Frequently, I track down films for friends, trying to get the best quality for the best price. Too often, these films haven't been released on disc, so VHS to DVD rips are bought from trusted sellers. While I like it when they come with artwork, it isn't a must, as picture and sound quality are more important. Some may feel this is a bad (and illegal) way to get movies, but I view it as providing a service to extreme cinephiles like myself. If there were official releases available at reasonable prices, I'd get those, but often times, only a tape was released, which may have never even made it stateside, or the DVD is out-of-print and going for gouging rates.
My recent task was to find a copy of The Seducers aka Top Sensation (1969). Already having seen or owned other Edwige Fenech films, I decided to watch it before passing it on. While the eye catcher should have been Miss Fenech, the tighter body award goes to the lesser endowed Rosalba Neri, better known for her roles in Amuck, 99 Women, Lady Frankenstein, French Sex Murders, and Girl in Room 2A (recently released by Mondo Macabro).
The basic premise of the movie is, of course, seduction, the rich using their money to control/seduce others, and murder. There’s a bit of incest too, but other than the constant sex set-ups (sex-ups?), which do get boring, Rosalba playing a shoot 'em up cowgirl, and a borderline beastiality scene where Edwige lets a goat explore her nakedness, there’s not much to talk about here. Sadly, it just falls in the pile with the other mildly erotic Euro movies of that era.
According to IMDb, Edwige had 7 other film roles that year, with the only recognizable one being Madame Bovary aka Sins of Madame Bovary, which was released by One 7 Pictures last year. Sure, I enjoy gratuitous nudity as much (maybe even a tad more) than the next man, but I’ve never really thought she was gorgeous, and if I remember right, Madame Bovary was a snoozer. After seeing this and a more recent picture of her on IMDb, I would argue that she has gotten more attractive over the years. Plus, her and Rosalba both had a certain ugliness throughout the film that even the T&A couldn’t mask.
If you’re a hardcore Fenech (or Neri) fan, maybe it's worth tracking down a bootleg as I did, but there’s still a chance One 7 or Mya Communications could pick this up for release, as it would fit nicely with the rest of their catalog.
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Cinema Obscura is releasing a 2-disc version in September 2013, with the original Italian version and the German cut. Not sure what the difference is, but it can be pre-ordered at DiabolikDVD.com.
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