Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Eugenie: The Story Of Her Journey Into Perversion

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Ian Jane
    Administrator

  • Eugenie: The Story Of Her Journey Into Perversion



    Released by: Blue Underground
    Released on: December 15th, 2015.
    Director: Jess Franco
    Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Jack Taylor, Marie Liljedahl, Paul Muller
    Year: 1970
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Movie:

    Jess Franco's adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's Philosophy In The Boudoir was 1970's Eugenie: The Story Of Her Journey Into Perversion, a film that cast the gorgeous Marie Liljedahl in the title role, a beautiful but chaste young woman named Eugenie. Her father, Mistival (Paul Muller), clearly has a thing for a woman named Marianne Saint-Ange (Maria Rohm) but she resists his advances until they make a deal - Marianne will give herself to Mistival should he allow his daughter to accompany her to her family's estate on a remote tropical island for a few days. He agrees, and gets what he wants from the woman, and from there the two young women head to the mansion with Marianne's half-brother, Mirvel (Jack Taylor), along for the ride.

    Once they arrive at the home, it becomes quite clear quite quickly that Marianne and Mirvel have less than the purest of intentions for Eugenie. From here, they indoctrinate her into their world of kink and shape young Eugenie into a plaything of sorts before it's time for Dolmance (Christopher Lee) to make his appearance....

    Also known as De Sade '70 and written by producer Harry Alan Towers, this (at the time) modern day take on de Sade's work pretty impressive. While obviously the location dressing and costumes are of the film's period, the entirely decadent atmosphere of de Sade's writing really shines through as we watch the more dominant factors at play essentially 'break' this teenaged girl (Liljedahl was definitely of age here, but she looks younger than she was when the film was made). As such, you need to be prepared for some rather taboo subject material when voyaging down a cinematic rabbit hole such as this, but that's par for the course with most of Franco's films made during and after this period.

    Featuring plenty of exotic locations and fancy costumes to dress up the orgiastic proceedings in a veneer of class, the film moves at a good pace and features some pretty impressive set pieces, one of the most memorable being the scene in which Lee himself reads from de Sade's writings while a gaggle of participants indulge their carnal cravings all about him. It's odd seeing Lee in a film like this but he does a great job in the part, using his fairly regel screen presence well and really turning in a memorable performance. Jack Taylor and the beautiful Maria Rohm are also very good here, their on-screen relationship clearly alluding that their relations extend past simply sharing a parent while Paul Muller as Eugenie's lecherous father is also quite good. Really though, as good as the main cast members are it's Marie Liljedahl who is the most memorable here. She's gorgeous to be sure but you feel for her as she's put through a sexual ringer of sorts. The physical side of her performance is completely convincing and she really makes quite an impression here. It's also amusing to see Franco himself pop up in the movie as one of the men who appears in a scene best described as ritualistic.

    In terms of the film's production values, Franco and Towers are firing on all cylinders here. The cinematography is top notch (aside from the occasional focus issue) and the use of color is frequently stunning. The locations secured for the shoot suit the story perfectly and the wardrobe choices are both elegant and, in certain cases, quite alluring. Add to that a truly excellent score from composer Bruno Nicolai and it's easy to see why this film is as well regarded by both Franco fans and Euro-cult aficionados alike.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    Blue Underground presents Eugenie on Blu-ray in its proper 2.35.1 widescreen aspect ratio in an AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer that renders the previous DVD release obsolete by comparison. The first thing you're likely to notice here is the colors reproduction which, at times, is flat out stunning. Every hue is presented brightly and boldly yet it never seems oversaturated or too pumped up for its own good. Black levels are also very strong here, while skin tones also look lifelike and natural. This being a Franco film and all, it won't surprise those familiar with his work to note that there are occasional soft and out of focus shots, but that's just part of the man's style. Blue Underground's transfer is a very good one and the image is pretty much pristine.

    The English language DTS-HD Mono track, which comes with optional subtitles available in English SDH, French and Spanish, also sounds quite good. The jazzy score has nice depth and range to it while the dialogue is clean, clear, nicely balanced and easy to follow. There are no problems with any hiss or distortion and this just sounds more natural and lifelike than the thinner sounding DVD release.

    Carried over from that DVD release is the Perversion Stories featurette that runs seventeen minutes in length. Here we get some interesting interviews with Jess Franco, producer Harry Alan Towers and cast members Marie Liljedahl and Christopher Lee, though the latter two are featured here only briefly. Franco is his typical 'tell it like it is' self as he shares his thoughts on the film and the cast, Towers quickly offers some thoughts on how Liljedahl and Lee wound up in the film while Lee himself notes his surprise at being top billed in a film like this. Liljedahl is quite charming here as she talks about her appreciation for this particular film and how much she enjoyed working with some of her fellow cast members.

    New to this release is an eighteen minute piece called Stephen Thrower On Eugenie, which is what it sounds like - an interview with the man who wrote Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco about his thoughts on the film, how it compares to some of Franco's other films, the effectiveness of certain scenes and performances and quite a bit more. The disc also includes a theatrical trailer for the feature, a still gallery, menus and chapter selection. As this is a combo pack release we also get a DVD version (a downscaled version of the new Blu-ray disc, not a port of the older DVD release from years back) with identical features.

    There's more to it than just that, however. Along with the discs inside the Blu-ray case is a slick full color booklet containing an essay on the film by Thrower and a third disc which is a CD including the complete Bruno Nicolai soundtrack for the film - a very nice touch that should make a lot of Franco fans very happy. On top of that, if you're not keen on the newly commissioned painted cover art, the sleeve is reversible and features an alternate image on the flip side.

    The Final Word:

    Eugenie: The Story Of Her Journey Into Perversion is widely, and rightfully, regarded as one of Jess Franco's most polished pictures and it's hard to deny just what a great looking film this is. On top of that the cast all deliver fine work and the story is both alluring and intriguing. It still might not be enough to convince the naysayers but anyone with an interest in Franco should consider this one essential, particularly when offered up in such a beautiful package as this three disc set from Blue Underground.



    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!























    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    Last edited by Ian Jane; 12-08-2022, 12:53 PM.

    • Nabonga
      #5
      Nabonga
      Senior Member
      Nabonga commented
      Editing a comment
      It's a great film, I agree. I just wonder how someone in charge would let those shots stay in the finished product. It IS a photography fuck up, no matter how one slices it.

    • John Bernhard
      #6
      John Bernhard
      Senior Member
      John Bernhard commented
      Editing a comment
      Agreed, perhaps they were not checking their dailies daily, or simply did not have the time / budget to reshoot if they did in fact notice this. There are slightly out of focus shots in many a Franco film, ( many shot by Jess himself ) but the preponderance of them in EUGENIE, and the degree to which they are out, is really unfortunate, as it's one if his finest achievements.

    • Randy G
      #7
      Randy G
      Senior Member
      Randy G commented
      Editing a comment
      It is a gorgeous film. I do like the later Nestle-era films but if that level of intensity from that period could be combined with the look of this film, the best looking of the Tower films, we'd really have something.
    Posting comments is disabled.

Latest Articles

Collapse

  • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Quality X
    Released on: February 28th, 2024.
    Director: Chuck Vincent
    Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
    Year: 1982
    Purchase From Amazon

    Roommates – Movie Review:

    Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
  • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Radiance Films
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
    Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
    Year: 1969-1972
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

    Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
    ...
    03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
  • Nemesis (MVD Rewind Collection) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: MVD Rewind Collection
    Released on: January 8th, 2019.
    Director: Albert Pyun
    Cast: Olivier Gruner, Jennifer Gatti, Tim Thomerson
    Year: 1992
    Purchase From Amazon

    Nemesis – Movie Review:

    Albert Pyun's 1992 film Nemesis takes place in the future of 2027. Here it's common for criminals and cops alike to ‘upgrade' themselves using cybernetic bits and pieces in an effort to make themselves more than human. In this world
    ...
    03-13-2024, 11:22 AM
  • Bloodmoon (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Severin Films
    Released on: February 1st, 2024.
    Director: Alec Mills
    Cast: Leon Lissek, Christine Amor, Helen Thomson, Ian Williams
    Year: 1990
    Purchase From Amazon

    Bloodmoon – Movie Review:

    The directorial debut of Alec Mills, the cinematographer on such films as Polanski’s MacBeth and Return Of The Jedi, 1990’s Bloodmoon, a later period slasher film, is set around St. Elizabeth’s, an all-girls Catholic School
    ...
    03-07-2024, 03:55 PM
  • The Shining (Scream Factory) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Scream Factory
    Released on: March 12th, 2024.
    Director: Mick Garris
    Cast: Steven Weber, Rebecca De Mornay, Melvin Van Peebles, Courtland Mead
    Year: 1997
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Shining – Movie Review:

    Stephen King somewhat famously didn’t like Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of his novel, The Shining, so he signed on to work with Director Mick Garris on this three-part TV mini-series take which hit the airwaves
    ...
    03-07-2024, 03:50 PM
  • Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny (Shout! Factory) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Shout! Factory
    Released on: February 13th, 2024.
    Director: Liam Lynch
    Cast: Jack Black, Kyle Gass
    Year: 2006
    Purchase From Amazon

    Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny – Movie Review:

    Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny opens with a prologue where we meet a young man named Jables (JB, played by Jack Black) who, despite his strict religious upbringing, only wants to rock n roll. When his father tears down all of his posters
    ...
    02-29-2024, 06:17 PM
Working...
X