vanessa

THE FLICK: There’s a delicate balance between “erotica” and plain ‘ol “porn.” Kind of like the difference between Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue and the magazines your dad ordered that arrived by mail covered in a brown paper bag. And while today the internet serves up gigabytes worth of hardcore perversion on demand, there’s something to be said for the softcore films of the ‘70s; grindhouse fare that at least attempted to package their lascivious thrills in an artful fashion. Vanessa features one scene in particular that stands out from the hundreds of Emmanuelle knock-offs: a slow-motion striptease performed under a cascading waterfall of rice falling from a punctured container. It only lasts about 2-minutes, but the handheld photography by DP Franz X. Laderle is almost hypnotically erotic. And the scene itself is a prime example of the rewards of improvised filmmaking, an off-the-cuff inspiration that defines an otherwise predictable pile-on of softcore clichés. During the extras on Severin Films DVD, Director Hubert Frank is quite open about the sorry state of Vanessa’s script during the filming in Hong Kong. No one ever admits it, but it seems the gaps were simply filled in with scenes from other popular flicks of the genre; a convent flashback here, lesbian interlude there, all serving as the sexual awakening for Vanessa herself, a naïve student who inherits a chain of brothels from her rich dead uncle. One bizarre out-of-body intercourse sequence is worth a Netflix rental in and of itself. But by now the formula for these sorts of films should be easily identifiable even for those who didn’t attend film school. Exotic locales, corny theme songs and dubbed dialogue are strung together with an array of sex scenes spaced around 15-minutes apart. What makes Vanessa enjoyable is its charming unpretentiousness balanced with a semi-professionalism that allows one to pretend to you’re watching the movie for the story...just like dear ‘ol dad read Playboy for the articles. THE FEATURES: Severin goes above and beyond by way of extras for this one, sporting a 30-minute conversation with the director and DP along with 15-minutes of behind-the-scenes footage captured on-set in 1976. The interview segment is well-produced (love the multiple camera coverage!) and very engaging, with both filmmakers coming off as proper German gentlemen. Turns out that famous rice shower injured the actress quite badly, bloodying her knees and elbows. “Rice in not good for love scenes,” deadpans the DP. The behind-the-scenes featurette includes several naughty bits from different angles than were used in the film. That the footage exists at all is quite surprising. I can’t recall ever seeing an extra like this on a ‘70s softcore title before. Finally, the theatrical trailer is included as a teaser for the main feature, which is presented in its 1.78.1 aspect ratio with mono sound.