27 September, 2006

SINFONIA EROTICA on DVD

 
From Manga DVD: Spain. This 1979 Spanish-Portuguese coproduction, a gorgeously lensed Sadean melodrama, is finally available on DVD.

This is an elegant tone poem based on the same Sade story Franco filmed as 1973's PLAISIR A TROIS and as GEMIDOS DE PLACER in 1981. Martine de Bressac (Lina Romay) the wife of wealthy Marquis Armando returns from an asylum after suffering a breakdown. She finds the Marquis involved with his male lover and a runaway nun. Complications arise. Franco and his expert DP Juan Cozar flood the images with light and the camera often wanders away from the twisted characters to the distances between them, a favored Franco theme according to the man himself. The images of the statues, architecture, lakes and foilage of the estate are photographed in the style of Resnais LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD. A lush period piece which illustrates Liszt's piano sonata, which Franco adapted himself into a score part Romantic-part Gothic horror. But this is not a horror film per se.

This can be ordered through www.dvdgo.com. It's PAL R2, 1.66:1, 4:3, Dolby 2.0. In Spanish language only and reportedly uncut at 84m. The liner notes are by Franco expert Francesco Cesari.


COPYRIGHT BY ROBERT MONELL: 2006

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