My review was written in June 1984 after watching the movie on VHS screener copy.
"Black Venus" is a classy-looking sex romance made last fall as an indie feature and already played off by its co-financer, The Playboy Channel pay-cabler. A throwback to the type of undressed period films that flourished before hardcore porn hurt softcore films at the box office, pic has further potential in the home video market.
Screenplay by exec producer Harry Alan Towers (writing under his nom de film of Peter Welbeck) adapts a Balzac story about Venus (Josephine Jacqueline Jones), a beautiful model-cum-prostitute from Martinique who lives in Paris in the 19th century. She entrances a struggling young sculptor Armand (Jose Antonio Ceinos), who creates a striking full-figure art work of her called Black Venus.
As Venus moves up in local society, modeling for dress shop owner Madame Jean (Helga Line) and shacking up as a companion to rich bisexual Madame Marie (Karin Schubert), Armand slips into a depression, unable to tolerate Venus' earning money to support them, either legitimately or by prostitution.
She later falls in love with a 17-year-old country girl in Paris, Louise (Florence Guerin) and duo seem to be living happily ever after at a Spanish villa of a fatherly art collector Jacques (Emiliano Redondo). Unfortunately, Jacques has stolen the Black Venus statue and Armand comes a-hunting, leading to a tragic conclusion.
Old-fashioned tale ironically is gussied up with handsome costumes, though its raison d'etre is obviously to have attractive women disrobe for the voyeur trade. Madrid-lensed settings are attractive, though a low-budget is evidenced by repetitive shots of an all-purpose single-street locale.
The post-synched English language dialog is well-synched to actors articulating in English, but has that artificial, disembodied ring that is not up to domestic theatrical release standards. French helmer Claude Mulot, who made a stylish horror film starring Anny Duperey in 1969, "Blood Rose", does an okay job.
In the title role, statuesque (literally) and toothy Jones is a real looker in the Jayne Kennedy vein, though her acting ability is not demonstrated here. Vet Karin Schubert (who had a key role in the 1972 "Bluebeard" starring Richard Burton) has become a striking-looking mature actress, as has Spanish thesp Helga Line, while Florence Guerin is a most alluring young French thesp. Actress Mandy Rice-Davies (of Profumo scandal notoriety two decades ago) is wasted in a minor role as a brothel keeper.
NOTE in 2023: My review above is reprinted exactly as it was published in 1984. I was oddly prescient in comparing star Jones (real name: Lolita Armbrister, a former Miss Bahamas beauty contest winner) to Jayne Kennedy - Leon Isaac Kennedy had divorced Jayne Kennedy in 1982 but ended up marrying Ms. Jones/Armbrister in 1995! Other than the fact both Leon and I were born in Cleveland, and that both his wives were beauty contest winners, I have no idea how or why we have this similar reaction to feminine beauty.
