Venus in Furs (1969 Franco film)
| Venus in Furs | |
|---|---|
 Poster under Italian title | |
| Directed by | Jesús Franco |
| Produced by | Harry Alan Towers |
| Written by |
Milo G. Cuccia Carlo Fadda Jesús Franco Bruno Leder Malvin Wald |
| Starring |
James Darren Maria Rohm Paul Muller Klaus Kinski |
| Music by |
Mike Hugg Manfred Mann Stu Phillips |
| Cinematography | Angelo Lotti |
| Edited by |
Henry Batista Michael Pozen |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country |
Italy West Germany |
| Language | English |
Venus in Furs (Italian: Paroxismus - Può una morta rivivere per amore?, German: Schwarzer Engel) is a 1969 Italian supernatural erotic thriller film directed by Jesús Franco and starring James Darren.[1]
The film (also known as Paroxismus and Black Angel) bears only a superficial resemblance to the 1870 Venus in Furs novel by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. The title and character names in Franco's original script were changed to the novel's for commercial reasons. Franco's film is a surreal supernatural erotic thriller about unattainable love and how far one is willing to go for the person they desire. It is not a study in masochism as portrayed in the novel.[2]
Plot
James Darren plays a jazz musician who becomes obsessed to the point of madness with the mysterious fur-clad Wanda (Maria Rohm), only to find her dead body washed up on the beach.
Cast
- James Darren as Jimmy Logan
- Barbara McNair as Rita
- Maria Rohm as Wanda Reed
- Klaus Kinski as Ahmed Kortobawi
- Dennis Price as Percival Kapp
- Margaret Lee as Olga
- Adolfo Lastretti as Insp. Kaplan (as Aldo Lastretti)
- Jesus Franco as jazz musician (uncredited)
- Manfred Mann as jazz musician (uncredited)
- Paul Muller as Hermann (uncredited)
- Mirella Pamphili (uncredited)
Reception
The New York Times wrote a negative a review of Venus in Furs on its initial release, stating that the film "features much inept fancy moviemaking (including echoes of "La Dolce Vita" and even "Vertigo"), some semi-nudity, and virtually endless confusion".[3] Glenn Erickson was more positive.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Greenspun, Roger. "New York Times: Venus in Furs". NY Times. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
- ↑ Firsching, Robert. "Venus in Furs > Overview". Allmovie. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
- ↑ Greenspun, Roger (10 September 1970). "Venus in Furs (1969) The Screen: 2 Rated 'R':'Swappers' Shares Bill With 'Venus in Furs'". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
- ↑ Erickson, Glenn (27 March 2005). "DVD Savant Review: Venus in Furs". Retrieved 29 January 2014.