Guest Review by DAMON SWINDALL
Tinto Brass may not be a director who is a household name, but in certain circles he’s definitely looked upon with the highest regard. To the uninitiated, probably the most famous film Brass has dipped his directorial hand in is the infamous 1979 picture CALIGULA. He mostly makes erotic films for adults; you’re certainly not going to find him behind the camera for the next Disney blockbuster. In his career, spanning over 50 years, the now 78 year old is still up to similar tricks and Cult Epics is proving that with a Blu-Ray release of one of his more recent films MONAMOUR (2006). It has style and a lot of sex, but little else.
The plot of the film revolves around an unhappily married woman, Marta (Anna Jimskaia), who has been unable to climax while making love with her husband. The two are spending time in the small town of Mantua for a literary fair he must attend and she is left to her own devices during the day. A day visit to Palazzo Te to see the beautiful frescoes painted all around she meets a Frenchman by the name of Leon (Riccardo Marino), an artist photographer with whom she shares an immediate sexual attraction. Soon the two are spending the days having sex all over the town as her husband’s suspicions grow.
At the very basest level this is a softcore sex film, but nothing like you would see late night on Cinemax. Brass certainly likes to add style to his erotic films and there is some lovely, and interesting, camerawork behind everything. At times there are some odd jerky movements when zooming in or out, but beyond that everything is quite beautiful. This is accented by the lovely landscapes of the town and the gorgeous sensual artwork in the Palazzo Te by Giulio Romano.
Brass’ trademarks are all here from the insatiable sexual appetite of our leading lady, to extreme close-ups (and I do mean extreme) of her bottom and the stylish use of mirrors in the photography. Everything from an artistic point of view is exceptional but the story is severely lacking and takes a backseat to the sexual scenarios. This isn’t all bad and some of these moments are actually quite hot. There is an all female spa/massage scene that rivals the iconic moment in EMMANUELLE II with Sylvia Kristel and Laura Gemser. Still, the sex to plot ratio is what has it leaning towards softcore porn, very fancy softcore at least.
Where Cult Epics shines on this release is in the quality of the transfer, which is spotless, and the jam-packed extras for lovers of Brass and erotic cinema. The feature has a brief making-of doc and a trailer but you also get a whole second disc! On this bonus Blu is a copy of Brass’ award winning short film KICK THE COCK, which is apparently an Old Dutch saying meaning “a peek in the kitchen.” Not quite sure, but that’s what the case says. This 16-minute short stars Brass himself as a man lusting after a new maid (Angelita Franco) in dirty kitchen centric fantasy. This disc comes with its own making-of piece, a short seductive strip dance by Franco, her photo shoot for a bondage comic and a look at the short’s premiere at the Venice film Festival.
Whether or not you pick this up is basically left up to your own taste. There is nothing so outstanding that non-fans of erotic movies should go out of their way for, and not being too well versed on the genre myself makes it hard to say if it’s a highlight. There is plenty of hot and heavy action to presumably “put you in the mood”. Maybe give this a go with your lady and see if it does the trick.