real life husband Gabriele Tinti. White Emmanuelle is Annie Belle; probably.
The cinematography is exceptional and the best is made of locations that are no doubt chosen for their exotica erotica appeal while playing to the Egyptology and Orientalist obsessions of more Northern audiences while accidentally overlooking the need to actually have a story. Velluto nero, as a result, is largely plot free and despite characters who actually possess some depth and the exploration of philosophical themes this is little more than screwing with some pretty backdrops, albeit with thought provoking multi dimensional nymphomaniac characters.
Al Cliver is a discombobulating Aleister Crowley type character for whom Gemser sacrifices a goat, giallo favourite Nieves Navarro puts in an appearance and in a bizarre yet not aesthetically displeasing product placement, Ziggy Zanger, by far the most interesting character of the piece and a potential contender for the White Emmanuelle title, quaffs from a J and B bottle as she grinds away beneath her latest conquest. Mostly harmless.
Black Emanuelle / Emanuelle nera (1975)
Black Emanuelle, that is Laura Gemser, represents the entire concept of unleashed and unrestrained monsterous third world sexuality, placeless yet seemingly at home in Kenya, as she makes out in straw huts and amongst the wild animals of the game reserve to a soundtrack that occasionally strays into the cliche of bongos and animal squawks.
An unquenchable thirst for sex sees Gemser devour all before her in her web of hypersexuality amongst the zebra prints, Land Rovers and safari suits as this erotic and exotic travelogue goes nowhere in particular beyond showing some beautiful scenery and sexual symbolism including phallic totems and even the hackneyed pumping pistons as Gemser makes out with a hockey team on a train who are found wearing Game of Death yellow Bruce Lee adult romper suits.
While this genre defining feature creates the framework for what is to follow the excesses of zoophilia or cinéma vérité footage set up to look like snuff are not evident in this restrained exploitation of the Just Jaeckin film from the prior year.
While interesting as a franchise inspiring work and as a piece of genre film history the Bitto Albertini directed Emanuelle nera is pretty nondescript as a piece of erotica. This was to prove to be a franchise that was in need of Joe D'amato and when he arrived on the scene all hell was to break loose and it sent a shiver through the world of domesticated animals.
Emmanuelle on Taboo Island / La spiaggia del desiderio (1976)
Beyond the casting of Laura Gemser in a starring role this co-production from Venezuela and Italy has nothing whatsoever to do with the Joe D'amato franchise beyond an exploitative retitling to cash in on an already exploitative series of films.
A heroin addict washes up on a desert island where a father, son and daughter live happily in a hut and survive on the bounty of the forest while playing a frottage powered game ofBlue Lagoon for entertainment only for all to learn that four is indeed a crowd and a ménage à quatre may just be that step too far even for the ever so slightly unorthodox tastes of the irredeemably incestuous.
For the most part the film is a bizarre and yet tedious romance but goes out with a bang as a classic manhunt occurs in the jungle involving blowpipes, a harpoon gun, machetes and the like. The demise of Arthur Kennedy features an hilarious dummy fall and the film closes with a settlement where brother and sister can fish, live happily ever after sans father and continue to play their rubbing game while the visitor can return to the city and his dance with lady heroin. It's all pretty warped really.
Emanuelle Around the World / Emanuelle - Perché violenza alle donne? (1977)
Laura Gemser once again is Emanuelle in another episode of the long running Joe D'Amato franchise. This time she uncovers an international white slave ring. The film is globetrotting and episodic.
George Eastman wears blackface as an Indian guru in a long line of national stereotypes that populate the movie.
The soundtrack is light and breezy at times but the subjects covered are at times pretty dark with a rape scene being a little too close for comfort and ritual humiliation involving sex with a snake and sex with a German Shepherd dog.
Certainly not a film for everyone but one that is at times jaw dropping for its sheer lack of taste that contrasts with some moments of genuine sweetness and light. Sex scenes are both graphic and at times not simulated. Probably not the best choice as a first date movie.
Sister Emanuelle / Suor Emanuelle (1977)
Laura Gemser returns as Emanuelle and this time under the direction of Giuseppe Vari. She has the calling and has become a nun in a convent school which actually appears to be Balsorano Castle, the location for The Lickerish Quartet.
Emanuelle faces temptation in the form of a manipulative bisexual minx of a student played by Mónica Zanchi who uses sex and guile to draw the sister and almost everyone she meets off the path of righteousness.
The film is well scripted and surprisingly quick paced fun as a lighthearted and at times comedic convent sexy that is enjoyable on so many levels.
The score is by Stelvio Cipriani and that alone is worth the price of admission and a jaw dropping finale will surely entertain genre fans even if it does use an overly familiar device.
Emanuelle faces temptation in the form of a manipulative bisexual minx of a student played by Mónica Zanchi who uses sex and guile to draw the sister and almost everyone she meets off the path of righteousness.
The film is well scripted and surprisingly quick paced fun as a lighthearted and at times comedic convent sexy that is enjoyable on so many levels.
The score is by Stelvio Cipriani and that alone is worth the price of admission and a jaw dropping finale will surely entertain genre fans even if it does use an overly familiar device.
Alcove, The / L'alcova (1984)
With The Alcove director Joe D'Amato makes a serious attempt at making a period erotic drama of the kind one may associate with Maestro Tinto Brass. While not quite scaling the lofty heights of the more acclaimed director D'Amato here does manage to pull off something that is both genuinely engaging and at times incredibly sexy.
Al Cliver plays a soldier returning from the battle in Abyssinia with a black servant in tow, a spoil of victory, played by Laura Gemser. She is presented to the officers wife played by Lilli Carati of To Be Twenty fame who begins a lesbian affair sidelining her original love played by the incredibly beautiful, and one time girlfriend of Cliver, Annie Belle.
While the unchained love of the monstrous dark continent angle is played to the full in the character of the servant Zerbal there is, underlying the whole piece, a certain sadness within the dysfunctional petit-bourgeois household.
With an eye for period detail and the occasional soft focus this is a film that works pretty well for what it sets out to achieve and often a mile from some of the low rent exploitation often more associated with the director. Nello Pazzafini however is woefully underused.
A series of letters to The Maestro Tinto Brass are the pretext to provide a sexy series of vignettes. The film showcases the familiar styles and themes of the director's sex comedies.
Unfortunately in this case the skeleton upon which the film is hung is far too flimsy and the whole thing seems a bit repetitive. There are some good ideas in there but on the whole the whole project is a major disappointment.
A giggly Claudia Koll plays Diana a sexual free spirit who spices up her marriage by regaling her husband Paolo (Paolo Lanza) with tales of her sexual exploits that he assumes are only fantasies. However it transpires that Diana's sexploits are not merely in her mind and upon this revelation a fissure opens between the two that Paolo is forced to reconcile when he realises that he cannot be without his wife despite her confessed promiscuity.
As this is a Tinto Brass sex comedy it is, as expected, a frank yet never cheap take on sexuality with sumptuous, bright and wonderfully decorated interiors providing a backdrop to the director's cinematic fixation with the female form and the derrière in particular. Though graphic in the depiction of sexBrass manages to stay within the realm of art and erotica and never strays into what could be considered sleaze or pornography.
An enjoyable and sexy film from the man who brought the worldMiranda, Paprika and of course the mesmerising Monella.
Al Cliver plays a soldier returning from the battle in Abyssinia with a black servant in tow, a spoil of victory, played by Laura Gemser. She is presented to the officers wife played by Lilli Carati of To Be Twenty fame who begins a lesbian affair sidelining her original love played by the incredibly beautiful, and one time girlfriend of Cliver, Annie Belle.
While the unchained love of the monstrous dark continent angle is played to the full in the character of the servant Zerbal there is, underlying the whole piece, a certain sadness within the dysfunctional petit-bourgeois household.
With an eye for period detail and the occasional soft focus this is a film that works pretty well for what it sets out to achieve and often a mile from some of the low rent exploitation often more associated with the director. Nello Pazzafini however is woefully underused.
Black Cobra Woman / Eva nera (1976)
A snake collector named Judas played by Jack Palance gets lucky when he meets Eva, an exotic snake dancer played byLaura Gemser, as she is the ideal woman to babysit his snakes while he takes mini break.
Directed by Joe D'Amato in essence Eva nera is exotica erotica of the Emmanuelle type featuring lots of nudity and mostly lesbian sexual activity held together with dialogue about snakes, some travelogue footage of Hong Kong as the tribadism obsessed Eva dances around with pythons and so on draped over herself and occasionally reminisces and comes over all Freud about her childhood encounters with serpents.
Some scenes in the film may upset those with an aversion to animal violence as a snake is shown constricting and digesting a mouse and in a clever juxtaposition that serves to emphasize the natural order of the food chain we witness a snake being skinned, stir fried in a wok and consumed by D'Amato's museGemser and her latest squeeze.
Silly snaky fun from Harry Alan Towers.
Directed by Joe D'Amato in essence Eva nera is exotica erotica of the Emmanuelle type featuring lots of nudity and mostly lesbian sexual activity held together with dialogue about snakes, some travelogue footage of Hong Kong as the tribadism obsessed Eva dances around with pythons and so on draped over herself and occasionally reminisces and comes over all Freud about her childhood encounters with serpents.
Some scenes in the film may upset those with an aversion to animal violence as a snake is shown constricting and digesting a mouse and in a clever juxtaposition that serves to emphasize the natural order of the food chain we witness a snake being skinned, stir fried in a wok and consumed by D'Amato's museGemser and her latest squeeze.
Silly snaky fun from Harry Alan Towers.
P.O. Box Tinto Brass / Fermo posta Tinto Brass (1995)
A series of letters to The Maestro Tinto Brass are the pretext to provide a sexy series of vignettes. The film showcases the familiar styles and themes of the director's sex comedies.
Unfortunately in this case the skeleton upon which the film is hung is far too flimsy and the whole thing seems a bit repetitive. There are some good ideas in there but on the whole the whole project is a major disappointment.
Cheeky / Trasgredire (2000)
Viewers familiar with Tinto Brass later sex comedies would come to Cheeky with some idea of what to expect and it is unlikely that they will find their expectations confounded. There will be the familiar rich palette with vibrant reds, yellows and that delicious blue that crops up time and again in the work of Il Maestro.
Sexual obsessions and familiar visual themes are present making Cheeky feel like a distillation of the other sex comedies by the director.
Unfortunately, while the visual and thematic devices are in place, in terms of plot Trasgredire offers nothing new or original. The film in essence feels like a rehash of Così fan tutte with Yuliya Mayarchuk occupying the role that was previously held by Claudia Koll.
Such criticisms however should not be overstated as on all levels Tinto delivers that which is to be expected of him and delivers it big style. This is sweet, extremely sexy and stylish giggly frivolity with an underlying comment on the truism that sex should be and can be fun.
Sexual obsessions and familiar visual themes are present making Cheeky feel like a distillation of the other sex comedies by the director.
Unfortunately, while the visual and thematic devices are in place, in terms of plot Trasgredire offers nothing new or original. The film in essence feels like a rehash of Così fan tutte with Yuliya Mayarchuk occupying the role that was previously held by Claudia Koll.
Such criticisms however should not be overstated as on all levels Tinto delivers that which is to be expected of him and delivers it big style. This is sweet, extremely sexy and stylish giggly frivolity with an underlying comment on the truism that sex should be and can be fun.
All Ladies Do It / Così fan tutte (1992)
A giggly Claudia Koll plays Diana a sexual free spirit who spices up her marriage by regaling her husband Paolo (Paolo Lanza) with tales of her sexual exploits that he assumes are only fantasies. However it transpires that Diana's sexploits are not merely in her mind and upon this revelation a fissure opens between the two that Paolo is forced to reconcile when he realises that he cannot be without his wife despite her confessed promiscuity.
As this is a Tinto Brass sex comedy it is, as expected, a frank yet never cheap take on sexuality with sumptuous, bright and wonderfully decorated interiors providing a backdrop to the director's cinematic fixation with the female form and the derrière in particular. Though graphic in the depiction of sexBrass manages to stay within the realm of art and erotica and never strays into what could be considered sleaze or pornography.
An enjoyable and sexy film from the man who brought the worldMiranda, Paprika and of course the mesmerising Monella.
Miranda (1985)
Miranda, her husband missing in action, runs a hotel and tavern and is a strong, independently minded, sexually confident woman who has the measure of her numerous suitors. Until she is content that she has found the right man for marriage material she is happy to try out various options and enjoy the fruits of sexual liberation.
The film, a Tinto Brass sex comedy, is set in the immediate aftermath of the second world war and it presents an Italian rural idyll as a slideshow of almost picture postcard images representing the seasons of a year as winter snow gives way to spring flowers in bloom and hazy lazy summer sun casts long evening shadows upon cornfields.
Brass cinematic trademark fetishes are present as the camera explores the gorgeous Serena Grandi as the eponymous Miranda.
Co starring Andrea Occhipinti, star of Lucio Fulci's Conquest, this is a nostalgic and at times sentimental film from Brass and the setting adds a classy touch of romance to the whole affair. It's all pretty sweet.
The film, a Tinto Brass sex comedy, is set in the immediate aftermath of the second world war and it presents an Italian rural idyll as a slideshow of almost picture postcard images representing the seasons of a year as winter snow gives way to spring flowers in bloom and hazy lazy summer sun casts long evening shadows upon cornfields.
Brass cinematic trademark fetishes are present as the camera explores the gorgeous Serena Grandi as the eponymous Miranda.
Co starring Andrea Occhipinti, star of Lucio Fulci's Conquest, this is a nostalgic and at times sentimental film from Brass and the setting adds a classy touch of romance to the whole affair. It's all pretty sweet.
Frivolous Lola / Monella (1998)
At it's heart this Tinto Brass effort is a romantic comedy.Frivolous Lola is sweet, frivolous and really very charming. It is also beautifully shot with delightful score.
Set in the fifties we meed Lola, the show stealing Anna Ammirati, a bride to be who does not wish to walk up the aisle as a virgin. The story follows her as she tries to get her more traditional boyfriend into the sack before the wedding day to be sure that he is up to the job in the lovemaking department.
Featuring the occasional dance number it has to be said thatBrass approaches the subject of sex in a way that does not treat the viewers like children. Sure there is the occasional lapse into infantile humour with bicycle seat sniffing priests and voyeurism but in general the subject of sex is integral to the plot rather than something to promote the schoolboy sniggering expected from the Carry On franchise or the numerous recent American sex comedies.
Horror fans will recognise Serena Grandi fromAnthropophagous, Susanna Martinková from House Of Witchcraft and Laura Trotter from Nightmare City. British viewers may also find some amusement from the casting ofPatrick Mower who is a star of the long running soap operaEmmerdale.
The film is as charming and frivolous as the title suggests with a cafe based dance number, as a drunken Lola moves toMambo italiano, being especially memorable.
Ancient mysticism and sexy times come together for the final ”trilogy of life” entry when a wealthy young man falls head over heels for a slave girl. His search for the love of his life takes him on a trip across the orient, which has never been more tantalizing or hedonistic than this.
Putting a Pasolini spin on the childhood favourite Arabian Nights, he shifts focus letting the slave girl Zumurrud, Ines Pellegrini – later to star in Lenzi’s Eyeball, be a sexual predator instead of he victim as in the original tale. Arabian Nights would also be the last movie Pasolini worked together with regulars Franco Citti and Ninetto Davoli who up to here had starred in almost all his movies.
Pasolini would follow up Arabian Nights with his final movie, the infamous Sàlo, or the 120 Days of Sodom, a movie that would secure him a place not only in the pages of film history books, but also amongst the fans of the seedy sub-genres of Italian cinema.
Even for all the baroque grandeur of the existentialistLickerish Quartet there is, amongst the luxurious retro futurist interiors, philosophical musings and hedonistic narcotic and champagne fueled parties, a certain magic that allows Camille 2000 to eclipse its much celebrated successor.
Hip and unashamedly bourgeois, Camille 2000 benefits from the lead roles of Danièle Gaubert and Nino Castelnuovo, protagonists with whom it is possible to empathize even amongst their superficial and decadent milieu, as a familiar story is played out in a more unfamiliar fantasy setting.
Silvana Venturelli puts in a brief appearance, most notable in scenes as a dungeon keeper at an S and M themed orgy.
Radley Metzger directs an opulent romantic drama and places it within the cool world of late 1960s erotic cinema that not only swings to an exceptionally funky score from Piero Piccioni but is also capable of enchanting the viewer with stunning locations beautifully filmed and also it's wonderfully realised erotic sequences.
The feature will of no doubt appeal to those who adore titles such as The Story of O and other such stylish, arty and sexy cinema.
Infused with a score that would ideally work alongside Pearl And Dean's Asteroid the ultra cool Dirty Pictures aka Oasis Of Fear is an early seventies counterculture giallo starring Ray Lovelock and a barely legal and frequently disrobed Ornella Muti as a young couple who smuggle pornography across the border into Italy to pay for their holiday. The starring couple seem to have a lot of fun as, to the strains of a Bob Downe-esque country tune, they dance, fly kites and photograph each other in various tourist locations in an extended sequence of highly camp retro that would please those with nostalgia for the covers of old knitting patterns and polyester.
After being arrested, threatened with deportation and robbed on route they find themselves at the home of an outwardly more conventional type played by Irene Papas and not, surprisingly enough, Lenzi regular Caroll Baker and while initially it seems our young couple intend to take advantage of their host all is not as it seems in this sexual liberated counterculture meets traditional mores thriller. What is not immediately obvious is who is manipulating who.
Mixed reviews elsewhere suggest that this is a film that has little appeal beyond Italian genre film fans but it will receive a fair shake and robust defence here.
Set in the fifties we meed Lola, the show stealing Anna Ammirati, a bride to be who does not wish to walk up the aisle as a virgin. The story follows her as she tries to get her more traditional boyfriend into the sack before the wedding day to be sure that he is up to the job in the lovemaking department.
Featuring the occasional dance number it has to be said thatBrass approaches the subject of sex in a way that does not treat the viewers like children. Sure there is the occasional lapse into infantile humour with bicycle seat sniffing priests and voyeurism but in general the subject of sex is integral to the plot rather than something to promote the schoolboy sniggering expected from the Carry On franchise or the numerous recent American sex comedies.
Horror fans will recognise Serena Grandi fromAnthropophagous, Susanna Martinková from House Of Witchcraft and Laura Trotter from Nightmare City. British viewers may also find some amusement from the casting ofPatrick Mower who is a star of the long running soap operaEmmerdale.
The film is as charming and frivolous as the title suggests with a cafe based dance number, as a drunken Lola moves toMambo italiano, being especially memorable.
Arabian Nights/ Il fiore delle mille e una notte (1974)
Ancient mysticism and sexy times come together for the final ”trilogy of life” entry when a wealthy young man falls head over heels for a slave girl. His search for the love of his life takes him on a trip across the orient, which has never been more tantalizing or hedonistic than this.
Pasolini would follow up Arabian Nights with his final movie, the infamous Sàlo, or the 120 Days of Sodom, a movie that would secure him a place not only in the pages of film history books, but also amongst the fans of the seedy sub-genres of Italian cinema.
Camille 2000 (1969)
Even for all the baroque grandeur of the existentialistLickerish Quartet there is, amongst the luxurious retro futurist interiors, philosophical musings and hedonistic narcotic and champagne fueled parties, a certain magic that allows Camille 2000 to eclipse its much celebrated successor.
Hip and unashamedly bourgeois, Camille 2000 benefits from the lead roles of Danièle Gaubert and Nino Castelnuovo, protagonists with whom it is possible to empathize even amongst their superficial and decadent milieu, as a familiar story is played out in a more unfamiliar fantasy setting.
Silvana Venturelli puts in a brief appearance, most notable in scenes as a dungeon keeper at an S and M themed orgy.
Radley Metzger directs an opulent romantic drama and places it within the cool world of late 1960s erotic cinema that not only swings to an exceptionally funky score from Piero Piccioni but is also capable of enchanting the viewer with stunning locations beautifully filmed and also it's wonderfully realised erotic sequences.
The feature will of no doubt appeal to those who adore titles such as The Story of O and other such stylish, arty and sexy cinema.
Dirty Pictures / Un posto ideale per uccidere (1971)
Infused with a score that would ideally work alongside Pearl And Dean's Asteroid the ultra cool Dirty Pictures aka Oasis Of Fear is an early seventies counterculture giallo starring Ray Lovelock and a barely legal and frequently disrobed Ornella Muti as a young couple who smuggle pornography across the border into Italy to pay for their holiday. The starring couple seem to have a lot of fun as, to the strains of a Bob Downe-esque country tune, they dance, fly kites and photograph each other in various tourist locations in an extended sequence of highly camp retro that would please those with nostalgia for the covers of old knitting patterns and polyester.
After being arrested, threatened with deportation and robbed on route they find themselves at the home of an outwardly more conventional type played by Irene Papas and not, surprisingly enough, Lenzi regular Caroll Baker and while initially it seems our young couple intend to take advantage of their host all is not as it seems in this sexual liberated counterculture meets traditional mores thriller. What is not immediately obvious is who is manipulating who.
Mixed reviews elsewhere suggest that this is a film that has little appeal beyond Italian genre film fans but it will receive a fair shake and robust defence here.
No comments:
Post a Comment