12/15/00
Without a doubt, Luminous Film
& Video Wurks is the best source for European movies on video tape.
Their ever growing catalog is jammed full of horror, western, gangster,
sex, comedy, and, even adult titles. Obscure gems from masters such as
Argento, Bava, and D’amato can be easily found at Luminous. One thing
is certain when buying from Luminous, the quality of the tape and its
packaging will be superb. A lot of effort is put into their product and
VC readers should visit their website
or drop them a line to request a catalog. Their mailing address is Luminous
Film & Video Wurks, P.O. Box 1047, Medford, N.Y. 11763. Besides selling
their own product, Luminous’ website has tons of cool links, news
items, polls, and photos (including some amazing Brigitte Lahaie shots--whew!).
Luminous has just begun selling European all region DVDs. The list is
small, but, hopefully, this will be rapidly expanding. Meanwhile, there
are enough titles on VHS to keep you busy. What follows are some reviews
of videos I picked up from Luminous at the recent Cult Con 2000.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Washing Machine (1993.Italy/France. Luminous. Directed by Ruggero
Deodato. Written by Luigi Spagnol. Music composed by Claudio Simonetti.
Cast: Philippe Caroit, Kashi Figura, Ilaria Borelli, Barbara Ricci, Yorgos
Voyagis, and Laurence Regnier. Widescreen. English language version).
These days Deodato is getting more press coverage for his cannibal films,
when, in all actuality, The Washing Machine is much more interesting
than anything in that genre. It’s a well written story about a Russian
police officer investigating a murder that might not have even happened.
Since no body has been found, the officer isn’t quite ready to buy
into the murder charge. But, he does know his life has been completely
taken over by three very strange sisters. Each sister seems more than
willing to pin the crime on one of her own siblings. They also seem to
be very anxious to seduce the detective. Even though it’s more than
obvious these girls aren’t dealing with a full deck, it doesn’t
prevent the detective from having wild sex with each of them. There are
a lot of surprises in the plot, so don’t take everything for granted
in The Washing Machine. Deodato has given us a tight, well constructed
film. The Washing Machine has more than its share of suspense,
some gore, and a lot of highly erotic sex scenes.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What? (1973 Italy. Luminous. Directed by Roman Polanski. Written by
Roman Polanski and Gerard Beach. Cast: Sydne Rome, Marcello Mastroianni,
Hugh Griffith, and Roman Polanski. Widescreen. In English). One of
the rarest Polanski films has to be the 1973 Italian production of What?.
This is an incredibly strange comedy about a hippie girl hitchhiking through
Europe. After escaping a gang rape, she decides to rest in a villa that’s
overrun with nut cases. Everyone here is strange. For example Marcello
Mastroianni plays a retired pimp, who might be impotent, likes to spy
on people, and proudly boasts he doesn’t have VD. His sexual encounter
with the hippie girl (Sydne Rome) finds him wearing a tiger skin and having
her training him. Wow! And I thought I had trouble programming my VCR.
I guess there are people out there with serious problems. The most normal
one of the bunch is the hippie girl and she’s not all there. Half
the time she forgets her shirt, the other half, her pants. I’m certainly
not complaining as she looks great. Plot doesn’t seem important,
as What? neatly fits into the bizarre sex comedy niche that overran
Europe in the early seventies. Not a great film by Polanski’s standards
but one that is certainly entertaining, weird, and, at times, funny.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hitch-Hike (1977. Italy. Luminous. Directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile.
Written by Ottavio Jemma, Aldo Crudo, and P.F. Campanile. Music by Ennio
Morricone. Cast: Franco Nero, Corinne Cleary, and David Hess. In English.).
Initially, the main appeal to Hitch-Hike might be to see David
Hess in another psycho role. As usual, he’s great. If anyone was
born to portray a real sicko, it was David Hess. But, Hitch-Hike’s
got a lot more going for it. Franco Nero is a journalist with a bit of
a drinking problem. He’s also married to the very hot Corinne Clery.
They’ve decided to drive through America to see if they can save
their failing marriage. Things don’t go as planned as they pick up
a motorist whose car is broken down on the highway. This person is none
other than, you guessed it, David Hess. He’s just escaped from the
loony bin and he’s robbed a bank of 2 million dollars. Now he’s
trying to get to Mexico before the cops or his two partners find him.
He takes pleasure in shooting up innocent people, killing his buddies,
and berating Franco Nero. The ultimate has to be when he ties up Nero
and then has sex with Corinne Clery in front of him. Of course that wasn’t
nearly as devastating to Nero as seeing his wife actually enjoying Hess.
Ouch! The ending should catch you off guard. I certainly was surprised.
The characters are all creeps in Hitch-Hike and the cast does a
great job making them unlikable. I was totally blown away by Hitch-Hike
and recommend it to fans of Franco Nero, Corinne Clery, and David Hess.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Je T’aime Moi Non Plus (1975. French. Luminous. Directed by Serge
Gainsbourg. Written by Serge Gainsbourg. Cast: Jane Birkin, Joe Dallesandro,
Jimmy Davis, and Michael Blanc. Widescreen. In French with English subtitles).
Joe Dallesandro is a major star around VC. Rarely does a week pass
that we don’t recite lines from Trash or Flesh. This,
my friends, is just as weird as those films. Here we have a story of two
garbage men (one being Joe Dallesandro), who not only move trash together,
but are also lovers. One day at a coffee shop, Joe meets a waitress Jane
Birkin. The two hit it off and next thing you know they’re falling
in love. But, Joe is gay, so this presents a slight problem. In order
to “perform” he can only enter her “back door.” Well,
Jane’s willing to do anything to keep her man. Every time they’re
together she screams in such pain her neighbors run to her aid thinking
she’s being murdered. Joe’s male lover gets jealous and then
violent, ultimately forcing Joe into making a decision. I guess this film
isn’t for everyone (especially for those VC readers who are
seeking horror not “art-house” type films). But, its bizarre
plot and strong performances from everyone (especially Jane Birkin) have
me easily recommending Je T’aime Moi Non Plus for the more
adventurous viewers out there. Besides the film there’s a documentary
on Serge Gainsbourg included on this tape.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you have a video or DVD you’d like to see reviewed at Video Crypt,
please send a promo to Chip Lamey c/o Video Crypt, P.O. Box 54, Stone
Harbor, N.J. 08247.
