Kleopatra Rota & Eleni Prokopiou in “Mikres Afrodites” [1963 Greece]

Posted on June 19, 2011 by TR

Nikos Koundouros’ film “Mikres Afrodites” [Eng. Title: Young Aphrodites] is a magnificent example of cinema with magical realism. Since I knew nothing about this fine director, watching the film drew frequent comparisons to eastern masters of cinema like Akira Kurosawa and Satyajit Ray, but more closely Pier Paolo Pasolini. I’m lost for words to describe the film’s beauty, but boy am I glad to have bumped into this gem!

Inspired by an ancient play by Longus (Daphnis and Chloe), which is based on an even ancient Theocritan myth – Daphnis and Aphrodite, the screenplay is creatively interpreted and directed to make this a truly timeless classic. It is not a strict interpretation of the play itself though – the film is much darker, and examines not only coming-of-age, but also male-female dynamics in a very modern way. Koundouros narrates two parallel stories within the film whose characters interact during its course, each drawing on the other’s experiences – while one story is about adolescent love, the other is about adult desires. It is a very visual film, sensual and tastefully done, and the mesmerising soundtrack and Mediterranean locale transport us to a different world altogether – one which we’ll wish to stay for a while longer even after the film finishes.


Storyline:
Set around 200 BC, a group of nomadic shepherds arrive at a fishing village in search of water and new pastures. Men in the village are out at sea, and the place inhabited only by women at the time. Young Skymnos is intrigued by local girl Chloe – about his own age, and shepherd Tsakalos is fascinated with an already married Arta. The film captures their mating rituals through sheer visual poetry that transcend cultures – it is ‘human’.

I was able to locate a DVD vendor in Greece, and even if this has not been digitally remastered, it is definitely well worth it. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

I’ve made two compilations, improving on the DVD quality, but these pale in comparison to experiencing the full film – in fact I even feel I may have vandalised a work of art by chopping off bits and pieces. Buy the DVD if you can – this is one film you’d love to watch again and again, and well worth the investment.



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Laura Chiatti & Monica Bellucci in “Manuale d’Amore 3” [2011 Italy]

Posted on June 17, 2011 by TR

Giovanni Veronesi’s third offering of his successful “Manuale d’Amore” series of films, (also called “Manuale d’Am3re”) [Eng. Title: Manual of Love 3] follows the tried and tested formula used in the previous 2 editions – three light and loosely inter-twined segments dealing with affairs of the heart (and sex), and filled with big-name stars.

The breezy comedy starts with Roberto’s story – an up and coming lawyer who’s despatched to a Tuscan village to expropriate land for a new development. Already engaged to Sara (played by the gorgeous Valeria Solarino), he finds himself drawn to the wild village beauty Micol, which every man in the village seems to covet, and they have a brief fling until sanity prevails and Micol’s husband returns from his business trip. The second one is of happily married and successful television presenter Fabio whose one night of indiscretion after a party leads to his losing everything he had taken for granted, thanks to deranged stalker Eliana (played excellently by sexy Donatella Finocchiaro). The final story is an unlikely romance between stripper Viola and an American scholar Adrian (played by Robert de Niro) – this I think is also the weakest of the three segments.

The film is flawless technically, but just as the earlier two films, the focus is on light entertainment, so don’t expect anything deep here. The film also features a couple of brief nude scenes, and the compilation below was made from the recently released DVD.



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Posted in Italian Cinema, Monica Bellucci | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Emmanuelle Béart in “Les Témoins” [2007 France]

Posted on June 16, 2011 by TR

Director of repute André Téchiné’s “Les Témoins” [Eng. Title: The Witnesses] may not be his finest film, but it still oozes his customary class. The film is intelligently written and meticulously crafted, be it the direction, photography, sound, editing, acting, or the casting – it is an inspired choice indeed to have chosen Emmanuelle Béart to play the part of Sarah, a children’s book author who isn’t particularly fond of children – she’s an ambivalent mother herself.

Set in the early 80’s when the world woke up to a new reality called AIDS, the film’s narrative is given by Sarah as she writes the story of Manu, a young gay lad recently arrived in Paris, one who acquaints himself with her family through her best friend – a doctor who’s gay himself. The narrative follows Manu’s life as he becomes one of the early casualties of the dreaded disease. The characterisations are quite unconventional, but Téchiné handles them delicately enough to ensure it doesn’t look like a gimmick. He stays honest to his intentions which is to explore happiness and love from different perspectives, and allows the viewer to draw his own conclusions. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link
This was taken from my Artificial Eye “The French Collection Volume 4 – Emmanuelle Béart” box-set, featuring three classics of Ms. Béart. It also includes Rivette and Béart’s previous collaborations “La Belle Noiseuse” and Histoire de Marie et Julien. Three classics from two great directors – great value for money.

 

The Nudity: Emmanuelle Béart and Julie Depardieu
The scenes here are mostly of Sarah, played by Emmanuelle Béart, except for one of Manu’s sister Julie, played by Julie Depardieu.

Emmanuelle Béart and Julie Depardieu in Les Témoins

Some scenes of Emmanuelle Béart and Julie Depardieu from “Les Témoins”.



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Scenes from Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” BR720 [UK 1971]

Posted on June 15, 2011 by TR

Very few people would be unaware of the great Stanley Kubrick’s ground-breaking social and ethical commentary “A Clockwork Orange” – possibly among most people’s list of their top 50 films of all-time. It is also one of the most reviewed films in the planet, and since I can’t possibly add anything new, I’ll restrict myself to describing just some of the famous nude scenes in it using compilations cut from blu-ray.

Set sometime in London of the future, young Alex is a keen exponent of ‘good-old ultraviolence’ as he terrorises the neighbourhood with his equally delinquent friends – until he ends up in prison for murdering a woman during one of his operations. He takes the opportunity to enrol in a new government scheme aimed at brainwashing convicts into ‘mending their ways’, so he could be released from prison early. Upon release, despite the fact that he’s now ‘healed’, he’s despised by everyone who bumps into him, to the extent that he nearly kills himself, and the same cynical government steps in to ‘reinstate’ his original personality. While the government thinks it has successfully manipulated Alex by acquiring his support to win back public opinion, Alex feels otherwise.

Shirley Jaffe and Adrienne Corri in A Clockwork Orange

Shirley Jaffe and Adrienne Corri play terrorised sex victims in “A Clockwork Orange”.

Gillian Hills, Barbara Scott, Virginia Wetherell, Carol Drinkwater, Katya Wyeth in A Clockwork Orange

Glorious nakedness from Gillian Hills, Barbara Scott, Virginia Wetherell, Carol Drinkwater, Katya Wyeth and others in Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange”.

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Posted in Stanley Kubrick, United Kingdom | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gabriela Vergara in “Recién Cazado” [2009 Mexico]

Posted on June 14, 2011 by TR

Rene Bueno’s romantic comedy “Recién Cazado” [Eng. Title: Just Married] is one of those fairly ordinary Mexican films that should have better stayed a telenovela.

Cinematography and editing apart, it is a weak film – the direction and acting is pedestrian, the soundtrack is nothing much to talk about, and the script, poor. There are a few mildly funny moments, but nothing to retain viewer interest till the end – I like to think I make a very patient audience, but even I couldn’t wait for this to finish.

Sebastian has it all – looks, wealth, and the extra something that make him irresistible to women, and he spends most of his hours jumping from bed to bed. His worried mother hatches a plan to make him mend his ways, and one fine day he wakes from bed married, to a woman he doesn’t remember seeing before. He allows her – Alexa, to stay on for a few weeks, until she knows her periods haven’t stopped (!), so that the marriage could be annulled. They agree not to have sex until then, but Alexa’s scheming and provocative attires make Sebastian reconsider the idea of getting rid of her.



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Posted in Mexico | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment