Cecilia Roth in "Arrebato" [1980 Spain]

I don't know much about Iván Zulueta, but his film, "Arrebato" [Eng. Title: Rapture] is one of the best films ever made about cinema - more so about the creative process itself wherein the filmmaker is consumed by his own work. The style is reminiscent of French films from the 'Nouvelle Vague' era. If I have to sum it in one word though - it'll have to be "intense".

Pedro, an eccentric amateur filmmaker meets established director José through a mutual acquaintance and shows him some of his homemade films. He is restless and loathes what he's been making so far, until he stumbled upon a time-lapse technique which he's only eager to share with others. José, who's going through a personal and creative crisis of his own, is intrigued - and Pedro's obsession becomes his, and together they literally get 'sucked-into' a bizarre trip by the 8mm film camera that Pedro uses for filming. Is this happening for real, or is it just another hallucination from their acid trips..?

This is an obscure little gem worth seeking for true lovers of cinema. I first saw this film several years ago, but was lucky to get hold of a DVD more recently. The quality isn't particularly pristine - the letter-boxed transfer is dark and grainy, but in a way it adds to the overall claustrophobic atmosphere. I couldn't enhance any of the scenes in this compilation, and therefore left the resolution from the DVD more or less intact.




 

Compilation: Cecilia Roth and Helena Fernán-Gómez



Scene Guide:

• José returns from work to find his stoned girlfriend and actress Ana in his bed - he had already broken off with her and is visibly annoyed seeing her again. Ana is played by a very young Cecilia Roth - a major actress from Argentina, who was also an Almodovar regular.
• One can see José's relationship with Ana is strained, even if he may yet have some feelings left for her.
• In one of the films sent by Pedro, he's seen fondling Gloria, a friend, at a party, played by Helena Fernán-Gómez. Later we see him getting angry with her for stopping the camera while filming himself sleeping. The incessant guttural voice-over in many of the scenes is Pedro's narration of events and thoughts, through the audio cassette sent along with the film.
• José makes it clear to Ana that it is now all over between them.
• Brief nipple-slip as things finally dawn on Ana - José had just bid her farewell - he's off to Pedro's apartment to find out what happened to him.

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Yoima Valdés & co in "800 Balas" [2002 Spain]

Álex de la Iglesia, known for his comedy thrillers, is one of my favourite directors. I've seen all but his most recent feature films, and among them, "800 Balas" [Eng. Title: 800 Bullets] is my favourite alongside "El Día de la Bestia". In a way, this film is Sr. Iglesia's ode to spaghetti westerns as much as an appraisal of unsung talents in the film industry - in this case, stunt men who take that spectacular fall when needed but rarely get recognition.

Young Carlos learns from his grandma that he has a grandfather called Julián living in Almeria, who along with Carlos' father (dead after an accident) used to perform stunts for spaghetti westerns during their hay day. He now performs mock stunts instead in the decrepit old sets to earn a living. Carlos wants to visit him, but his mother still hates the old man, blaming him for her husband's death. During a trip to a school ski camp, he sneaks out of the bus and heads to Almeria, ski gear et al. After telling him off for visiting without his mother's knowledge, Julián lets him stay, during which time they bond. When the angry mother tries to close down his set and build in its place a theme park, Julián finds he has a fight in his hands, this time for real, if he is to keep his job and way of life. I had posted a review for this film years ago, but this is a fresh compilation made from my DVD.

The excellent opening credits and soundtrack sets up the film nicely, and the cinematography aptly recreates the ambience of spaghetti westerns. Aided by some playful editing and an interesting soundtrack, the film is entertaining, and the witty dialogues and bevy of muchachas calientes make the film truly enjoyable. Needless to say, Recommended Viewing..!

Compilation: Yoima Valdés and others
Julián gets to spend some time 'on the house' with newly arrived beauty Sandra, but he's a tad tired after a tough day. He however asks her not to mention (his non-performance) to anyone. Sandra is played by mamacita cubanas Yoima Valdés. For those who don't know, lovely Yoima is as sexy as ever in her latest film "Don Mendo Rock ¿La venganza?" - shame she doesn't show more in it. But here, she displays every bit of her natural charms wearing the sweetest of smiles..!



Scene Guide:

• Julián must indeed be one extremely tired old man to pass up on lovely Sandra.
• Some wild party this! It's pandemonium in this hysterical scene with some assorted uncredited beauties running around topless.
• Little Carlos notices a couple going 'all the way', and Sandra decides to initiate him with some worldly knowledge - "how to handle boobs". "No - not like pushing the button for an elevator, but more like feeling the weight of little bags laden with coins - you see, jiggle-jiggle..!". It gets more funny when Carlo's mum calls him from the ski camp where he's supposed to be, and he tells her he's in the cabin along with the other kids.
• A final glimpse of Sandra's sexy curves as Carlos pulls the blanket away.

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Martina Codecasa & co in "Sul Mare" [2010 Italy]

Alessandro D'Alatri's recent Italian film, "Sul Mare" [Eng. Trans: At Sea] is an old fashioned bitter-sweet romance set in a Neapolitan island. It's the story of Salvatore, a happy-go-lucky lad whose life seems to have been neatly split into two halves - during the summer, he makes a living by hiring his boat to tourists, and during off-season, works at a construction site in the mainland. Until he meets Martina, a Genoese lass and scuba diving enthusiast. He falls madly in love with her, an experience which will nevertheless teach him some hard truths of life.

The film is well conceived, with a well-written script and neat direction. It has a straightforward narrative, and the main cast give a decent-enough performance to make the film tick, particularly the young actress playing her namesake, Martina Codecasa. Fine cinematography is aided by some breathtaking locales, and pleasant music. But the film is also a notch above your average light entertainment - it is actually quite moving at times, and therefore definitely Worth Viewing.

Compilation: Martina Codecasa, Roberta Stellato, and Adriana Marega
I've combined some of the best parts from the film, some of which may not have nudity as such, but nevertheless lead to one.



Scene Guide:

• A couple of fun-seeking tourists, played by Roberta Stellato, and Adriana Marega tease and party with Salvatore in his boat.
• This is when Salvatore lays eyes on Martina for the first time. She hires his friend's boat, but soon enough they bump into each other rather unexpectedly. A romance develops...
• But Martina disappears after her holiday. And just when Salvatore's coming to terms of having been dumped, she returns, and they resume from where they left off. Martina is played by bella ragazza Martina Codecasa.
• During her stay Martina lives with Salvatore and his parents.
• Nude games by the beach, followed by romantic nights in the open.

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Mariangela Melato & Sandra Julien in Claude Chabrol's "Nada" [1974 France]

It's Nouvelle Vague time - I'll start with Claude Chabrol's filmography with one of his lesser known films, "Nada" [Eng. Title: The Nada Gang], a crime thriller centred around a fictitious anarchist group who called themselves N.A.D.A.

This isn't your typical Chabrol - I was just lucky to have found it in one of my excellent box-sets. It is also not my favourite Chabrol, but I loved it nevertheless for its wit and satire. The fact that it also stars the classy Mariangela Melato, one of my favourite Italian actresses came as a pleasant surprise.

Claude Chabrol, one of the pioneers of the French New Wave cinema movement, is broadly compared to Hitchcock for his early suspense thrillers. But where he differs is by also giving social commentaries through his films, sometimes even taking precedence over the plot. He was a prolific filmmaker, and inevitably went through several phases of mediocrity and brilliance. But there's no denying the fact that whenever you think of legendary actresses like Stéphane Audran, Romy Schneider, and Isabelle Huppert, it is likely to be for one of their films directed by Claude Chabrol.

Synopsis:
Nada Gang members, led by academic Marcel kidnap the American ambassador for a ransom, but things take a different turn when the home ministry and an over-zealous superintendent decide to make an example out of them. Chabrol gives us a cynical insight into the way politics work, and also how even idealists compromise when the need arises. This is not exactly a great film, but certainly enjoyable as an action-packed crime drama.




 

Compilation: Sandra Julien and Mariangela Melato
There is only brief nudity in the film, but one of them is definitely worth checking out, that of the exceptionally sculpted beauty Sandra Julien (credited as Sandra Jullien). She plays a prostitute entertaining the ambassador when Nada members break in to spoil the party. The second is of the lovely Mariangela Melato who plays Veronique, one of the gang members, spending time with a veteran colleague she fancies, but who unfortunately struggles to perform on the given night. She gives only a brief flash of her breasts in this film, but not to worry - I will be posting here a legendary film by Ms. Melato pretty soon.





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Pilar López de Ayala & Manuela Arcuri in "Juana la Loca" [2001 Spain]

Vicente Aranda's "Juana la Loca" [Eng. Trans: Juana the Mad, Eng. Title: Mad Love], was the first of three period pieces he made in succession - the other two - "Tirente el Blanco" and "Carmen" are already featured here. It is also the best of the three, aided by an impeccable performance from Pilar López de Ayala, the actress who plays Juana, the unfortunate queen of Castile and daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella.

Based on a play, the film begins her story about four years after the new world discoveries, when sixteen year old Juana is sent off to Flanders to marry Philip of Burgundy to formalise a political alliance. The marriage however turns out to be a failure, for despite Juana being 'madly' in love with husband Philip, he was more interested in nothing more than usurping her power. Her father Ferdinand too conspires to restrict her powers, and rumours are circulated of Juana's presumed insanity, questioning her fitness to govern. She's confined in a convent for the next forty seven years, and remained queen in name only until her death. There are several major events covered in the film which I've skimming past - those interested can use this link to explore more of Juana's story.

Needless to say, the film has pretty high production values, especially the costumes, set design and art direction. Just as impressive is the cinematography, direction and editing. The film was nominated for no less than twelve Goya awards the following year, of which it bagged three. Recommended Viewing.




 

Compilation: Pilar López de Ayala, Carolina Bona, and Manuela Arcuri



Scene Guide:

• Philip decides to get acquainted with his wife-to-be, the young and innocent Juana, even before the wedding - and he seems to have done a pretty good job taking her royal virginity, as she doesn't let him leave afterwards. Juana is excellently played by the cute Pilar López de Ayala.
• A month after their first child is born, Juana wants Philip to feel her lactating breasts, but makes his excuses and leaves.
• No nudity - A desperate Juana spreads her legs for Philip on the dining room floor.
• Inés is the queen's handmaiden - apparently nipple-painting was one of the pass times of Flemish gentry. When the artist coaxes her into revealing for whose pleasure she's making all the effort, she laughs her way out, but is nevertheless caught red-handed while in bed with Philip. Inés is played by Carolina Bona.
• Philip is enchanted by Moorish beauty Aixa - claimed to be of regal stock herself, but now forced to make a living by displaying her natural charms at a tavern instead. She also seems to have a keen interest in witchcraft, and is possibly seeking revenge for her people loosing their kingdom to catholic kings. Aixa is played by sultry Italian bombshell Manuela Arcuri.

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