prohibited-name-1142 Reviews

100% bio (2003)

Is it biology-inclined or simply eatable ?

[30 August 2004]

Claude Fortin's movies have always been structurally surprising, to say the least. He always puts himself as the main character and manages to keep enough mystery, leaving the viewer wonder what's real, and what's not. This is part of a reflection he's been conducting for years now, about the medias as a mirror of our society, and the veracity of the images that we see, be it on TV or on the big screen.

He pushes things further here, as his fetish character, himself, tries to shoot a documentary about the life of a great TV artist, Serge Laprade, so that the viewer sees the entire story of television in Quebec through Laprade's experience. He will encounter many difficulties in the making, one of them being the generation gap between Laprade, his subject, and him. The most important being... that TV isn't really the "collective memory" of a population. If you see Serge Laprade's page here on IMDb, and you've never heard about him, you'd think he hasn't done much in his artistic life.

But you'd be dead wrong.

The movie follows Fortin in his quest to have his movie done, so it plays on different levels : the struggling a director has to go through, when he doesn't quite "fit in" the system, to have his movie completed; the absurdity of all the procedure one has to go through to dig in the past, searching for archived material; and the touching relationship building up between these two men that, when the movie starts, have nothing in common.

100% BIO is a touching and ingenious movie, not limited to urbanity as Fortin lives in Gaspésie (in the movie at least), a breathlessly beautiful region that his loving lense caresses in the final part of the film. And Laprade is a particular revelation here, a lovable individual that's brutally honest about what he's done, and mostly what he is.

Tout feu, tout femme (1975)

Come on baby, light my fire...

[31 July 2004]

In this firemen "sexy" comedy from the 70's, a period many consider to be Quebec's finest trash hour, things are exactly what they look like, and there's no secret message to be found behind the easy laughs and the semi-naked babes; it's big fun, machismo and fire trucks all lined up to please the typical male audience.

Jean Lapointe plays a retarded fireman virgin who's very afraid of women, but that's about to change when a lady he saves from her burning home moves in with him. She's a psychology student and wants to prove that the guy can be cured. Her means ? Make as much hot babes as possible move in Lapointe's building to surround him with provocative curves and temptations.

She gets more than she expected, of course...

The movie's fast paced, funny and odd. Makes me wonder why the hell it was never distributed anywhere on home video ! Another fine Cinépix production, this one has just enough naked mamas to please the average viewer, lots of silly scenes and all it takes to become a cult classic.

Put your ears at ease to the sound of the main title, half sung by a visibly drunken Lapointe and Andrée Boucher, the female star; it's so dumb it hurts !

Zanna Bianca alla riscossa (1975)

The wolf is a dog, and he barks

[27 April 2004]

Tonino Ricci. A name that inspires consternation among Italian genre movies lovers. He's touched all the genres, and yet most of his movies are unknown to the general public and hard to locate, even for patient seekers.

This spaghetti western he has shot features Maurizio Merli in the lead, along with an impressive cast that includes Donald O'Brien and Henry Silva. It involves Merli, a gold seeker living in the Canadian woods, trying to avenge his best friend's death by litterally stealing his name and identity and trying to find the killers in town. He will inherit both his best friend's dog (White Fang) and his son (Kim) and will have to deal with all these new relationships while trying to find his thugs.

Silva is once again very stone-faced as the town's main gangster, always a coward, just like the character played by Donald O'Brien. The dog "playing" White Fang does neat tricks here, but he constantly barks and that becomes very irritating after a while.

Nice locations, but the city seems okay, while as soon as a three is showing, the ground is inevitably covered in snow ! A slight contrast we soon forget as soon as Ricci's camera dives into Gisela Hahn's cleavage.

Overall a satisfying spaghetti western, impregnated with routine film making and the usual revenge cliches. Watch out for Renzo Palmer's mountie punch in the face !

Cross Current (1971)

Currents of unexplainable madness, Italian style

[25 April 2004]

This rare giallo visibly has a bad reputation all over the planet, and I can't really understand why; probably because no one has seen it...

Here we have a rich playboy doing boat races, and at one of them he has an accident - his boat shatters and explodes, but he's thrown in the nearby water and rapidly picked up by the medical crew, and after an operation to the brain returns home safe and sound, with some memory loss and a prescription of calm, peace & love for recovery. However, his surroundings - including luscious Rossana Yanni, constantly mini-skirted and looking ready to seduce - stick to his incredibly designed villa, and the killings begin.

First the gardener, and then some other individuals whom I won't name not to spoil anything. The deaths aren't spectacular and we never get to see the killer, so that's a change from other well known gialli... but the plot doesn't really make sense here.

Especially when the end credits roll, we're left with a huge question mark : "What the hell just happened ?" With about 5 writers working on the script, I guess it's just unexplainable. Or it perhaps can be the horrible english dubbing that made me lose some parts...

Confusion aside, this movie is visually gorgeous, with amazing architecture + actors + landscapes. Ivan Rassimov plays his usual self, evil eyebrows included. And there's never a dull moment. In trying to include twists so often, the writers may have forgotten that in the end, it all needs to make at least a bit of sense, but they're forgiven for carving a real impressive mood for the ensemble of the movie. Highly recommended !

Das fünfte Gebot (1978)

The fifth commandment of period dramas

[5 April 2004]

Duccio Tessari is well known for his staircase shots and for his ability to direct anything... Here he tries his luck at period drama, a genre that wasn't very popular in '77, at least in Italy.

With Berger, Orsini, Kraft & Kier in the cast, Alabiso at the editing table, and Trovajoli behind his piano, you'd think that you can't go wrong, no ? Well, not quite. The storyline is focusing on two brothers falling in a bottomless pit of no return, stealing banks to terrorize the German population during most of 1930. Behind their actions stand the nazis, who have a plan to try and prove the country needs a bit of brutal "cleansing".

It's all told in a very classic manner, with almost no blood shed and the story insisting on character psychology rather than linear progression. Which can bring the viewer on the verge of sleep quite rapidly...

Evelyne Kraft is gorgeous in the few scenes she's appearing, and coupled with Trovajoli's joyous score, these are the only two elements worthy of attention here.

The french canadian tape, distributed during the 80's, shows a drawing of a nazi army in front of a row of huge flags, which can bring you to think the movie's part of this silly italian "nazisploitation" wave, but it's sadly not... Now this would have been interesting from Tessari !

The Swinging Barmaids (1975)

Someone's going nuts over the Swing-a-Ling barmaids...

[14 March 2004]

This surprising little piece of trashy exploitation from Gus Trikonis (mainly known for his Baywatch & Hercules episodes) is a rare find but a really fun viewing !

The action takes place in L.A., during the seventies, as some "honest" and very busty girls struggle to survive while working in a crooked club called the "Swing-a-Ling". They walk around the place in bunny suits, serving drinks to the customers and getting their numerous exposed body parts grabbed-a-plenty. They complain a lot, but when they go home, their places don't look as if they were underpaid...

One evening some bearded guy comes in and does not like what he sees, being a highly moral and religious man. He decides it's his duty to wipe these nasty gals from the face of the earth and then proceeds to at least try. And the fun starts.

The fight scenes between "the killer" and the girls are effective and realistic, and always manage to rip their clothes in the right spots. The movie itself is pretty short, lacks moral and is overall a highly enjoyable ride if you like pointless violence and a bit of scenaristic nonsense. Dyanne Thorne, unforgettable as Ilsa, makes her appearance here, and she's right at home among the well endowed cast.

As usual, the word is see it... if you can find it !

Le piège d'Issoudun (2003)

Lanctôt is not too late

[23 February 2004]

Micheline Lanctôt is not your average overproductive director. When she works on a script, she does it seriously, and doesn't let it down until she's satisfied. Mostly an actress over the last ten years, she came back as a director with LE PIÈGE D'ISSOUDUN.

Set over the course of one quiet winter day, it begins with a sober but shocking scene, after which a torn mother tries to kill herself on the highway, but fails as she gets pulled over by a cop. What could have been a simple routine task for the cop soon evolves into a weird relationship; when he sees that the lady's visibly disturbed, he tries to help her and understand what's going on.

Intersped with scenes from a Grimm play that deals with matricide, this movie is built in a subtle tone, and its contemplative nature adds a certain beauty to the "horror" of the initial situation. Frédérick De Grandpré and Sylvie Drapeau are well chosen for this dramatic duel, cast as the father & mother that are both separated from their children in different ways.

This is in no way a "family" movie, but it's powerful and dramatic, and deserves to be seen.

Folle à tuer (1975)

Mad enough to be forgotten

[11 October 2003]

It's not the first time I'm complaining about the general lack of interest that Yves Boisset suffers from, and certainly not the last.

Boisset directed this amazing thriller with his usual style, every piece of the puzzle being right in its place, an infernal rythm sticking it all together.

It's the story of Julie (Marlène Jobert), an ex nutcase that's reinserted in society as a guardian angel for the young Thomas, a spoiled brat who appears to be a very rich orphan. As always in Boisset movies, trouble isn't very far ahead and takes the form of a cold blooded Tòmas Milian who kidnaps the child and Julie and asks for a ransom.

No one is innocent here, except for little Thomas, and nothing is what it seems. The major force of the movie being its casting, the co-production allowing Boisset to use Italian as well as French actors. Jobert is right on spot, Milian refrains from using his usual wide palette of grins (and is given an awful accent in the french dubbed version), and Michael Lonsdale is a decent enough corrupted bourgeois ! Victor Lanoux plays the menacing and simple ex convict, belly pot and sleazy eyes included.

With an engaging musical score, a simple and effective storyline, and enough plot twists to keep anybody awake, FOLLE À TUER should be released on DVD along with Boisset's finest, in a perfect world.

I've never been disappointed by this amazing director, and I will keep on digging in the slowly fading VHS crates to find more of his masterpieces, that's for sure.

Chaste and Pure (1981)

Alone against the birds of prey, Italian style...

[10 October 2003]

Salvatore Samperi may have been bitter when he shot this "sexy comedy", because apart from the lovely virgin Rosa - played by the still bombastic Laura Antonelli - no one is likeable here !

The movie is about a rich girl that everybody's interested in only to get a hand on the loads of cash she inherited. Between her tyranic father (Fernando Rey, getting old and less picky with scripts, it would seem) and some pimpin' playboy (Massimo Ranieri, looking sleazy and dubious), her doctor wants her to get laid, and apparently so does the village priest !

But daddy doesn't want Rosa to get married, because this would mean the end of his reign on the girl's money...

Conventionally shot, with a humor that the french dubbing probably obliterates, this one's fine but it's not highly entertaining or innovative. There are a few glimpses of flesh here and there, lots of suggested incest, a collective rape during a medieval party which is very confusingly shot, and a small role given to the lovely Gabrielle Lazure.

If this is an attempt to mock the modern bourgeois family, it is half obtained, everybody being so morally corrupt that it is almost banalised ! We've seen it all before; the father being more interested in money than family, the wild virgin looking to burst out of her shell... It would have appeared daring during the 70's but in 1984, I will have to say that this is average filmmaking and that it's sadly forgottable.

Le seuil du vide (1972)

This one's everything but EMPTINESS

[20 September 2003]

After an aborted affair with a married diplomat (Michel Lemoine), Vanda is distraught and decides to try her luck in Paris. As soon as she arrives to the train station, an old stunted woman offers her a triangle-shaped room for a very cheap price, a godsend on which Vanda throws herself immediately. She's told she'll be able to paint in peace as long as she does not open this condemned mysterious door. But curiosity is a pretty ugly defect...

Adapted from a Kurt Steiner novel, published at Fleuve Noir editor, LE SEUIL DU VIDE constitutes a beautiful homage to the disturbing and fascinating world of the author. Supernatural and onirism are skillfully mixed, helped by a body of very good actors; Michel Lemoine always has a strong and fascinating presence, that is unfortunately here underexploited.

Torn between DORIAN GRAY and a less celebrated Raphaël Delpard effort, LA NUIT DE LA MORT, the narrative exploits the hantise of ageing and the worship of the eternal youth cult. The employed means border on cannibalism but remain in the occult domain; one does not seize all that's happening very well, and the metaphysical torments of the heroin lack a little veracity. Davy really innovates in some delirium scenes. The special effects are very impressive for the time the movie was shot...

Davy's pornographic roots are absent here, and he shoots the female bodies with an icy sobriety. Michel Caputo, another famous pornograph, signs the artistic direction and even allows himself an auto reference; the poster that Vanda sticks on the "forbidden" door is the one of "L'ATTENTAT", a play Caputo directed some time before shooting began. Davy does a cameo in a bar scene, discussing about some philosophical ideas of his era, and then leaves the screen for the rest of the movie. One will not forget, nevertheless, the disconcerting atmosphere of his work and the beautiful hour of enchantment that LE SEUIL will have given us.

Aberraciones sexuales de una mujer casada (1981)

Another hypnotic offering from Franco

[20 September 2003]

Wonderfully shot and wrapped in a warm score by Daniel White, this Franco flick is a must see. Shot in Portugal, in a forest similar to the one adorning the family castle in VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD, it has a timeless feel, and the theme, centering around "open sexuality" inside a couple, is universal.

It is basically the story of Cecilia (Muriel Montossé), an housewife raped by three greasy thugs. She ends up enjoying the assault and it opens new horizons for her. She convinces her husband that seeing other people will improve their relationship, and off they are ! Orgies, rituals and lots of erotic scenes captured by Franco's sensual zooms later, they start dealing with the downside of sleeping around...

The incredible settings - particularly a beautiful and impressive villa with a breathless view over the ocean - and laidback love scenes contribute in making this one pure eye candy. A floral theme serves as a transition between scenes, and the gorgeous and dense vegetation composes a truly dreamlike imagery.

Lina Romay briefly appears in a very funny role and the movie, overall, is a guilty pleasure, a pleasure that a newcomer could find questionable, but that the true Franco connaisseur will approve, and most of all share.

Affair (1974)

A Pierson is a human being too...

[2 June 2003]

In this weird erotic tale, Claude Pierson explores the love life of a middle-class couple who lost their only son in a car accident, resulting in a sexual trauma that stops novelist Marc (Mauro Parenti) from feeling desire for his voluptuous wife (the always easy on the eyes Paola Senatore).

Pierson crafts quite a strange piece of film here, constantly oscillating between light erotic scenes - some porno inserts have been added to the French Canadian release, which was ironically placed in the "comedy" section of my video rental store - and drama. The mood is shifting, sending the viewer into confusion. The psychedelic editing sure doesn't help...

This one's been co-produced by France, where it was probably shot for the most part; Italy, where all the actors come from; and finally Canada... At one point Mauro Parenti says he'll write a novel in Quebec and we see some introduction shots of a very grey Montreal, and then nothing - he in fact comes back to Europe in the very next scene.

Apart from the scenes in which Paola gets it on, the presence of Lucretia Love as her best man-eater friend is notable. But the best part of it all is the loungey and highly enjoyable score by Armando Trovajoli, maestro of the rolling bassline & soft keys.

UN AMOUR COMME LE NÔTRE is in some ways enjoyable for a crazy completist like me, but it won't appeal to many, if ever these "many" can find a copy of the movie in the first place.

Angel's Leap (1971)

Leap into Boisset's fantastic universe !

[14 May 2003]

Boisset was one of the greatest action directors of the 70's in Europe. In this sadly neglected thriller, he exposes a corrupted & rotten political system in Marseille. The focus is put on Louis Orsini (Jean Yanne), an ex mercenary whose family's been entirely murdered for political reasons. He's out to get the responsibles and he evolves with style...

There are several scenes in this movie during which you'll wonder why the hell Boisset is not celebrated the way he should be. All his movies are great, over-the-top action flicks with an edge, in the same vein as Fernando Di Leo flicks or even Umberto Lenzi cop thrillers !

Jean Yanne does a great job here as the wooden faced hero, and Senta Berger is always lovely tho she only has a small part. When are we gonna see movies like this come out on DVD and get the respect they widely deserve ?

Kiss Me Killer (1977)

Daniel White's allright

[7/10 · 26 June 2001]

This Eurociné production of a Jesus Franco movie is centered around a nice little jazzy theme by Daniel White, and the idea isn't bad... A remake of Franco's LA MUERTE SILBA UN BLUES (aka 007 Opération Jamaïque), shot in the sixties, this one has a stunning cast composed of Jesus' regulars.

The locations are gorgeous; it's hard not to be amazed by some of the shots and camera angles. Since Franco is no longer under the strict laws of censorship, the lascive scenes are multiplying, being maybe one of the low point of the movie. Alice Arno and miss Romay are sure a lot of fun to look at, but when erotism interfere with the storyline and slows it, it's a bit annoying.

There is almost no humor here - apart from some of the dialogues and a surprising Franco cameo where he appears as a crazed guru shouting catastrophic predictions all around - and it's what makes the atmosphere interesting. Being used to see Olivier Mathot take off his pants in a flash, I couldn't help being puzzled by his stoned faced performance.

The theme of the dead guy coming back to face his murder has been used many times by Franco - somehow eerily in VENUS IN FURS - and is almost banalised here. No one wonders how Freddy Carter he managed to survive.

Echoes of other Franco movies surface here and there, particularly in a cabaret scene featuring Lina Romay and a statue, a scene which was later re-used in TENDER FLESH, involving the plastic Amber Newman instead.

Overall a fascinating movie, with a lush jazzy score by Daniel White that perfectly fits the mood and pace of the film.

Phollastía (1987)

"Dynasty"... for adults only

[7/10 · 26 June 2001]

Here comes another cult TV series parody from a crazed little spanish entertainer called Jesus Franco. Number one was Falo Crest, making fun of, of course, Falcon Crest. Now comes the time for Dynasty.

Kickin' off on an amusing note, the movie pushes the parody to a level where even the technical aspects are a mimic of the original series. All is well in the lusty family. Everyone screws secretly, until Jean Collins (Lina Romay) gets home and "screws" everything up, throw your hands in the air, get naked and procreate. Problem is that apart from Lina (who's still getting old), all the other actresses are painfully ugly - one even wears what looks like monster make-up !

Silly and a big laugh for Franco admirers, it ends with words of wisdom coming from miss Romay's nice and round lips : "In my family, we make good milk". Hilarious.

El siniestro doctor Orloff (1984)

Orloff has bred a real bad son...

[18 June 2001]

Antonio Mayans is Dr. Orlof, a spanish doctor who's obsessed by his father's past and a woman-hater as a bonus. He stalks and kills prostitutes in order to reanimate his dead mother. His father, played by an aging Howard Vernon, does not agree with these "ethics" and warns him to stop killing. This may be considered as a funny thing since Vernon was the first Dr. Orlof, who did the same thing in the '62 Franco classic GRITOS EN LA NOCHE, except that he was peeling off his young victim's faces to heal his daughter.

Yes, Jesus Franco seems obsessed by this theme he first saw in LES YEUX SANS VISAGE by George Franju. He did countless versions of this movie over the years, including his recent (2001) remake of GRITOS with Paul Naschy in the lead role ! He also did a version, in '88, called FACELESS, with a big budget and a fabulous cast (Florence Guérin, Brigitte Lahaie, Telly Savalas, and Vernon once more...).

This spanish production is one of the best he shot in the eighties, with an oppressed narration by Mayans, and a very interesting pathological link between the father and the son. The camera work is absolutely fantastic, as always when Franco does not shoot in a hurry, and the haunting keyboard music was composed and played by Il Maestro himself. A personal and highly enjoyable work that'll mostly please to die hard Francophiles.

On n'est pas sorti de l'auberge (1982)

A few laughs here and there

[26 December 2000]

Here comes a traditional French comedy, set in the country and involving peasants. It's about a couple (Bernadette Lafond & Jean Leclerc, which we've previously seen in the delirious J'AI MON VOYAGE) owning a small hotel who are trying to sell it. What you get is a typic burlesque carnival with a few erotic breaks here and there, that are rapidly run down by some strict morals. Pécas has always been a right wing partisan and it shows; adultery is bad, sleeping around makes you stay poor, honest people aren't always what they look like... There are a few beautiful actresses, some clever scenes, but nothing really anthologic here. Stick to the earliest Pécas movies, if you want to be sure to have fun.

Le jouisseur (1975)

Franco goes burlesque with success

[26 December 2000]

What a strange piece of film. Part of Franco's short-lived collaboration with french producer Robert de Nesle, the Comptoir Français du Film's boss, this comedic gem is about a bored count who likes to hunt down pretty women, disguised as a servant. A lot of misadventures happen to him, and the one-liners fall like a golden rain, revealing once more how much Jesus Franco is a talented dialoguist. Olivier Mathot plays a moustached bandit, and Lina Romay is, as always, the seductress. Lots of weird situations, dumb softcore sex scenes, and no particular linear narrative line. Fred Williams is the perfect gentleman here, being "L'Homme le Plus Sexy du Monde" (the world's sexiest man) with a certain class. If you usually don't like Franco and his disturbing subjects, here comes the light touch he can also put in his comedies, because this one's hard not to like.

The Vengeance of Doctor Mabuse (1972)

Color me Franco blue

[21 December 1999]

Doctor Mabuse strikes again in this highly-colored movie shot by Jess Franco in the mid-seventies, when he was still comitting marvels. This one has almost everything you can expect from a spanish late night masterpiece : the evil doctor and his mindless Frankenstein-like monster, Monica Swinn as her evil and sexy sidekick, a cameo by a screaming and cigar smoking Franco, some cops dressed like laughable cowboys, a few sexy girls in mini-skirts and the incredible camera angles and locations that has made old Jess famous.

It's about doctor Mabuse's evil plans - plans I couldn't understand because the movie is in spanish - and the endeavours of humanity to stop him, Franco-style. Shot in the most unusual and strange locations of Spain, it is a visual treasure and the funny characters are, as always, very parodic. It may last only about an hour, but it will remain in your hearts and minds for a long long time...

La reina del Tabarín (1960)

Young Franco goes classic

[17 December 1999]

This average black and white melodramatic comedy from 1960 is one of Franco's early curiosities. It is Beautifully filmed, with a lot of budget and a very big crew, and lots of historical details - the story takes place in 1913. It's about a young gigolo called Fernando who is always chasing girls and cheating on his fiancée. He meets a flamenco singer at a party and he falls in love. From then on the story is very foreseeable, but entertaining and sometimes even funny. Being a french/spanish co-production, there are a couple of scenes shot in Paris, of course, but the main story takes place in Madrid. I guess Franco didn't have a lot to decide while shooting that one - he didn't even take part in the script writing - but his unusual camera angles are already there, and his visual style is on the verge of breaking out. Definitively a must to understand Franco and his work.

Midnight Party (1976)

The midnight party of the century

[7/10 · 9 October 1999]

It all begins with Lina Romay dancing in chromed pants on a stage in some cheap bar. She hooks two playboys and ends up with an invitation to their midnight orgy. Her communist rock star bearded lover shows up in her dressing room and starts shouting slogans. Her husband pays her a visit. And then she talks directly to the camera, explaining to the viewer she has to get dressed for the party.

Definitly one of Franco's numbest and most chaotic feature,s where he plays a sadistic wooden-legged private eye with his trademark black sunglasses. You can see all you want from Romay, who spends most of the movie running around naked. The plot doesn't seem to be very important and the jokes fly low. If you like Franco you'll laugh to death watching this one but if you're a newcomer, you may wonder where the hell can we get some drugs as effective as the ones they used to write this.

Faceless (1988)

Franco at his best ?

[9/10 · 8 September 1999]

I wouldn't say so. And I have many reasons to doubt it. Sure, the movie is filled with great scenes. The gore-meter is about to explode, and the french babes used here are worth a look. The story is also funny, breaking the incest taboo, and the sleaze is not absent.

However, the style Franco incorporated in most of his 70's classics is totally absent here. Sure, there is a reference to his beginnings, and this is a "kind of" remake of THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF, but I think I know what sounds dishonest with that one.

It has been shot with a VERY big budget, and written by four guys, among which Franco is NOT. And when the short spanish director does not have the last word, let me assure you that his work is DENATURED. Sure the movie is excellent, but this is NOT Franco. This is a guy called Jesus Manera directing someone else's movie for money. To pay the rent. Hell, even Kojack is there !

I must say the ending confused me too. Was it an attempt to make the audience beg for a sequel ? What's the point ? Overall a good movie, with some pure moments of genius, that is worth the fuss you hear about. But let me tell you that this is NOT representative of what Franco does and did.

Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac (1973)

A certain gem (spoilers)

[8/10 · 8 September 1999]

How could Franco manage to shoot all those gems in such a short period of time? Let this remain his secret, and let's just enjoy every piece of film he made. Here once again we are served with a story full of softcore psychedelic sex, captured by Jess' voyeuristic camera, and the main actress, Mona Proust, is worth it. The movie begins with a cabaret scene, just like many Franco titles, and a prostitute in the club seduces a mature man and takes him to a hotel room. The guy is real drunk, they have "sex", and then the girl calls the police and kills herself.

This "intriguing start" leads to a sexual adventure full of sordid characters, interesting scenes and entertaining musical moments that you will remember forever, if you are a Franco lover like I am. This movie definitely is a must-see in the sexploitation domain and it has all it takes to become a cult classic.

The Awful Dr. Orlof (1962)

Bug eyes and old-fashioned Vernon

[8 September 1999]

It seems, with this movie, that Jess Franco was hopping in the cinema train and was going in the right direction. But it seems too that he fell asleep in this train and that someone threw him out...

The movie is in the spirit of those old-fashioned gloomy classics with streets of fog and strange menacing music playing on a granulous black and white image. The characters are typical and nothing, at first, makes the "Awful Dr. Orloff" different from other movies of the genre. It's when the suspense kicks in that things begin to go wrong. The doctor doesn't have naïve reasons to kidnap young girls; he has some real sick motives. He is deranged. And the magnificent Howard Vernon helps us believe in Orloff.

With an ending that doesn't surprise the viewer, but makes him feel uncomfortable, we begin to feel the grip of Franco, his trademark ... He practices his sickness with humor and that makes it almost acceptable, but still, he is pretty fascinating. If you want to take a glimpse at how the myth has started, feel the legend and watch THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF.

Phalo Crest (1987)

A very humorous parody

[7/10 · 4 September 1999]

Lina Romay, best known as Jess Franco's wife and cult actress, directed this one. Franco wrote the story, the music, and did almost everything else. So what can we expect ?

Well humor has never been absent from Franco's work, so be prepared to laugh. I've seen the spanish version so I didn't get all the jokes, but overall the hardcore sex mixes well with the touching comedy moments Romay has directed.

A direct parody of Falcon Crest, this movie is brilliant porn, not so exciting but still very interesting. I've even spotted one of the zombies of VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD during the scene where Sado Sommers is raped.

And when you'll find out what's the secret behind Falo Crest's excellent wine, your wine drinking evenings will never feel the same...