This was only my 3rd Brass after CALIGULA (1979) - which I watched in London - and DEADLY SWEET (1967; his best film by far, so far) - viewed during the Italian B-movie retrospective at the 2004 Venice Film Festival.
Well, frivolous is right as nothing much happens during the course of the film; at least, though, it's lighthearted - unlike, say, Bigas Luna's BAMBOLA (1996; see review above) - even if in a vulgar way and, given the explicit nature of its copious nudity, occasionally erotic. Still, the leading performance by non-professional (and perennially giggly) Anna Ammirati - whom Brass reportedly discovered, literally, by way of a car accident! - is annoyingly one-dimensional. Like BAMBOLA, the leading lady's mother is played by a well-known actress (i.e. known more for her physical attributes than her acting talent), Serena Grandi - who had earlier starred in Brass' MIRANDA (1985). A surprising cast member is Patrick Mower as Grandi's suave but lewd lover (who naturally has his eyes on her daughter too); I was only familiar with him from two good British horror flicks - THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1968) and CRY OF THE BANSHEE (1970) - and I wonder how he came to be involved with smut such as this (and, moreover, in Italy)!
One of the most notable (but not necessarily noteworthy) elements in the film is the soft-focus cinematography; it's practically shot like that all the way through, which rather kills its intended effectiveness! Brass himself appears as a bandleader at the beginning and end of the movie, the latter during the interminable wedding scene (which rather reminded me of the similar conclusion to Federico Fellini's AMARCORD [1973], also a film with the emphasis on sex and vulgarity but undeniably superior!).
Well, frivolous is right as nothing much happens during the course of the film; at least, though, it's lighthearted - unlike, say, Bigas Luna's BAMBOLA (1996; see review above) - even if in a vulgar way and, given the explicit nature of its copious nudity, occasionally erotic. Still, the leading performance by non-professional (and perennially giggly) Anna Ammirati - whom Brass reportedly discovered, literally, by way of a car accident! - is annoyingly one-dimensional. Like BAMBOLA, the leading lady's mother is played by a well-known actress (i.e. known more for her physical attributes than her acting talent), Serena Grandi - who had earlier starred in Brass' MIRANDA (1985). A surprising cast member is Patrick Mower as Grandi's suave but lewd lover (who naturally has his eyes on her daughter too); I was only familiar with him from two good British horror flicks - THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1968) and CRY OF THE BANSHEE (1970) - and I wonder how he came to be involved with smut such as this (and, moreover, in Italy)!
One of the most notable (but not necessarily noteworthy) elements in the film is the soft-focus cinematography; it's practically shot like that all the way through, which rather kills its intended effectiveness! Brass himself appears as a bandleader at the beginning and end of the movie, the latter during the interminable wedding scene (which rather reminded me of the similar conclusion to Federico Fellini's AMARCORD [1973], also a film with the emphasis on sex and vulgarity but undeniably superior!).