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3
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7 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Guest
Review by Troy
Howarth |
A
young girl (Katell Laennec) is possessed by the vindictive spirit
of her dead mother...
This
slice of Eurosleaze by Andrea Bianchi, the infamous director
of Burial Ground
(1980), is heavy on the sleaze but doesn't offer much else.
The story takes its cue from The
Exorcist (1973) but doesn't offer many original concepts
along the way. The ill-defined protagonist is established as
lonely, naive and overly sheltered, but her possession is too
jarring and sudden to make much of an impact. Instead the film
wallows in prurient shock tactics as she bares her body in front
of a family gathering, swears like a drunken sailor, gives fellatio
to her paralyzed uncle, tries to slip her father the tongue
and ultimately attempts to seduce her aunt (Mariangela Giordano),
who happens to be a pious nun. Amid all this, various seedy
characters conspire and hop from one bed to another while vying
for control of the familial castle. Bianchi goes out of his
way to make the most of the various sapphic interludes, but
the ill-advised decision to splice in hardcore inserts featuring
different actors adds little to the proceedings — the 'action'
has little oomph compared to the comparatively restrained original
material, and it's more of a distraction than a plus.
On the plus side,
the cast features three beauties who add to the film's pictorial
value. Young Katell Laennec — in reportedly her first and last
role — is quite fetching as the possessed Lolita; with her boyish
haircut and petite build, she gives off an androgynous vibe
but her soft features and wicked smile are quite alluring. She
does a competent job in the role, but the sketchy writing doesn't
do her any favors. Buxom blonde bombshell Patrizia Webley (Salon
Kitty) is required to wear too much makeup, but fortunately
she doffs her clothes at the drop of a hat. Mariangela Giordano
(Satan's Baby Doll) isn't
as pixieish as Laennec or as, um, well-endowed as Webley but
she's a lovely woman just the same, and she does her best in
what constitutes the film's most well-developed character; the
scene of Laennec seducing her, leading to the film's climax,
generates the most heat. Beyond that, the cast is as nondescript
as the film itself. Bianchi's direction is mostly flat and functional
— he works in a few dolly and crane shots, but much of the film
is static and carelessly composed. Technical credits are bland
at best, with the score by Berto Pisano and Elsio Mancuso sounding
like it was cobbled together from earlier Eurohorrors (one piece
sounds a lot like a theme from Mel Welles' similarly sleazy,
but infinitely more entertaining, Lady
Frankenstein).
Destined to appeal
only to the most ardent Eurosleaze fanatics, Malabimba
gets a few points for pure eye candy, but as a film it's strictly
amateur hour.
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Severin's
release of Malabimba is more than
adequate. The 1.85/16x9 transfer looks as good as the cinematography
will allow: much of Franco Villa's lighting is harsh and unremarkable,
making poor use of the atmospheric castle locale, but the print
materials are in good condition overall. The color palette leans
toward earthen tones, and the black levels do justice to the shadows.
Some scratching and other minor print damage is in evidence, but
overall the film looks as good as can be reasonably expected.
The DVD allows one to watch the "integral" cut —
when selected, this option incorporates some footage (in very
rough condition) cut from the original release. The footage is
of marginal interest and doesn't add much to the already sketchy
plotline, but it's a nice option to have. The mono Italian audio
is acceptable —
the dialogue is often not in synch with the movie, suggesting
it may have been shot in English or heavily rewritten during the
dubbing phase, at the very least. The music and sound effects
are reasonably strong.
Extras include a theatrical trailer, the aforementioned "integral"
option, and a featurette-length interview with Giordano and cinematographer
Franco Villa. Both interviewees come across as agreeable and enthusiastic
about the film, with Villa bemoaning the decision to splice in
hardcore porn inserts into what he deems to be a "respectable"
movie. 10/25/07 |
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