Venus in Furs - Blue Underground (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: UK/Italy/West Germany, 1969
Director: Jesús Franco
Writers: Jesús Franco, Bruno Leder, Malvin Wald, Carlo Fadda, Milo G. Cuccia
Cast: James Darren, Klaus Kinski, Maria Rohm, Barbara McNair, Margaret Lee

Release Date: February 22nd, 2005
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 7 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC
Retail Price: $14.95

"James Darren (The Guns of Navarone, Deep Space Nine) stars as a traumatized trumpeter sucked into a whirlpool of psycho-sexual horror along with his sultry girlfriend (singer Barbara McNair), a kinky lesbian (Margaret Lee of The Bloody Judge), a depraved playboy (the legendary Klaus Kinski) and the mysterious insatiable beauty (luscious Maria Rohm of Justine) who may lead them all straight to Hell. Dennis Price (Vampyros Lesbos) co-stars in this infamous erotic shocker that also features an outstanding jazz score by British rockers Manfred Mann." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Remastered from original vault elements."

Venus in Furs comes of a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 7.6 GB

Though the source looks great, some minor debris remains. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity is good, and black levels are strong. That said, as good as this source does look, this film is long overdue for a high-definition upgrade.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in English. The audio sounds clean, clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include poster & stills galleries: poster & lobby card (2 images), black & white stills (53 images), and color stills (31 images), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio interview with actress Maria Rohm (10 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Jess Franco titled Jesús in Furs (20 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with non-removable English subtitles), and Jess Franco bio written by Tim Lucas (DVD-Rom). 

Summary:

Trumpeter Jimmy Logan’s life starts to unravel when he discovers the dead body of Wanda Reed on the beach one day. He soon remembers that she was the woman at the party he attended a few weeks ago. Now in Rio, Jimmy discovers that Wanda is still alive. Given a second chance, has Jimmy found happiness, or will his obsession lead to his demise?

Jess Franco directed over 200 films throughout a six-decade career, and some of these films were released in alternate versions. There are several ebbs and flows throughout his filmography, his most successful period being the late 1960s and early 1960s. Paroxysmos and Black Angel are alternate titles for Venus in Furs.

Venus in Furs bears similarities to two films from this time period: Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow Up and Franco’s own film Necronomicon (known as Succubus) in America. All of these films have a protagonist who becomes obsessed with the murder they witnessed. In one scene, Olga photographs Wanda Reed in blow-up-like stylized camera set-ups. With Venus in Furs, Jess Franco further expands the dream-like tapestries that he had first explored in Necronomicon.

Throughout his career Jess Franco has had to overcome many obstacles due to a lack of budget for most of his films. Venus in Furs doesn’t suffer from this problem. In fact, it is one of his most wide-open films that used various locations, including Italy, Rio, and Istanbul. Though Jess Franco often photographed his films, Venus in Furs cinematographer Angelo Lotti (Seven Blood-Stained Orchids) uses every inch of the frame as he composes picturesque compositions. Also, there is a car chase in the film that proves Jess Franco can more than handle himself when shooting an action sequence.

Jess Franco has worked with his fair share of talented actors, and Venus in Furs is arguably the strongest one he has worked with. The two leads, James Darren and Maria Rohm are both excellent. He delivers a subtle performance that perfectly complements Maria Rohm's sexually charged portrayal of Wanda Reed. Margaret Lee (Night of the Blood Monster) and Dennis Price (The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein) are very good in supporting roles. Klaus Kinski does what he does best: play characters with piercing eyes that have a tendency to be sadistic and charming at the same time. Unfortunately, Kinski’s role is nothing more than a mere cameo, as he makes an appearance at the beginning before returning briefly near the end of the film. 

From a production standpoint, Venus in Furs is a film where Jess Franco was clicking on all cylinders. The jazzy score by Manfred Mann and Mike Hugg helps add atmosphere to Venus in Furs’ surreal images. Venus in Furs has many elements that Jess Franco would use in many of his films, and even with all these things in place, there is something about the film that makes it feel unlike any other Jess Franco film. Content-wise, Venus in Furs is totally a product of its time, the late 1960’s. Psychedelic music and films filled with surreal imagery ruled the pop culture landscape. Ultimately, Venus in Furs is one of Jess Franco’s best films, and it is a great starting point for anyone interested in exploring his filmography.

Venus in Furs gets a strong release from Blue Underground that comes with a good audio/video presentation and informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer