El hombre que mira

The story of erotic films in the 1990s is largely a very sad one. American main stream cinema seems to avoid the subject altogether, B movies are obsessed with coupling sex with violence and death, and the typical porno is as exciting as drying paint. But there are a few exceptions, most notably the films of Tinto Brass, and this film here is a prime example.

What is so unique about Brass' films of this decade (and to a slightly lesser degree his 1980s films as well) is how they manage to combine eroticism with an explicitness that is close to hardcore porn, and that without ever looking seedy or overly stylish. Greatly supporting this effect are the music of Riz Ortolani and the excellent cinematography by Massimo Di Venanzo. With L'Uomo che guarda Brass seems to be telling the porno makers: "this is how a sex film can and should look like".

The UK certificated version of this is about 8 minutes shorter than the original, but even that version would have no chance of an R rating in the USA. The quality of the English dubbing is a bit better than usual, but still we have to endure the traditional incomprehensible fake American accent for the leading male as in so many Italian films.