Mariangela Melato & co in "Attenti al Buffone" [1975 Italy]

Writer and director Alberto Bevilacqua uses dark humour to highlight human frailties and the corrupting influence of power in the film, "Attenti al Buffone" [Eng. Title: Eye of the Cat]. The time around which this was made (1974-75), there was a lot of political upheaval in Italy and the world over, inevitably reflecting in its cinema. It may not have the mighty rage and despair of Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Salo o le 120 giornate di Sodoma" which also came out the same year, but it raises similar questions, and the film's chief villain Cesare would easily find himself in good company among the 'Duke' and 'President' from Salo.

Storyline:
Marcello, a musician returns home from a tour to find his wife Giulia and the kids have disappeared and the house a wreck. He will soon learn that Giulia had been 'persuaded' by Cesare, a powerful man who made his name during fascist rule, to have the marriage annulled, and marry him instead. Marcello, instead of rebelling against the outrage, goes with it - hoping that Giulia would of her own, change her mind. But it soon becomes clear Cesare has a personal score to settle with Marcello - and wants to truly defeat him. He humiliates Marcello repeatedly - on one occasion, bragging about having 'bought' his family, "I've taken possession of the only true harmony that you managed to compose - it was your masterpiece". Marcello is also required to fake a reason to church for the annulment - and claim he is impotent. The conversation between him and the church clerk about the matter is one of the more interesting passages of play, full of satire and wit. Giulia on the other hand seems to have had an unpleasant past, possibly working the streets and often being molested before meeting Marcello, who decides to marry her. She loves Marcello, but wants him to let her go so she could live by her instincts. The film becomes an ethical battle between Marcello with his high morals, and the vile 'Ras' Cesare, one that Marcello 'the jester' wins.

The only other film I've seen of Bevilacqua to date is his earlier film, "La Califfa". Among the two, "Attenti al Buffone" is the superior one, notwithstanding the classy presence of Romy Schneider in the latter. The direction, the screenplay (which also won a David), and the fabulous soundtrack of Ennio Morricone work very well this time. And besides, you have another classy actress appearing in this film as well - signora tutti italiani Mariangela Melato, who plays Giulia. My DVD is a fairly recent edition, digitally remastered from negative, and the colours and sound quality are pretty good. Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link




Compilation: Mariangela Melato, Erika Blanc, Loredana Bertè, and Cristina Gaioni



Scene Guide:

• No nudity - a brief look-back at how Marcello met Giulia.
• Giulia is commanded by Cesare to strip naked. When she refuses, an angry Cesare rips her clothes off, but is soon gladdened to see she had shaved her nether regions, just as he had asked her to. "...just like a child - you see, we're both alike and our vulgarity, sublime - it'll be like doing it for the first time."
• His enthusiasm is however short-lived as Giulia walks off to spend the night with husband Marcello instead, who'd decided to pitch tent in Cesare's attic until the annulment formalities are finished (what the..?!). She asks him to treat her as a whore that she is, but is admonished by Marcello. While a body double was used for the previous nude scene, Mariangela Melato bares it all here, even giving us a brief frontal flash, which hardly ever happens - comfortable with Nino Manfredi (Marcello) with whom she'd worked before, but not so with Eli Wallach (Cesare), it seems..!
• An orgy organised to mourn a dead friend - true Etruscan style. All goes well for a while as the three women are shared around by Cesare and his friends. The bare bottomed girl with a French accent is Erika Blanc, the totally naked one on the staircase is Cristina Gaioni, and the other naked girl sitting on a guy's shoulder is Loredana Bertè - a popular singer during her day - Sei Bellissima..!
• The trouble starts when one of the guys demands Cesare share his woman Giulia too just like the rest - she had retired to her quarters. Cesare pleads her to restore his dignity by agreeing to have sex with his friends. He considers it shouldn't be too difficult because she'd already been around with other 'pigs and dogs' - and these are after all his friends..! :)

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Sara Vallés in "Antes De Morir Piensa En Mí" [2008 Spain]

Writer Raúl Hernández Garrido made his directorial debut through the crime drama, "Antes de morir piensa en mí" [Eng. Trans: Before you die, think of me], a film inspired by real events - facts surrounding one of the last women to be sentenced to death under the Franco regime. It's the unfortunate story of a young woman seeking happiness in her own misguided way.

Contrary to what IMDB ratings might suggest, this is actually a well made film with a lot going for it. The screenplay is good and direction adequate even if not ground breaking. The performances by most of the main cast is pretty good, and Sara Vallés, also making her film debut, gives a good account of herself. The sound track too is appealing. All in all, an above average fare.

The story is told using non-linear flashbacks during the court case that determined her fate, giving us a detached and non-judgemental portrait of Nina, a lonely child of a carefree single mother. Having never had a father figure, she seeks affection through older men before she falls in love with a younger man called Sergio, an apprentice under her husband Miguel. The film highlights various episodes from her life, culminating in the murder of her lover, and the apparent cannibalism that follows. The film is barely uplifting even if it attempts to lighten the mood through some comedic moments, partly because we're made aware of Nina's fate very early in the film. It is nevertheless a well made film, and therefore worth checking out.

Amazon DVD Link.




Compilation: Sara Vallés



Scene Guide:

• No nudity, but sexy nevertheless. Nina, after many years in a convent, had recently returned home to live with her mother. In this kinky scene, she's seen flirting with her mother's boyfriend. Nina is played by unconventional beauty Sara Vallés.
• No nudity. Nina gets married to middle-aged Miguel, and one can see there's a mismatch straightaway.
• Long scene. Nina had recently met Sergio for the first time when husband Miguel invited him home for a barbecue. Sergio takes a day off and invites Nina to his shack, and it is pretty evident that she's only too eager to please as she starts ironing his shirt. Miguel wonders why Sergio didn't turn up for work and passes by his place, only to find Nina naked and looking back at him through the window. This doesn't stop her though - far from it..!
• Sergio feels Nina loves Miguel and only uses him for sex. He is also involved in some anti-Franco politics. Nina visits him there, readily offering herself again. But the jealous Sergio treats her with contempt.
• Sergio gets killed while visiting Nina - they had planned to elope. This is a brief vignette of related scenes and some flashbacks.

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Irène Jacob in "La Double Vie de Véronique" [1991 France, Poland BR720]

From the moment he started working outside of Poland, Krzysztof Kieslowski came to be widely regarded as one of the most important and original European film makers of his day. Even if his work from the very early days were cherished and admired in his native Poland, it took the rest of Europe more than twenty years to fully discover and acknowledge his genius. For an insightful article on Krzysztof Kieslowski, check out this obituary that appeared in The Guardian after his untimely death.

His mesmerising drama "La Double Vie de Véronique" [Eng. Title: The Double Life of Veronique] form part of his later works, but it was my introduction to Kieslowski when it was screened on TV. Watching it more recently on Blu-ray, I am surprised at how superficial my TV viewing was. The film is actually a philosophical work - deeply personal, it is an exploration of among other things, love, loss, and fate. Kieslowski loves humans, or more accurately the superior qualities in human nature, like their ability to love, feel empathy, and so on. He uses two contrasting cultures - Polish and French, to underscore the universal appeal that these higher feelings hold among us.

Storyline:
On the way to her first concert performance, Weronika - a promising young singer in Poland, notices a spitting image of her in a tourist bus arriving from France. She tries to garner her attention, but the woman is busy taking pictures of a political demonstration taking place at the square. We learn during the course of the film that Véronique, the French woman, and Weronika - apart from their physical resemblance, also share the same profession, and a similar health ailment, one that'll lead to Weronika's sudden death while on stage. Even without having any knowledge of the identical Polish woman's existence, nor her death, Véronique will begin to mourn. She quits her job and takes up teaching music to schoolchildren. Despite having met the love of her life, something from within keeps her in a perpetual state of melancholy. It is her boyfriend who first identifies Weronika from one of Véronique's travel photos. Perhaps now, Véronique might grow curious about Weronika, and learn the reason for her mourning...

The film is visually stunning - almost every frame is picture-perfect - be it the colours, composition, or lighting. The soundtrack is haunting, aided by flawless engineering and editing. And with the camera transfixed for most part on a divine Irène Jacob who plays both Weronika and Véronique, it's possible that no director could've achieved any more than what we get to see on screen. She glows! She looks like the most beautiful creature and soul to have walked the earth. Everybody in the film loves her. Everybody watching it will love her. The Blu-ray disc comes with loaded extras including interviews and an interesting documentary. What more can I say - Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon Blu-ray Link
(Great deal still going)

 

The Nudity: Irene Jacob



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Sonja Richter in "Elsker dig for Evigt" [2002 Denmark]

Susanne Bier's "Elsker dig for Evigt" [Eng. Title: Open Hearts] is an interesting study of love and relationships, and how they could be influenced or complicated by other feelings such as guilt. It is a terrific piece of drama, made even powerful by some convincing performances by all the sparse but impressive cast.

Storyline:
Cecille and Joachim are about to get married - they'd been living together for a while, and are truly in love. But their world is turned upside down when Joachim has a nasty accident that leaves him paralysed neck-down. By sheer coincidence, Niels (well played by Mads Mikkelsen), a doctor at the hospital where Joachim is recovering, also happens to be the husband of Marie (also well played by Paprika Steen) - the driver of the car that caused the accident. A remorseful Marie and Niel feel it's their duty to console the devastated Cecille - Marie even encouraging Niels to meet and talk to Cecille whenever she felt depressed (which is often), because Joachim refuses to see Cecille and wants to break the engagement so that she could move on and start a new life. These meetings instead lead to a full-blown affair between Niels and Cecille, complicating things further for everyone.

The screenplay and characterisation are excellent, and the cast give a commendable performance, including the actress playing Cecille, Sonja Richter. The soundtrack is appealing, but I'm however not sure about the cinematography - doesn't help that some scenes are too grainy in my DVD. That may well have been the director's intention, but I doubt if it was really necessary. This also claims to be a Dogme 95 film, but since my knowledge about the film movement is at best rudimentary, I shall refrain from discussing it, but those interested may check out this Wiki link and decide for themselves after watching the film. The DVD extras and commentary from Susanne Bier give us an insight into the director's thinking, and also the reasons for removing some of the scenes - which I completely agree with. Either way, the final cut of "Elsker dig for Evigt" is a great piece of drama, with an apt ending, and therefore, Recommended Viewing.

Amazon DVD Link (excellent deal going here - I don't work for these guys btw)




Compilation: Sonja Richter
There's only brief nudity in all these scenes, but nevertheless still worth checking.



Scene Guide:

• No nudity - Cecille hopelessly tries to cheer up a miserable Joachim at the hospital, by wearing some underwear he had bought her as a present before the accident. She had to be pulled away by the hospital staff. Cecille is played by the beautiful and equally talented Sonja Richter.
• A depressed Cecille calls Niels (the doctor) in the middle of the night - and asks him to come over. She just wanted a hug, but then things take over.
• During his next visit, Niels notices that Joachim, still at hospital had arranged for all his furniture to be removed from Cecille's flat, reason enough for Niel to administer some more TLC.
• Niels and Cecille overhear a message left on her answering machine, from the hospital informing Cecille that Joachim had finally asked to see her. Just before this scene, all hell had broken loose at Niels' household resulting in he moving out.
• No nudity, but felt it necessary to show the reunion of Cecille and Joachim when he hesitantly asks her if she could help him.

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Joselin Waleska in “Ladies Mafia” [2011 Colombia, Mexico]

Colombian director Oscar González's film, "Ladies Mafia" is a comedy drama about three girls who unwittingly find themselves in possession of a stash of cocaine, and who against common sense decide to make themselves rich by selling it to a trafficker directly. They're helped by another female friend - a street smart kick boxer.

I'm not going to elaborate on this nonsense of a plot - let's just say it was made for an undemanding audience. Almost every aspect of the film is average or less, but at least they managed to author it decently on disc. Of course, we on the other hand sit through these for their exotic chicas, nothing more, nothing less..! ;)




Scene: Joselin Waleska
One of them takes her kit off briefly - exotic newcomer Joselin Waleska, who plays Tori - a college student making ends meet by stripping at a club (shame they should've put her in a scene plying her trade - they merely talk about it). The scene is mildly funny as she picks up a guy at a shopping mall and brings him home - the bloke dies of a heart attack upon orgasm - she'll know soon enough that's he's a drug trafficker when she escapes with his suitcase, identical to her's. "Damn, and he was so good in bed..!", she mutters to her cute friends at the end.





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