Nana

I'm into finding more obscure/less mainstream films to watch but this one didn't do it for me and the young age of the lead actress was already a red flag. But the fact that there's real-life incest of sorts that's glossed over shocks me even more so. Never watching this again.

Very saucy, yes. Very sexy, yes. Very erotic, yes. Memorable, no. Berger is fascinating, beautiful, as is her character, innocent, scheming, the latest main attraction, at an upscale bordello, or a more refined title, house of ill repute, where every night, old wealthy men and women of high standing, relax and gawk at the young lovelies, enjoying the night show, before bedding the woman of their choice. Men or women who meet our erotic beauty, Nana, can't get her out of their head, where she moves higher up the ladder, leaving the bordello, using her mesmerizing beauty to her advantage. Intriguing and definitely a worthwhile watch, with some whimsical comedy too, Nana stands alone, as a well made periodic piece, with a lot of skin to ogle at, but again, it's just an exploitative sex drama, hiding under a respectable facade. Entertainment alone, that's not a bad thing.

In the opening titles of this movie it says that is "loosely based" on the fin-de-siècle novel of Emile Zola. I haven't read the novel, but I am a little suspicious about the lesbian scenes and the bizarre "human cockfighting" scene. I am also quite sure that Zola never claimed that his contemporary, George Melies, a real-life silent French filmmaker (who was also a character in Scorcese's "Hugo")made porn loops to show in Parisian brothels. I suspect the notorious 80's low-rent Israeli producers Golan and Globus took at least some liberties with both fiction and reality.

This is a movie about a young actress and prostitute, who shows up at a brothel and becomes an object of obsession for numerous men--a Jewish banker, a count, and the impressionable son of the count--and proceeds to blithely destroy all their lives.

The lead, 18-year-old Katya Berger, is not an especially beautiful girl, but she has a very nice body, which is useful since she spends a great deal of the movie nude. Berger is one of a several young German actresses of the 70's (including Lara Wendel, Katja Bienert, and most famously Nastassia Kinski)who actually appeared in a lot of nude and erotic roles BEFORE they were "legal" by modern-day US/UK standards. Berger's 1978 debut, "Labias Piccolas", for instance, is available in the US today, but reputedly shorn of about 11 minutes of underage nude scenes. But that is not a problem in THIS movie made five years later. Of course, she does have a lesbian scene with an actress played by her real-life sister, Debra Berger (both are daughters of spaghetti Western actor William Berger)and an inter-racial oral sex scene. And there are a couple other notorious figures in the cast including Annie Belle, a French "lolita" actress from the earlier 70's, and 60's British party girl Mandy Rice-Davies, who was caught up with Christine Keeler in the "Profumo Affair", which brought down a British government and was later chronicled in the movie "Scandal". Clearly the Go-Glo boys were trying to court a little controversy here.

Given all that though, this movie is surprisingly boring. One problem is that the only really strong actor here is Jean-Pierre Aumont, but a lot of it is that director Dan Wolman is not very adept at drawing out any believable drama. Still, it is not a terrible movie and isn't worse than any other Golan-Globus film--whether or not you consider THAt a recommendation. . .

Katya's gorgeous body is on display in this film, along with a lot of other naked beauties. She also has captivating eyes. The nudity should be enough for any straight male, but it's entertaining and engaging even if it wasn't packed with nudity. Fun story, better than a lot of Cannon films.

Nana is an actress who puts on nude shows along with a lot of other women for a crowd, sometime around the turn of the century. Nice costumes, sets and the acting isn't bad. Katya's beauty, however, steals the show.

This film should really be on blu-ray.

Nana DVD "Rare" Young Katya Berger plays many Nude scenes in the unedited version,Rated R contains extensive nudity, Katya is a absolute beauty! Young Katya Berger bares a lot of skin in this costume drama about a young Parisian lady who finds work at a burlesque club and then takes advantage of the perverts who come there. The film takes place in the 1880's, one of the stars of the club has created movies, the movies created were not very exciting but nudity all the same and very tame for today's standards. Mandy Rice-Davies, who helped bring down the British Government years ago, appears in this film. Costume drama for completest or those who want to see a poor man's Brooke Shields/Eva Ionesco, anyway you put it Katya is a stunning beauty that could steal any older man's heart and that is exactly what she did in this movie, very seductive, sexy and gorgeous all in one bundle! A true must have and to own.

Purview