Paroxismus (1969)

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writers:

Milo G. Cuccia (writer)
Carlo Fadda (writer)

Release Date:

19 August 1969 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

The coat that covered paradise, uncovered hell!

Plot:

A couple who get involved in an underground scene of kinky sex and sadism have a surprise coming to them...

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | Pretty Girl | Surrealism | Lesbian Sex | Surreal

Cast

James Darren	...	Jimmy Logan
Barbara McNair	...	Rita
Maria Rohm	...	Wanda Reed
Klaus Kinski	...	Ahmed Kortobawi
Dennis Price	...	Percival Kapp
Margaret Lee	...	Olga
Adolfo Lastretti	...	Insp. Kaplan (as Aldo Lastretti)

Also Known As:

Black Angel (UK) (working title)
Paroxsysmos
Può una morta rivivere per amore? (Italy)
Venus in Furs (USA)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

UK | West Germany | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:R

Company:

Cinematografica Associati (CI.AS.)

Quotes:

Jimmy Logan: She was beautiful, even though she was dead.

A Cult Classic Waiting To be Rediscovered

Jess Franco's direction, as well as the story, acting, cinematography and music are all first rate. This was one of the first major films to depict lesbian love scenes and inter-racial love scenes. The title VENUS IN FURS refers to the main character - a lesbian with a fur fetish who digs getting it on in a group setting while fondling the statue of Venus Di Milo. (Now how much would you pay?) From a camp perspective, she is the X rated equivalent of a BATMAN villain. The pans and zooms were appropriate in keeping with the jazz theme and score. This movie reminds me a lot of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS in look, production design and over all style with it's absolutely beautiful use of color. It would make a great double bill with BTVOTD. How this movie was overshadowed by that one is beyond me. It should be viewed in it's original widescreen format, too. Sure, it's dated, but it's also a refreshing blast from the past!