Isabella Ferrari & co in “Arrivederci amore, ciao” [2006 Italy]

Posted on February 2, 2012 by TR

Michele Soavi’s excellent crime thriller, “Arrivederci amore, ciao” [Eng. Trans: Farewell my Love, Goodbye] is probably the finest modern Italian noir I might’ve seen. Relentlessly unforgiving, the film takes the viewpoint of what one might consider plain evil – Giorgio – by giving him the soapbox to justify his motives. It is an extreme example of what one could end up becoming as his dream goes sour. When I saw it for the first time, I couldn’t get the film out of my mind, and neither the haunting song by Caterina Caselli which offers the film title its name. I was tempted to post this film earlier, but I decided to wait for some time before watching it again, much like a kid holding on to his candy a little while longer before unwrapping it. While the story is pretty straightforward, what makes it special is the excellent casting and screenplay. I was never really a great fan of Alessio Boni – handsome as he is, he could be wooden at times and never convincing enough, but he fits the character like a glove here as a cold, calculating, and merciless individual. Michele Placido is already known to have a gripe with cops, and one couldn’t have chosen anyone better to play this menacing and totally corrupt police officer. The direction is fluid, the cinematography stylish, and the editing just right for this type of film, and more importantly the story, deeply affecting. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.it DVD Link


Storyline:
Giorgio, an exile for fifteen years in South American jungles is wanted back in Italy for terrorism. Missing his home country, he decides to give himself up to authorities provided he gets a lenient sentence, he would in return help rounding up former comrades and testify against them. Thanks to Asst. Commissioner Anedda (Michele Placido), he gets out of prison within two years, and soon finds himself working for a former prison colleague ‘Vesuviano’ who runs a club cum brothel. But Giorgio is ambitious, and earns for a ‘normal’ life, with family, kids, financial security, and ‘independence’. And he would stop at nothing to reach his goal, even if it means betraying friends, double-crossing colleagues, or murdering people who care about him…

I couldn’t resist showing a seminal scene from the film (which also uses the aforementioned title track), of Giorgio with fiancée Roberta. The composition, the editing, and the performances, added to the awesome music makes this something special.

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The Nudity: Isabella Ferrari, Alina Nedelea, Sueli Odila Ferreira, and others
There’s only brief nudity from Isabella Ferrari, but the veteran actress sure has the extra something to bring out the beast in us. Extras and uncredited actresses appear nude at the ‘club’.

Isabella Ferrari, Alina Nedelea, Sueli Odila Ferreira, and others in Arrivedervi amore, ciao

Isabella Ferrari and Alina Nedelea appear briefly nude in Michele Soavi’s Italian thriller,
“Arrivederci amore, ciao”.

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Martina García & Clara Lago in “La Cara Oculta” [2011 Colombia, Spain]

Posted on January 30, 2012 by TR

Andrés Baiz (credited Andi Baiz) has used a minimal cast to create his fine thriller, “La Cara Oculta” [Eng. Title: The Hidden Face] in this Spanish-Colombian co-production.

Storyline:
Adrián and girlfriend Belén move to Colombia from Spain, so that he could pursue his career as conductor in the Colombian philharmonic orchestra – Belén works from home as a fashion designer. She soon suspects Adrián might be having an affair with one of the musicians in the orchestra, and after some thought, hatches a plan – she would leave him a message that she’s leaving, and instead move into a secret bunker originally built by the house landlord to see his reaction. The bunker is soundproof, bullet proof, and is hidden right next to the master bedroom and bath, with a secret entrance through one of the mirrors which one can see through from the inside, but is just a plain mirror when viewed from outside. After recording her message she moves all her belongings into the bunker to give the impression that she’d indeed moved away and shuts herself in. The only problem is it could be opened only through a key to get out, the key which she’d forgetfully left on top of the bed before locking herself in. She realises her mistake only when she decides to end the act and come out to console Adrián who finds it hard to cope with her leaving. But one day Adrián meets and brings home waitress Fabiana, only to be watched helplessly by Belén from inside the bunker. The rest of the film is of her bearing witness to goings on in the bedroom while desperately trying to let herself out to freedom.

I wasn’t expecting too much from the film when it started off predictably and full of clichés. But soon realised it to be one of those original films that get better as the plot thickens. The best part of the film for me though was creating situations where events are simultaneously viewed and experienced from two different viewpoints – the drama contained there in is very well executed. It is also constructed like an old fashioned thriller a la early Claude Chabrol. I’m glad films like these still do get made, and I find myself in renewed appreciation of Baiz’s work. The cinematography and editing is top notch, as is the direction and performances by the three key characters. But the best of the three performances undoubtedly belongs to the beautiful, incredibly sexy and talented Spanish actress Clara Lago who plays Belén. This is a neat little film with some original ideas, and therefore, Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link


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Marie Liljedahl & co in “Jag – en Oskuld” [1968 Sweden]

Posted on January 27, 2012 by TR

Let’s digress a little bit here. “Jag – en Oskuld” [Eng. Title: Inga] is a kind of ‘transitional’ film from the late sixties – a metamorphosis of sorts in cinema that eventually evolved into a new genre called ‘softcore’. While loops and stag films existed long before this one came, it was among of the first crop of films that tried to make those gentlemen’s voyeuristic pass-times a bit more respectable – by inducing some cinematic value. American director (and later to become pornographer of repute) Joseph W. Sarno went all the way to Sweden to create his landmark film using talents from the land of Bergman. He was certainly inspired by Ingmar Bergman and used whatever he had at his disposal to create an erotica that Bergman-lovers might actually sit and watch. But of course Bergman is not just about make-up and lighting – its the composition, design, screenplay and the deep insight into his characters that makes it a unique experience. But leaving that aside, it succeeds as a coming-of-age drama, even if it may not compare to a Salvatore Samperi (“Malizia”, which I may one day also get around to posting). Of course, we’re comparing it with something made five years later, so I’ll give this film a qualified thumbs up despite my awareness of what Sarno’s future projects became. But for curiosity and academic interest, this film is Recommended Viewing..!

Storyline:
The Swedish title literally translates as “I, a virgin”, so we can guess what this is about. After her divorced mother dies, young Inga is invited by widowed maternal aunt Greta to come and live with her. Seventeen, and a book worm brought up in a convent, she initially finds herself out of place in her aunt’s hedonistic circle. But she’s curious and adapts quite naturally to explore her budding sexuality. Greta has a twentyone year old toy-boy Karl, an unpublished writer, who’s with her purely for some spending money. Einar, a friend of Greta’s deceased husband is wealthy and married, but wants to also have Greta as a mistress so that he can stem his habit of running after teenage girls, and is willing to pay a monthly fee for her services. Greta agrees as she could actually use that money to fund her Karl. But once Inga comes to live, Greta notices Einar’s fascination for Inga, and hatches a plan that’ll allow herself more time with Karl…

The film is quite tame by today’s standards when it comes to nudity, but then we’re talking about the sixties, when despite the discovery of the morning-after pill, many still held traditional views when it came to sex before marriage – Sweden’s was one of very few societies that tolerated sex and nudity in cinema, where despite the fact that the actress playing the titular role, Marie Liljedahl was barely seventeen, the film apparently did very well at the box office.

My NTSC DVD hasn’t been remastered, but comes with two options – original Swedish with hard English subtitles, or the English dubbed version, and I chose the latter for this compilation. There’s also a commentary in English from Sarno and his wife, but the comments are not specific to the scene we’re watching and therefore a bit pointless. I couldn’t locate any DVD in stock at the time of posting but will insert a link once I locate one. By the way, there’s also a sequel to this which was shot in colour (The Seduction of Inga) and Marie Liljedahl, all of twenty one, struts around naked a lot including a lesbian scene – but the film is sleazy and plain softcore. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was what drove Ms. Liljedahl to give up acting in films altogether.


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Florinda Bolkan in “Indagine su un Cittadino al di sopra di ogni Sospetto” [1970 Italy]

Posted on January 25, 2012 by TR

Elio Petri is one of those important auteurs who breathed politics into Italian cinema during its 2nd golden era and one who could broadly be compared in inclination to the likes of Antonioni, Scola, and Pasolini. His was also a productive life cut short prematurely due to cancer, who’d otherwise have gone on to make many more memorable films. An ardent left-winger, he was even a member of the communist party and participated in protests at an early age, once even getting dismissed from school for his activities. Even though he has worked across several genres, he has this propensity to portray some of his political convictions in typical ironic style, and with an air of urgency.

The 1970 crime drama, “Indagine su un Cittadino al di sopra di ogni Sospetto” [Eng. Title: Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion] is one of his classics built in the style of a noire. It also deservedly won an Oscar for best foreign language film the following year, and a handful of David’s to boot. The film casts an extremely cynical view on how people in authority can get away with murder. But it is beautifully done though, and every aspect of the film production is exemplary, be it the screenplay, direction, cinematography, performances from the main actors, the editing, or the brilliant score from the ever prolific Ennio Morricone, it is a wonderful gem that one can watch and admire for hours. Here’s actually an interesting review of the film from British filmmaker Mike Hodges (Get Carter, Black Rainbow), who also throws in some interesting anecdotes for those interested. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link


Storyline:
The film starts with Panunzio (brilliantly played by Gian Maria Volenté) murdering his lover, the already married Augusta in the most cold-blooded manner. He is meticulous, precise, and purposeful, getting back into his designer suit after cleaning himself up. Before leaving, he removes some evidence of his presence, but purposefully plants some that could incriminate him – he is the outgoing chief of the Homicide division, soon to take up the post of Police Commissioner of the political division. The police arrive, gather their clues, but quite simply couldn’t come to consider Panunzio as suspect – he is after all, a citizen totally above suspicion. So goes a brilliant piece of monologue from Panunzio, “…I have left clues everywhere… not to mislead the investigations… but to try to prove for myself… of my being above suspicion. But still, if this leads to an innocent being condemned, my being above suspicion will remain unproven..!” While this clearly smacks of cynicism for the way politics and sycophancy make men in power ‘untouchable’, there’s also a parallel drama running between Panunzio and Augusta through various flashbacks, with their kinky sessions, her infidelity, her apparent fascination for people in power and rampant promiscuity, and his deep anxiety to be taken seriously by her – in one passage of play, Augusta deliberately taunts him by calling him and his lovemaking ‘childish’. This leaves Panunzio in a predicament with a point or two to prove…


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Michele Valley & Meredyth Herold in “Singapore Sling” [1990 Greece]

Posted on January 23, 2012 by TR

Nikos Nikolaidis is a very interesting director indeed – and for those who enjoy dark and edgy films that occasionally throw away the rule-book, going through his filmography would be a feast for their senses.

When I watched it for the first time, “Singapore Sling – O Anthropos pou agapise ena Ptoma” [Eng. title: Singapore Sling] was one of grossest films I’d ever seen. But I could never get the film out of my mind either, and purchased the DVD more recently to reassess it. I’m glad I did, because it changed my earlier assumptions completely, and the film can perhaps even be termed a classic. It is anything but conventional, but film lovers would find a lot to appreciate in it.


Storyline:
The film starts with the protagonist’s voice-over as we watch two women digging a grave in their garden, in pouring rain and in the middle of the night. They address themselves as mother and daughter, and are burying their latest victim – their new chauffeur. Still alive – kind off, and his entrails dropping off his shirt, his hand desperately grasps one of the woman’s Wellington’s – a desperate cry for mercy, until the other woman puts him off his misery with a final blow from her spade. We see the protagonist now – a detective definitely past his prime, already wasted with a gun-shot wound to his shoulder. Where was he coming from? One thing we do know, he’s looking for a Laura, the woman he’s in love with, and after three years of search, this is where his trail had led him.

He soon finds himself held captive by the women, and is informed that Laura is dead, killed by his captors. But in his state of mind, he sees Laura’s resemblance in the daughter, and tries to get her out of the house. Is she really Laura, and are the psychopathic duo really mother and daughter..?

A clue to understanding the film lies in the Greek title, which roughly means “The man who loved a Corpse”. “You better watch out McPherson, or you’ll end up in a psychiatric ward. I don’t think they’ve ever had a patient who fell in love with a corpse”, says Waldo Lydecker to the detective from Otto Preminger’s 1944 film-noire, “Laura”. It’s a Laura that the protagonist – a detective too, searches for in that film. Additional clues point to the portrait hanging on the living room wall in both the films. This film could be a homage of sorts, not just to the aforementioned Hollywood classic, but to film-noire itself – the stunning black and white cinematography from Aris Stavrou and the exquisite lighting are there to hammer home the point. But then again Mr. Nikolaidis may also be parodying popular American culture. There’s an instance in the film where “two servant rules’ are reiterated by the mother-daughter duo, which strangely echoes a dialogue from a recent American sci-fi film, “I, Robot” about the laws among robots. I discovered later that it is attributed to science fiction guru Isaac Asimov, upon whose book the film (I, Robot) was partly based. Another feature of the film is the ‘fourth wall’ being frequently broken when characters pause to speak to the camera. It’s incredibly difficult to classify this film as a black comedy, horror, or erotic thriller – it probably is all of these..!

Whatever the case – parody, homage, or downright nastiness, there’s no denying the fact that this is a beautifully executed piece of cinema that is both repulsive and fascinating at the same time – the gorgeous costumes and art direction would have done a Marco Ferreri proud, the cinematography is sumptuous, editing and direction – sublime, the soundtrack – exceptional, and the performances by the two female leads – absolutely riveting – it would have won many an accolade if only the subject wasn’t as shocking. Needless to say, dear cinephiles – the film is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

I’m glad that the DVD included the original trailer, which I think is very well done, and was surprised to find that it also included shots not included in the main feature – check this out yourself.

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Amazon DVD Link [NTSC]


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Compilation: Meredyth Herold and Michele Valley
The compilation includes scenes that some may find disturbing and nauseating even. The graphics don’t do enough justice to the explicit and ridiculously kinky nature of these scenes. You’d been warned!

Meredyth Herold and Michele Valley in Singapore Sling: O Anthropos pou agapise ena Ptoma

Some shocking scenes of explicit nudity from Meredyth Herold and Michele Valley in Nikos Nikolaidis’ noir classic, “Singapore Sling: O Anthropos pou agapise ena Ptoma”.

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Posted in Greek Cinema, Nikos Nikolaidis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments