Cries of Pleasure (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Apr 10, 2020
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Jess FrancoRelease Date(s)
1983 (February 25, 2020)Studio(s)
Golden Films Internacional S.A. (Severin FIlms)- Film/Program Grade: D-
- Video Grade: B-
- Audio Grade: C+
- Extras Grade: C+
Review
Severin Films has been busy releasing a variety of films as of late, from Eurosleaze to the erotic to the undervalued, all on Blu-ray with fresh film transfers and extras. Their last several titles have been no different, offering up a kaleidoscope of cinema’s mostly forgotten films.
In Jess Franco’s Cries of Pleasure (aka Gemidos de Placer), which is a remake of his own film Pleasure For Three from 1973, Antonio (Robert Foster) brings his new lover Julia (Lina Romay) to his beautiful home overlooking the sea where his wife Marta (Elisa Vela), his other lover Martina (Rocío Freixas), and their live-in guitarist and man of limited means Fenul (Juan Soler), are waiting to greet them. They spend a pleasure-filled weekend with each other, but Antonio and Marta may have secret plans that their lovers may or may not be privy to.In Jess Franco’s Cries of Pleasure (aka Gemidos de Placer), which is a remake of his own film Pleasure For Three from 1973, Antonio (Robert Foster) brings his new lover Julia (Lina Romay) to his beautiful home overlooking the sea where his wife Marta (Elisa Vela), his other lover Martina (Rocío Freixas), and their live-in guitarist and man of limited means Fenul (Juan Soler), are waiting to greet them. They spend a pleasure-filled weekend with each other, but Antonio and Marta may have secret plans that their lovers may or may not be privy to.
Cries of Pleasure offers little else than gorgeous location cinematography and softcore pornography. The film’s twist, which ties into its mysterious opening, has little impact. Lina Romay and her sexy co-stars spend almost the entirety of the film’s running time writhing around in various sexual situations during mostly uninterrupted takes. While it may seem titillating on the surface, it ultimately amounts to nothing more than well-filmed sleaze. Fenul, who wonders around the house during all of this, plucking at his guitar, is perhaps the most interesting character in a film that is desperately begging for characterization. In other words, Cries of Pleasure just doesn’t measure up—outside of its lurid nature that is.
The film’s transfer is taken from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative. It’s a lush and organic presentation, but leaves behind all of the faults present on the original negative, including obvious scratches and speckling, though it’s relatively clean otherwise. Colors aren’t all that bold, but they serve the gorgeous location work well. The audio is included in Spanish 2.0 mono LPCM with optional English subtitles. The dialogue is clear and the music has mild push to it, including Fenul’s six string musings, but prevalent hiss and crackle are leftover.
Extras include the following:
- In the Land of Franco Part 1 (HD – 21:01)
- When Donald Met Jess and Lina Part 1 (SD – 11:24)
- Jess Franco’s Golden Years (HD – 26:41)
Cries of Pleasure is not an easy film to like, but it's certainly a title worth your attention if you’re a fan of off-the-wall cinema.
– Tim Salmons
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