Venus in Furs
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Movie Reviews of Venus in Furs
Movie Review: Venus In Furs, She Is Smiling
Summary: 4 Stars
Not to be confused with the work of Leopold von Sacher Masoch, instead this is an supernatural story of a woman seeking revenge from beyond the grave. A trippy, jazzy nightmare starring James Darren as the trumpet player that becomes entranced by a woman who was murdered at a party as she seeks her revenge. Sexy and spooky. She draws him in deeper into the mystery of who she is and leads him into the shocking truth. Movie Review: Understanding one of Francos' best
Summary: 4 Stars
Mesmerizing, haunting, sexy, and colorful are some of things Jesse Franco has confidence in doing while ranking this as one of his most assured pieces of work. Provided that this film was also recommended to me it has also open up a different path for me to expand my horizon (along with his other films I've seen so far). In this story we see Trumpeter Jimmy Logan's (James Darren) life starts to unravel when he discovers the dead body of Wanda Reed (Maria Rohm) on the beach one day. He soon remembers that she was the woman at the party he attended a few weeks before. He had witnessed three of the guests as they sadistically beat and raped her. Now in Rio, Jimmy discovers that Wanda is still alive. Jimmy refuses to leave Wanda now that he has been given a second chance. Has Jimmy found happiness or will his obsession lead his demise? Sorry can't say no more then that but that it's a fascinating film for you to find out.
I came to find out that Jess Franco is a prolific director who has directed around 200 films over the past fifty years. Several of his films were released in alternate versions which often contain footage not shot by Franco. His career as a director can be broken up into distinctive periods with his most successful films made in the late 1960's and early 1970's. "Venus in Furs" has several alternative titles like "Paroxsysmos" and "Black Angel." This film is totally a product of its time the late 1960's. Psychedelic music and films filled with surreal imagery ruled the pop culture landscape. This film bears similarities to two films from this time period Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blow Up" and Franco's own film "Necronomicon" (known as Succubus) in the America. "Venus in Furs" main connection to "Blow Up" is their use of rock musicians for the films score. Both films also feature Protagonist's who witness a murder that consumes them like an obsession. There is also a scene in this film were Wanda Reed is photographed by Olga in "Blow Up" like stylized camera set ups. In "Venus in Furs" Franco expands the dream like tapestries that he had first explored in "Necronomicon."
Franco has used various locations for this film including Italy, Rio and Istanbul. Cinematographer Angelo Lotti uses every inch of the frame as he composes picturesque compositions. There is a car chase in the film that proves Franco can more then handle himself when shooting an action sequence. I have also realized that Franco through the years has worked with his fare share of talented actors and the cast for "Venus in Furs" is one his strongest casts that he ever worked with. The casting of James Darren in the lead role of Jimmy Logan may appear like an odd choice on the surface. His subtle performance perfectly compliments Maria Rohm sexually charged portrayal of the films heroine Wanda Reed. Margaret Lee and Dennis Price are very good in supporting roles. Klaus Kinski does what he does best play characters with piercing eyes that have a tendency to be sadistic and charming at the same time. Unfortunately Kinski's role in nothing more then a mere cameo as he makes an appearance at the beginning before returning briefly near the end of the film. "Venus in Furs" has many elements that Franco would use in many of his films and even with all these things in place there is something about the film that makes it feel unlike any other Franco film. "Venus in Furs" is the good starting point for anyone who is just getting into the cinema of Jess Franco. Overall Franco made a nearly flawless film and outside of the overused slow motion technique everything else perfectly falls into place.
Movie Review: Hugely Disappointing
Summary: 1 Stars
Expecting sexy camp in the tradition of "Beyond Valley of the Dolls" I was really looking forward to seeing this film. Instead I struggled through this tedious, repetitive, and confusing mess of a film. I respect what the director was trying to create, but the end product is nearly unwatchable. It's starts out so well too.... "I tried not to remember why I buried my trumpet." ...but then it quickly dives into a psychosexual pseudo-sado-vampire ghost story that isn't the least bit sexy or interesting. I know this film has a sizeable cult following. It is pretty to look at (sometimes when it isn't in grainy slow-motion) but I just couldn't make it through. Maybe it's worth a look, but I personally wish I had rented it.Movie Review: "A young beautiful stranger washed on to our friendly shores with only death as a companion"
Summary: 4 Stars
Found this while I was browsing the cult cinema section. Never heard of it before. Never seen a Jess Franco film that I can recall. Figured any movie that shares a name with a song from the first Velvet Underground album was worth a look. Am I glad I didn't buy "Freaks" instead? As Larry Flynt might say, "You bet your sweet ass!" What a psychadelic trip, and another notch in my quest to watch every weird movie made between 1959 and 1979. What's the story, morning glory? A jazz trumpter finds a dead girl washed up on the beaches of Istanbul. He seems to remember some strange goings on involving her at a party he played at. Freaked out by the experience, he runs off to Rio de Janeiro, and falls in with a foxy singer named Rita. One night while he plays an engagement, the dead girl walks through the door. And of course he follows, as do we. Nothing seems to make any sense. Another figure from the Istanbul scene arrive in Rio, a redhead named Olga who favors wearing a fur coat topless. What does all of this have to do with a mysterious fakir who lives in the palace of a fallen sultan and an art dealer? Our trumpeteer, Jimmy, eventually returns to Istanbul, but the answers he finds aren't exactly the ones he expects. The score is haunting, the imagery and colors a feast for the eyes. An added interview with director Franco, who reveals the inspirations behind the script, is just the delicate frosting on a multi-layered cake. The crystal ball says more Franco films in my future. This one should be in yours.Movie Review: franco in furs
Summary: 4 Stars
Venus in Furs, by Jess Franco, is a wonderful time capsule to a jet-set, jazz world of night clubs, parties, hedonism, and morbidity. Shot in a lurid, psychedelic style, Venus in Furs has indy/underground stamped on it with a vengeance. Maverick filmmaker Franco goes to Ken Russell-like excess with an almost documentary approach to a story that will make M. Night Shamalyn fans re-think their opinions about their hero's originality. Made in the days when Franco was at his hottest, this must have torn heads wide open in it's day. As a side note; the sound track( featuring Franco on horn, at times )may never leave your mind. This film is for admirers of The Frightened Woman, Succubus, Blow Up, and Baba Yaga.