Catherine Spaak & Florinda Bolkan in "Una ragazza piuttosto complicata" [1969 Italy]

Damiano Damiani was one of the most prominent and prolific Italian directors during the 60's and 70's, and his early crime and political dramas were, if not revolutionary, certainly ground-breaking for its time. His erotic/psychological thriller "Una ragazza piuttosto complicata" [Eng. Title: A Rather Complicated Girl] was made during the height of his powers with major stars of the time - Jean Sorel, and Catherine Spaak, and was also Florinda Bolkan's second feature film.

Storyline:
The film starts with Alberto (Jean Sorel) inadvertently overhearing an erotic conversation over the telephone between two women - Claudia, and Greta. Fascinated, he imagines Claudia - the one describing her breasts and doing most of the talking, in several different ways, until he manages to track her down, to reveal to us the real Claudia (Catherine Spaak), a flirtatious brunette and mod, complete with Vespa. Claudia and Alberto hit it off from the word-go, but it's all platonic until he begins to fall in love, and later obsess over her. As it happens, Claudia already has a boyfriend - Pietro (Gigi Proietti), but maintains her right to see anyone else if she so desires. The woman on the other end of the overheard conversation - Greta, turns out to be Claudia's stepmother (Florinda Bolkan). They were lovers once, and Claudia feels rejected now after Greta ends their affair and decides to get married again. But is all what it seems, or is this a vicious game by Claudia, sending subliminal signals to entrap Alberto as part of an elaborate plot..?

While this is by no means Damiani's finest work, it is a decently-executed thriller, and more than anything else, will be remembered for its kitsch 1960's décor, groovy soundtrack, and the fashion of its time. I nevertheless bought this DVD specifically for the elegant and classy Florinda Bolkan, and while she only appears during the later half of the film, there is plenty of teasing eye-candy to keep us interested until then, from the lovely Catherine Spaak. Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL]



The Nudity: Catherine Spaak, Florinda Bolkan, and others
Most of the nudity is from unknown actresses, with brief, and very brief nudity from the lovely French-born cutie - Catherine Spaak, and an elegant Florinda Bolkan respectively. The first scene, with anonymous actresses, is the longest in terms of nudity, followed by brief instances, including an outdoor location, from Catherine Spaak. Florinda Bolkan's nude scene, if anything, is tantalisingly fleeting.



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