Justine
Tracking the career of Spanish "auteur" Jesus Franco is like trying to walk home drunk, you end up all over the place, multiple countries, varied versions containing more or less violence and nudity, numerous pseudonyms, a dizzying array of titles across numerous genres, they all however have one thing in common: They all conform to no particular style, they all refuse to do what you think they should do. As a artist/hack Franco's work falls into two categories, if he likes the project, they are spiralling descents into delirium, recognisable by the roving camerawork akin to a peeping tom seeing into a forbidden arena, however if Jess aint fussed they are dull, dull, dull, directed with all the verve of a Saga holiday.
Justine: adapted freely from the piece by the Marquis De Sade is a surprisingly lush experience with a quite beautiful Bruno Nicolai score, that offsets the true degradation of the story of young Justine whose attempts to live a righteous life are punished at every turn, whilst her sister who embraces vice, flourishes and succeeds at everything she tries. Franco tones down his usual jazz improv like style to deliver a very nice looking period feel and even more surprisingly given his long standing love for naked flesh and shocking violence reigns in most of the truly salacious elements of the tale. Amongst an international cast mention must be made of Jack Palance, a good film becomes a magnificent one upon his arrival in the story, off in a world of his own, under the control of beings from space, Palance goes to town delivering a performance that is the closest I have ever seen to the personification of a Franco film, his demented readings and motions are a wonder to behold. Whilst it is true that over the years Franco descended into nudie tripe and tired rehashes of his own work, for this piece (alongside Eugenie, Awful Dr. Orloff and Love Letters of A Portageuse Nun) he deserves much more recognition than he gets.
So there.
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