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| No Shame (USA). Region 1, NTSC. 2.35:1 (16:9 enhanced). Italian DD 1.0, English DD 1.0. English Subtitles. 95 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Giuliano
Carnimeo
Starring: Edwige Fenech,
Corrado Pani, Richard Conte
Screenplay: Ernesto
Gastaldi
Country: Italy
AKA: Anna, Quel Particolare
Piacere
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Edwige Fenech enthusiasts No Shame have pulled
yet another '70s title from the vaults, this
time the 1973 emotion-laden Secrets Of A Call Girl,
a fairly early film in the Fenech oeuvre (I can
say that, can't I?) and probably the first
to view her as little more than a pretty face and
ogle-worthy body.
Secrets Of A Call Girl tells
the plaintive story of Anna (Fenech), a sheltered,
naïve provincial girl who quickly falls under
the lecherous power of local mobster Guido (Corrado
Pani), whose loyalty to his Mafioso boss Riccardo
Sogliani (Richard Conte) and love of the almighty
dollar move his early bruising of Anna into submissiveness
to a greater low. Anna is forced to smuggle drugs
and eventually take up work as a call girl seeking
tricks at Riccardo's illicit casino.
A few too many clients later and Anna is pregnant,
starting up a new life in Rome while Guido is
imprisoned. A new romantic interest, blackmail,
and enduring motherly love all then proceed to
tear Anna apart (not literally) as her rollercoaster-ride
life continually tests her and those around her,
all leading to a dramatic ending which many a
tear-jerking '80s TV soap series would be
proud of.
Edwige Fenech pundits fear not, what may have
been intended as a romantic film still succumbs
to its share of exploitation and crime cinema
elements, particularly due to Anna's submission
going hand-in-hand with a lot of undressing. But
Secrets of a Call Girl is also a chance for Fenech
to act as more than just the terrified victim
cowering under a black glove-fondled razor and
she takes up the challenge rather well, particularly
in her role as Paulo's mother. The few elements
of violence are handled minimally, only an opening
bullet extraction and an end shootout really proceeding
beyond Guido's open-handed domestic violence
and pummeling at the hands of Riccardo's
hired goons to extract any blood.
Those looking for blood-soaked carnage or hoping
the lascivious title will open up into an orgy
of, well, orgies will probably be somewhat disappointed
but ultimately Secrets of a Call Girl is not an
exploitation movie, it is a drama with exploitative
elements – while existent they don't
define the movie. Those who can stand the thought
of seeing an Italian '70s film starring
Fenech which isn't a Martino or Bianchi-esque
excuse for titillation (not that I'm accusing
either of solely making Fenech movies for this
purpose - well, at least Martino) but which instead
focuses on character and dramatic elements will
however find this reasonably enjoyable, if not
a cinematic experience destined for the top of
the exploitation pile. |
| Video |
| No Shame has once again delivered an excellent
transfer, the film restored to its widescreen ratio
from an original vault 35mm reversal print with
barely a blemish. Some of the shots, especially
in the opening half hour of the movie, are a little
dark and shadowy (often shots within a scene, not
an entirety) but I suspect that's just the
way the film was shot and not indicative of any
fault on No Shame's part. The odd artifact
is present, but this is 1970s cinema we're
talking about, so a few small blemishes are perfectly
acceptable. |
| Audio |
English and Italian soundtracks are available,
the film defaulting to Italian upon initial playback.
Both are in mono, but again what the hell do you
expect? Removable English subtitles are also provided.
Annoyingly the audio and subtitles don't seem
to be able to be altered during playback via my
DVD player's controls, I'm required
to select English audio and elect subtitling from
the submenu to play the movie with the desired option(s).
The sound itself is acceptably clear in both
languages (both are dubbed) and special mention
must be made of Luciano Michelini's score,
a dominant piano refrain modulated and modified
throughout much of the film to provide strong
support for many of the important scenes; Michelini
is from the Ennio Morricone school of overwrought
dramatism and it works in the context of this
film. |
| Extra Features |
| No Shame's extra features, in addition to
their tender handling of the digitizing and re-mastering
of these films, are every bit as good as the likes
of Blue Underground, and Secrets of a Call Girl
is no exception. The main addition to the feature
is a lengthy quasi-documentary entitled "Memories
Of A Call Girl" which intertwines interviews
with director Giuliano Carnimeo, Fenech and screenplay
writer Ernesto Gastaldi (the latter two have featured
in previous No Shame DVD featurettes) who all share
their memories of the film from its genesis and
the casting of Fenech to its setting and acting.
Carnimeo is particularly interesting, expressing
his lament at the movie's title being changed
from "Anna" to one more provocative
and sharing his recollection of Sergio Martino's
opinion of the film. A poster/stills gallery and
12 page booklet round out the extras. |
| The Verdict |
As the emphasis of the extra features show (focusing
on the film's nudity and gun-wielding) Secrets
of a Call Girl can be pigeon-holed as some kind
of exploitation film, but as this it fails. Sure
Edwige Fenech looks absolutely stunning, but that's
what lobby cards were for and not the films themselves.
While the almost clichéd, wracking dramatism
of the film verges on excess, the film's borrowings
from crime/mobster cinema in particular save it
from being a plot-heavy romance and hence what would
be unappealing to all but the bravest of '70s
Italian cinema fans: the balancing of its violent
and erotic moments with the profiling of Anna's
torturous awakening ultimately makes Secrets Of
A Call Girl a worthy addition to the collection
of those wanting a little more than screaming from
their Italian cinema vixens. This isn't nearly
as fun as something like The Strange Vice Of Mrs.
Wardh or The Case of the Bloody Iris (two of my
favourites starring Fenech) but as a fan it is nice
to see more than the simple fear and sleaze she
portrayed in many of her films. Newcomers to her
work, and to Italian exploitation cinema, are advised
to perhaps look elsewhere to understand the base
appeal of either but rest assured you'll return
when in the know.
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