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Site created 12/15/97.
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 Back Underground (continued) Back to Part One Adam Jahnke - Main Page |
| If
99 Women is a typical
women-in-prison movie with a few Franco flourishes, Venus
in Furs isn't your typical anything. James Darren stars
as a jazz trumpet player who sees a beautiful girl raped and killed
by a trio of perverts (led by king of the perverts, Klaus Kinski).
Or maybe he doesn't because he soon runs into her again. Now he's
obsessed with her, ignoring his girlfriend and either not noticing
or not caring that the perverts are being killed off one by one. Or something like that, anyway. Venus in Furs is to straightforward linear storytelling what Paris and Nicole's The Simple Life is to quality television. Half the time, I had no idea what was going on in this movie and frankly, I don't think it mattered. All you need to do is kick back and revel in the swinging sixties atmosphere, the untamed sex and violence, and the cool, fab jazz score by Manfred Mann. Another Franco interview turns up on this disc, though it could really be considered a continuation of the first one. Jesus in Furs gives Franco the opportunity to talk about James Darren, Kinski, his inspiration for the film, and everything else. An audio interview with Maria Rohm is also included here, accompanied by pertinent still photos. Rohm discusses both Venus in Furs and 99 Women here, so if you missed her presence on the 99 Women disc, it's made up for on this one. Wrapping things up are the usual Blue Underground trailer and galleries. Incidentally, both movies look and sound just fine on these discs. Franco's use of wild colors is more pronounced in Venus in Furs but both movies capture these aspects well on disc in anamorphic widescreen video. Sound is limited to the original mono tracks for both titles (no DTS upgrade for Manfred Mann, I'm afraid) but both are as clean as can be expected. Jess Franco fans will need no encouragement to pick up both of these discs but if you've yet to take the plunge, these movies are fine introductions to the wild, wild world of Franco. If you enjoy the unhinged free-for-all that is Venus in Furs or the women-in-prison titillation of 99 Women, by all means continue to explore his vast filmography. If they just leave you scratching your head in confusion, you're probably better off leaving it alone. His movies aren't a necessary part of anybody's cinematic diet. They're like rich, exotic, sometimes sloppily-made desserts. Fun if you can handle them but it's no shame on you if you can't. |
| Video
is presented in anamorphic widescreen with the original mono sound.
Co-writer/director Giulio Berruti is called upon to explain himself
in the video interview From the Secret
Files of the Vatican. He acquits himself fairly well,
though I can't help but think there are other stories to be told
here. Apart from the featurette, Blue Underground surprises nobody
by providing the trailer and galleries. What else can I possibly say about this movie? Either you want to see a movie called Killer Nun or you don't. If you want to, like I did, almost nothing is going to disappoint you. I mean, any movie in which Joe Dallesandro plays one of the most normal characters is fairly indefensible in most polite circles. This is not a polite circle. Killer Nun rocks. End of story. |
| According
to the featurette Riding the Night Train,
co-writer/director Aldo Lado never even saw Last
House on the Left. He was hired by a producer who wanted
to make a Last House rip-off
and told Lado the basic story. I believe that account because Lado's
version has just enough unique elements to make it plausible. It's
like a game of Telephone, where Lado has to repeat the story he had
whispered to him by the producer. The biggest differences here are
the addition of the mystery woman and a creepy voyeur who
momentarily joins in. They're unsettling additions, particularly
because these two are much more responsible for their actions than
the two low-lifes but they get off scott-free. In terms of sadistic violence, Night Train Murders is not as graphically horrific as Last House. This may be because Last House on the Left has an unsavory feel about its filmmaking. The whole thing seems raw and unfinished, giving its violence more immediacy. Night Train Murders is a more polished production, from the cinematography to the score by Ennio Morricone, resulting in some fine touches but a more distanced feel to its violence. On DVD, you get the film in anamorphic widescreen with the original mono sound. Apart from the featurette, extras are limited to a handful of trailers, radio spots and the by-now expected galleries. I've never been a huge fan of Last House on the Left. I don't find it frightening so much as just uncomfortable and unpleasant. But I suppose as long as the film makes you feel something, it's working on some level. Night Train Murders is a case of diminishing returns. I don't see a lot of value in making something like Last House on the Left but if you're going to, you can't go halfway. Night Train Murders goes a little farther than halfway but it doesn't take you all the way to the edge. Adam Jahnke ajahnke@thedigitalbits.com |
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