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| Blue Underground (USA). All Regions, NTSC. 1:85:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 2.0 Mono. 86 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Jess Franco
Starring: James Darren,
Barbara McNair, Maria Rohm, Klaus Kinski, Dennis
Price and Margaret Lee
Screenplay: Jess Franco
and Malvin Wald
Music:Manfred Mann
and Mike Hugg
Country: UK/West Germany/Italy
AKA:Paroxismus; Black
Angel; Jess Franco's Venus in Furs; Paroxsysmos;
Può una morta rivivere per amore? |
The mention of the name of Jess Franco will invariably
divide genre fans firmly into two camps –
those who consider him a true auteur, and those
who think him a worthless hack. Franco has certainly
been very prolific over the last few decades, endlessly
churning out movies on a regular basis; some good,
some not so good. There's no denying, however,
that his films, for the most part, are never less
than interesting. What Franco lacks in the budget
department he more than makes up for with lashings
of style, peppered with liberal doses of sex and
sadism.
Venus in Furs is the latest
of Franco's efforts to reach the shiny disc
format, and not before time. This is the film
more than any other that defines what Franco is
all about. If any film is going to swing things
in Franco's favour, then this is the one.
The story is deceptively simple and full of deliciously
delirious moments alternating between eroticism
and violence. James Darren plays trumpeter Jimmy
Logan who is performing with his jazz band at
a society party in Istanbul. Midway through his
set he notices the arrival of the seductive Wanda
Reed (Maria Rohm) and becomes captivated by both
her beauty and her apparent lasciviousness. Towards
the end of the party Wanda is led away by two
men and a woman (Dennis Price, Klaus Kinski and
Margaret Lee) and Jimmy is compelled to follow
them to spy on whatever might transpire. What
he witnesses is far from what he expects, as the
sadistic trio whip, brutalise and assault her
until she dies. Traumatised by seeing this event,
Jimmy flees Istanbul to be with his long term
girlfriend, Rita (Barbara McNair), and tries to
make sense of not only this tragic incident but
of his life as a whole. Just as he is finally
beginning to put the whole sordid affair behind
him, the mysterious Wanda reappears, throwing
his life into chaos. He begins a torrid affair
with her but quickly comes to realise not everything
is at it seems and discovers that Wanda is bent
on wreaking revenge on her tormentors, who start
to die one-by-one. Jimmy continues to obsess over
Wanda and is unable to focus on anything else
in his life, including his ever-faithful girlfriend,
until he uncovers one last shocking revelation
that finally pulls his world completely apart.
Venus in Furs is undoubtedly
one of the finest films that Jess Franco has ever
made. The film is stylishly shot, the cast is
excellent and the story is coherent from start
to finish (although it's a deliberately
surreal piece at times, and necessarily so). An
added bonus is the superlative music score from
Manfred Mann and Mike Hugg (you'll spot
Manfred Mann performing several times throughout
the film). Venus in Furs is exceptional
in every way and shows what Franco is really capable
of when he puts his mind to it. The film is full
of memorable moments, like the haunting shot of
Wanda walking naked down the stairs dragging along
a fur coat behind her having just killed one of
her aggressors. This is certainly a film that
should be seen by Franco fans and detractors alike
– this is vintage Franco and deserves a
chance to earn for itself a reputation of being
the genre classic it truly is.
NB: For the record, don't go in expecting
a direct adaptation of the book, as the title
was something that was insisted on by the producers
after the fact. |
| Video |
| The film is presented in anamorphic 1.85:1 and
Blue Underground have done a sterling job with the
transfer. Aside from a few scratches at the opening
of the film it looks simply amazing and it's
hard to imagine this looking any better than it
does here. The image is sharp and crisp with bright,
vivid colours and solid blacks. No digital smearing
or digital artifacting is in evidence whatsoever
and flesh tones and colouring remain consistent
throughout. Top work from Lustig and co. |
| Audio |
| A DD 2.0 mono audio track is provided, but it's
surprisingly full and sounds very clean and sharp.
The dialogue is crystal clear throughout and the
music (which is an essential element of the film)
carries the necessary punch and is reproduced with
the appropriate depth and clarity. Mono doesn't
always have to mean inadequate, as this disc amply
demonstrates. |
| Extra Features |
| As usual, Blue Underground doesn't skimp
on the extras and provide buyers with a nice range
of supplementary features. First up is an on-camera
interview with Franco himself, who provides plenty
of anecdotes and insights into the making of the
film. It never ceases to amaze me how well Franco
can recall each and every one of his films. Next
up is an audio interview with the ever-elusive Maria
Rohm (and trust me, she really is hard to track
down), so this was an unexpected bonus. Also on
the disc are a theatrical trailer, poster and still
gallery and a Jess Franco bio. Overall a very worthy
package that is bound to please all those who purchase
the disc. |
| The Verdict |
This film is still not going to convince some
people that Franco is a very capable director and
able to deliver something truly astonishing –
but not everyone has the same tastes, do they? However,
I would definitely urge people to at least see this
film before passing final judgement on the man and
his work. I think a lot of viewers will be pleasantly
surprised at just how good Venus in Furs is. Of course it's not for everyone –
but what is? I, personally, cannot recommend this
highly enough though. I think it's the best
film of Franco's I've seen yet, with
the possible of exception of Exorcism.
If you're feeling adventurous, give it a try
– you never know, you may even end up liking
it!
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