During the last month of 2006 we've been blogging our Jess Franco Best lists, and now here are my favorite JF moments/scenes, as originally suggested by Tim Lucas...
PLAISIR A TROIS: Alice Arno's hot striptease amidst the mannequins in her basement chamber of horrors.
LA COMTESSE NOIRE: Lina bumping into the camera in the film's opening scene; the love scene on the mountaintop between Jack Taylor and Lina Romay.
LORNA THE EXORCIST: The opening encounter between Pamela Stanford and Lina which seems like it's taking place underwater.
SUCCUBUS: The opening S&M act performed by Janine Reynaud.
MISS MUERTE: The auto plastic surgery performed by Mabel Karr on herself.
DR. ORLOFF'S MONSTER: Perla Cristal's show stopping performances of Fernando Garcia Morcillo's hot jazz songs.
DEATH WHISTLES THE BLUES: Jess Franco's brief but memorable sax solo with his Whisky Jazz Club band.
BOTAS NEGRAS, LATIGO DE CUERO: Lina Romay's cries of passion during sex with Antonio Mayans frightening the swamp birds into sudden, frantic flight.
LA NOCHE DE LOS SEXOS ABIERTOS: Lina's strip in a classic American car installed in a Canary Islands disco club.
MIL SEXOS TIENE LA NOCHE: the drug party; Jess Franco suddenly appearing at the last moment to save Lina Romay from the villains.
THE SINISTER DR. ORLOFF: Howard Vernon's final maniacal laughter after he sabotages Antonio Mayan's ultimate soul transfer experiment.
SADOMANIA: the first woman hunt; the gladiator style duel between the prison guard and inmate.
LA COMTESSE PERVERSE: the climactic woman hunt of Lina Romay by Alice Arno and Howard Vernon.
AL OTRO LADO DEL ESPEJO: Emma Cohen's strange journeys on the other side of the mirror.
DRACULA CONTRA FRANKENSTEIN: the shadows of the vampire bats seen on the carpet just before they attack their next victim's; Luis Barboo driving into a 19 Century town in a mid 20th Century hearse.
EL SEXO ESTA LOCO: Lina Romay's close encounter of the 3rd kind with the cult of Cucufat.
EUGENIE DE SADE: the murder of Alice Arno by Soledad Miranda in the Belgian brothel; the look on Jess Franco's face as he confronts the dying Eugenie in the last scene.
NIGHTMARES COME AT NIGHT: the opening credit sequence scored with Bruno Nicolai's outre cues.
BROKEN DOLLS: Don Martin's final walk into the ocean; the shots of the ships.
(c) Robert Monell 2006
I've very much enjoyed reading all these lists. I feel I've got a lot more Franco watching to do before I can come up with a top ten.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you however, on your choice of the love scene in the mountains from LA COMTESSE NOIRE. That scene has the histrionics and naked emotions of a silent film. I think it would be my favorite Franco moment.
I look forward to your lists, Adam. I agree on that scene, there's no sense of irony. It's very Romantic and heartfelt.
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