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Brazil
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1981
Directors:
D. Cardoso,
L. Castellini, J. Doo
Starring
Maristela
Moreno
Matilde
Mastragni
Zélia Diniz
Color
| 81
Minutes | Not Rated
Format: DVD (R0 - NTSC)
Impulse Pictures
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Review
by
Troy Howarth
Film:5
:
DVD:5
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| SNEAK
PREVIEW | DVD
Release Date: September 14, 2010 |
| A
collection of three erotic shorts: Bia (Maristela Moreno) picks
up Maria Helena (Patricia Scalvi) hoping to deflower her, but
she has a big surprise in store; Romano (David Cardoso) takes
Ilona (Matilde Mastragni) back to his place for some kinky role
playing; and Marcos (Arthur Roveder) is tormented by the thought
that his blind lover, Diana (Zelia Diniz), can see him through
the mirrors in their secluded villa... |
|
This
Brazilian slice of erotica starts off on a jaunty note, but it
becomes stranger and stranger as it unfolds. The end result doesn't
really hold together, but it's certainly interesting — and as
far as sex films go, one could do a lot worse. |
|
The
first segment is pretty standard fluff. Bia is a lesbian reluctant
to "go all the way" because she wants to retain her virginity;
she therefore keeps flunking in school in order to have a steady
stream of virgins at her disposal! She meets her match in the
seemingly stuffy Maria Helena, and as the pair of them begin to
pore over volumes of erotica, the heat turns up considerably.
It's all a little too silly to be believable, but the actresses
are certainly game. Oddly, part of Jerry Goldsmith's majestic
orchestral score from Star
Trek: The Motion Picture is used to accentuate the girls'
initial sexual encounter. (Talk about going where no man has gone
before...) |
|
The
second segment is more successful, though it takes a while to
get cooking. The preening Romano leads his conquest on much of
the time, but it eventually explodes in an epic sex session. Matilde
Mastragni is arguably the film's greatest asset — she plays the
coquettish Ilona very well, and she seems to be the most engaged
by the sex scenes in which she participates. An unbilled swipe
from Mike Oldfeld's "Tubular Bells" (immortalized by
William Friedkin in The
Exorcist, 1973) adds to the general weirdness. |
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Strange
as the second segment may appear, it's positively restrained compared
to the last installment. Unfolding like a nightmarish Tennessee
Williams melodrama, it builds to a finale that can truly be described
as hysterical. It doesn't make a lick of sense, really, and the
erotic content is somewhat low key compared to the first two installments.
Zélia Diniz is photogenic enough as the blind love interest,
but the shift in tone to out and out horror is much too jarring.
Oh, and if you thought the pilfering of "Tubular Bells"
was ballsy in the previous segment, just wait until you hear how
they use John Barry's Oscar-winning "Born Free" in this
section! |
|
None
of the segments are particularly well-directed, and the low budget
is evident throughout. Even so, the film does manage to hold one's
interest. The first segments are amusing enough, and most of the
sex manages to be erotic without becoming overly clinical. The
film gains points, too, for brevity — unlike so many bump and
grind epics, this one knows when to cut things short, as it were. |
|
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| Porno
— which is strictly softcore, despite the title — makes its R1
DVD debut via the Impulse arm of Synapse Films; it's the third
release in the company's Classic Latin Erotica line. The
fullframe transfer looks very good on the whole. Colors are accurately
rendered, detail is strong, and print damage is kept to a minimum.
The film appears to be fully uncut, retaining the full frontal
male and female nudity. Some shimmering is evident in a few shots,
but on the whole the mastering job is well done. The Portuguese
soundtrack is presented in its original mono. The moans and groans
come through loud and clear, and there's no discernible background
hiss or distortion. The removable English subtitles are clear
and easy to read. There are no extras, not even a still gallery
or talent bio. 8/20/10 |
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