Jess Franco

[g053584398]

Coincidentally I received a parcel from Austria yesterday which contained all of the Jess Franco Swiss VIP Blu-rays that I didn't already have. I only had four of them I believe so it was good to get hold of the rest, including Barbed Wire Dolls. I suppose I ought to get rid of the DVD versions now that I have them on Blu-ray.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

My Letterboxd stats from 2020.

[Justin101]

I wish mine was as cool. (Jackie Chan in both spots)

[Demoncrat]

There's nowt wrong with that J

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Die Marquise von Sade (1976)

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Downtown (1975)

Jess Franco's thriller set in Puerto Rico, introduces us to Lina Romay who approaches out of work private detective, Al Pereira, played by Jess Franco himself,whom she wants to take some compromising photo's of her unfaithful husband, a notorious night club owner. Pereira isn't too sure on the whole idea but needs the money so accepts $7000 as payment.

No sooner has Pereira finished the job which ran quite smoothly, he is called upon by the local police. Inspector Mendoza (Paul Muller) informs him that Ramoz, the club owner has been murdered. Seeing himself as the main suspect Pereira takes the inspector to see Mrs Ramoz so she will verify his story only to find out she is not the woman who hired him.

This all happens in the films first twenty minutes and Franco creates an intriguing premise. A nice slice of noir, Franco style, is something to perhaps savour, in fact its an enticing proposition. The Puerto Rican location is used well and the scene is set.

And now the problem. Having developed this interesting scenario, Franco forgets to take it anywhere. The bulk of the last hour being taken up by terribly dull softcore sex scenes involving Romay and her lesbian partner in crime (Martine Stedil) and worst of all Jess himself.

How can sex with Romay be possibly seen as dull? i hear you cry.

Its a tough one, but old Jess manages it by deciding the best way to film and frame said scenes is through ridiculous zoom shots focusing on buttocks grinding and Romay's thick thatch of pubic hair, which the viewer can inspect almost at their will we get the zoom shots so often. Maybe there's a hardcore version of Down Town around somewhere, i don't know or really care, but it must be preferable to this. It seems the best way of bringing a girl to orgasm is by sticking your knee cap in her overgrown jungle and hurrah! almost instant satisfaction.

In fact for a film with so much sex, some if it fairly strong in comparison to most films, Franco manages to pull off the trick of making it as erotic as an episode of Last of the Summer Wine. The film is full of unintentional comedy, i roared with laughter at the scene where the three sexual participants all drink from bottles following their softcore zoomy fumblings. Romay and Stedil gently tongue the rims of their bottle and Franco stumbles around slurping his. Comedy gold.

The final hour meanders by, there is little plot and no action, apart from shagging by kneecap. Its not really the actors fault, Romay, Muller and even Franco himself do what they can with a dire script. Ridiculously, Franco also wrote the script so there are not really any excuses. The writer / director mucked it up and the actor couldn't redeem it. What could have been Jess Franco's take on The Big Sleep just peters out into an interminable mess

[Susan Foreman]

French label LE CHAT QUI FUME is bringing a Jess Franco title which has previously only been available as a Spanish VHS to 4K UHD and Blu-ray in the future!

“The movie is franco spanish that has never been published on DVD or everything else and there are almost no traces of it. Except for an old moldy Spanish vhs with the censored version.

And now we found the elements in France. But while she wasn't our surprise when we opened the reels. In addition to the advertisements, English, French generics, we noticed that the film had 3 different edits!! Yes 3!

The film actually features footage with young women tormented by a dirty man having fun torturing them (don't lie, you love it). In the Spanish version, all women are dressed. But there is also a version, the French one, where all women are totally naked.... AND we discovered a version where women are... half naked. All footage was shot 3 times, sometimes with different frames, with the same actresses... knowing that besides, in the uncensored version, the villain of the story makes love to them.

3 different fixtures, totally naked women, half naked and not at all naked. We never seen this before.

Of course how crazy we are, we're going to offer you the 3 mounts on the BLURAY and UHD coming out.... we don't know when yet. Because there's still work to do!!!”

[Demoncrat]

We shall see, they might have jumped the gun slightly ....

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082164...=nm_flmg_wr_83 ?????

[Demoncrat]

Cries Of Pleasure (1983)

Ostensibly a remake of Plaisir a Trois, a chap invites a lass to bed down so to speak as a prelude to his wife returning from a spell inside a mental health institute. A simpleton plays some lovely guitar to accompany their endeavours ....sexual or otherwise ahem.
Not a film to show any JF virgin, no pun intended.
I'm now going to watch a Neil Breen flick to cool down