Vanessa

West Germany | 1977 Directed by Hubert Frank Starring Olivia Pascal Anton Diffring Uschi Zech Color | 92 Minutes | Not Rated Format: DVD (R0 - NTSC) Severin Films

Hold your mouse pointer over an image for a pop-up caption

		Review by Brian Lindsey

6     6   10 = Highest Rating   SNEAK PREVIEW | DVD Release Date: Aug. 28, 2007

"This is no place for a white woman. You'll end up like the rest of us — wasted. The climate does strange things to women here. You'll only start opening your legs wider like some bitch in heat..."     In the 1970s, apparently, every Westerner in Asia — be they resident or tourist — was utterly obsessed with sex, the kinkier the better. At least according to the movies. Inspired by the worldwide success of 1974's Emmanuelle (shot in Thailand and the Seychelles), Vanessa was just one of a multitude of European 'erotic travelogue' sexploitationers filmed in the Orient during the decade. It's an above-average example of this particular subgenre made memorable by a parade of delectable young actresses cavorting comfortably in the buff, flatteringly photographed. Even in edited, watered-down form the pic became a late night pay-cable favorite in the '80s; the new disc from Severin presents Vanessa completely uncut for the first time anywhere on DVD.     Our titular heroine (scrumptious, pouty-lipped Olivia Pascal - Bloody Moon) is an orphan living at a strict German convent school when she receives word that her wealthy uncle has died, bequeathing her substantial property holdings in his will. All of this lucrative real estate is located in and around Hong Kong, so before long Vanessa's jetliner is touching down in China's most exotically cosmopolitan city. (At the time still governed by Britain.) Here she is informed that among the properties she's inherited are some of Hong Kong's more upscale brothels, including one catering exclusively to women. Vanessa — apparently still a virgin but curious about sex (she totes around a photo-book on the erotic art of ancient Pompeii, featuring pictures of statues sporting ginormous phalluses) — is mildly shocked but also intrigued.     While waiting for the legal formalities of the will to be sorted out Vanessa is given a tour of the city and its sensual ways by her late uncle's family and associates, all of them decadent sophistos. Three of these people fall head over heels in lust with her. Adrian (Günter Clemens), the uncle's illegitimate son, feels that he's entitled to much of the legacy but can't keep his hands off Vanessa even though his crude advances jeopardize his claim. Major Cooper (Anton Diffring - Circus of Horrors, Faceless) is a dissolute Brit who deals with his wife's flagrant infidelities by indulging in Hong Kong's more exotic pursuits; he invites Vanessa to sample monkey brains ("an aphrodisiac"), smoke opium and strap herself into his bondage harness for a good slo-mo flogging. Jackie (Uschi Zech) may be her peer in age but is much more experienced; an unabashed exhibitionist, she longs to introduce Vanessa to the joys of lesbian love...     Steamy and languid, Vanessa mostly — but not completely — aims for genuine eroticism over leering sexploitation. It's tastefully kinky without getting too trashy; only the goofy 'live sex show' sequence borders on hardcore, while the mystical sex ritual undergone by Cooper's wife at the direction of a suave Indian swami is the one time the film gets indefensibly silly. (A nunsploitation scenario is tossed in somewhat unexpectedly in the form of Vanessa's S&M flashback to her convent days.) You get to see a great deal of Hong Kong — too much, really* — at its most picturesque and a lot of Olivia Pascal and Uschi Zech in all their naked splendor (as well as a number of homegrown Asian babes, it should be noted); the filmmakers strive to present the city and their female cast in the best possible light and handily succeed. The story is thin and episodic (conceived mostly on the fly, it turns out) but that's to be expected with this type of flick. Beautiful women and stimulating softcore sex — that's what matters. Skillful editing and judicious use of slow-motion enhance the erotic scenes, which are a definite cut above your typical Black Emanuelle entry. The That's-So-'70s music score is "Porno Chic"-era groovy (sappy title ballad excepted)... It functions as the sticky humidity in the heatwave generated by the visuals.

* It is not recommended watching this film as part of a double feature with Yellow Emanuelle or Enter the Dragon... You might never want to see a movie set in Hong Kong ever again!

With its release of Vanessa Severin Films further burnishes a well-deserved reputation for high quality Euro-Cult DVDs. The 1.78:1 transfer, mastered from the original negative, offers pleasingly rich colors and fine detail; note that the softness of many scenes is inherent to the gauzy Playboy-inspired glow intended by the filmmakers. Print damage is very minor. The disc's English-dubbed mono audio track is strong, clear and clean-sounding.     For supplements you get the English-language theatrical trailer and two interesting featurettes. High Life In Hong Kong is a 28-minute interview with director Hubert Frank and cinematographer Franz Lederle. Their comments illustrated with movie clips and behind-the scenes footage, the two men (speaking in subtitled German) go into some detail about how most of the film was improvised on the spot, working from the barest skeleton of an unfinished script; they also discuss the look they were hoping to achieve (straight out of the pages of Playboy), the challenges and opportunities of location shooting, and offer a few anecdotes about working with Pascal and Diffring. The second featurette, Vanessa Revealed (16 min.), is a reel of silent behind-the-scenes home movie footage, shot during production, set to music. It's chock full of additional skin — the ladies were obviously quite at ease lounging around nude in between camera setups. 8/21/07

HOME | REVIEWS | TOP