Il caso 'Venere privata'

I have always been a great fan of Yves Boisset's movies, all of them, but this one is really tepid, boring, far far below my expectations, as a die hard fan of Boisset's usual topics. Despite the presence of Bruno Cremer, the awesome Cremer who deserved a better "treatment" with such an awesome director as Yves Boisset. I prefer forget this movie, which has nothing to do in Yves Boisset's filmography, as also was un UN TAXI MAUVE, not a bad film though, but not in the Boisset's line. Now, this one, CRAN D'ARRET, is still bearable; that's not a crap, don't misundertsand my review. I have watched it several times already but at each time, my feelings remain the same.

Rather splendid and unusual giallo like thriller, shot in and around Milan with much location photography and fine views. Pre-credit sequence provides us with extensive information for later and when film proper begins we seem to have to begin again but all does tie up and by the end this has been a most absorbing film. Not really a giallo but there are two SM orientated photographic sessions that imitate the genre and are really quite interesting because although there is no actual blood, the menace seems far worse than might otherwise be and are most effective and central to the plot. Great car action, particularly through the tunnels at Lake Como and altogether an exhilarating film with fine performances all round.

It was a time when Yves Boisset did not know what he would do next.After tackling the spy thriller with his amazing "Coplan Sauve Sa peau" ,he chose ,for his second effort the psychological thriller,before opting for the political /sociological movie which would become his forte in the seventies.He really epitomized the French" socially concerned" director in the seventies.

Two losers: a young man (Renaud Verley) who feels guilt after his girlfriend's death and a doctor(Bruno Cremer) who spent some time in jail because he had practiced euthanasia.A fair-haired man could have murdered the girl ,or could have led her to suicide ,the movie is not clear about it.An university professor,his best friend ,joins the two men and plays the part of the "bait" .The screenplay is rather mediocre :it features S/M photographs ,alcohol ,and depression.The music is worse,featuring female singing exercises which were very trendy in France in the wake of SaintPreux's big hit "Concerto Pour Une Voix", but which are about as appropriate as hard -rock would be for a western.

Like this?try these......

Dernier Domicile Connu Jose Giovanni 1970

La Prisonnière Henri Georges Clouzot 1968

Fairly interesting Euro thriller revolving around the investigation into an apparent suicide who, prior to her demise, was involved in a brief romance with a troubled young man but had also attended a dubious photo-model session. The latter scene, which opens the film, features some mild bondage – thus eliciting memories of Henri-Georges Clouzot's swan-song LA PRISONNIERE (1969); it's also interesting that the girl concerned is played by Raffaella Carra' (whose last film appearance this proved to be prior to her breakthrough as a top showgirl/presenter on Italian TV – a status she holds, by and large, to this day!). Unusual, too, is the fact that the detecting work here doesn't involve the police at all.

The initially ambivalent relationship between disgraced doctor Bruno Cremer (expelled for performing euthanasia) and self-destructing bourgeois Renaud Verley (who feels guilty for Carra''s death) suggests this is going to be a clinical Chabrol-like character study. However, it turns into a conventional thriller before long (with the heroine – played by Martine Combrell – used as bait for the sleazy amateur photographer); still, Mario Adorf manages to invest the latter role with some degree of panache. Jean Martin, best known as the colonel who leads the oppressive French forces in THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (1965), appears here as Verley's valet (who doesn't seem to take kindly to Cremer's intrusion!).

As a means of livening up proceedings, director Boisset opts for a car chase climax involving speed-freak Verley and the fleeing (and flustered) Adorf. Needless to say, this being a product of the late 60s, we get the added feature of bad dancing in various pub scenes (though set to some groovy music)!