Playboys

This flick is a trademark of Brass' films: lots of crotch shots, voyeurism and posterior views of women's rears.

The story starts out about a girl, Carla, who is in London looking for a flat. She gets a break when the realtor is a lesbian and makes sexual advances. Carla's boyfriend, Matteo, gets jealous as he senses his woman is being unfaithful.

This movie has the same plot as "All the Ladies Do It." Nothing original is here, especially the ending when it seems the director says it's okay for a woman to cheat on her man. Oh brother.

All in all, if you like Brass' style of erotic cinema, you'll like Monella 2.

This movie was pretty shocking at first, but shortly became just ridiculous, it was filled with silly scenes, and no real plot, lots of genitalia even more than derrière. If you are looking for a titillating, plot less, sex-filled, gratification centered, Italian dud...this would be my pick. I suppose it would have helped to know that subtitles weren't available on this film, but after a few minutes one understands that no subtitles are necessary, as it is easy to figure out, without them. Good to watch if you are enticed by lipstick lesbian love, and Italian horny boys and girls doing it. Great eye candy, and masturbation material/sex material. It was visually and physically exciting, but mentally void of anything worthwhile.

Bright, cheery, pretty and very sexy with super outfits lots of nudity including many a very real looking prosthetic penis. There may be some silly seriousness here with the Italian title being a play on words with transgression and betrayal and references within the film suggesting female unfaithfulness is a good quality. All very well I suppose if you are big fat and rich with a penchant for watching your girl with someone else, eh Mr Brass? Nevertheless I loved it and it's settings of Venice and London although actually in reality this seemed all shot on a set apart from outdoor scenes in a London park. Well paced, well shot and surprisingly well dubbed. The Ukrainian leading lady a sheer delight although if we are talking bottoms here, and we are for a lot of the film, I would not have thought hers her best asset. Probably the best of Tinto Brass's such outings.

Some films are simply about the appeal of one character. That's all that matters.

There seem to be two types: those that depend on the charm of attractive women, and those that have to work some other engagement. Often that's the acting challenge.

I'm thinking in particular of Audrey Hepburn and "Funny Face." The story and all else is there only to showcase the woman; She is only there for us and we for her. Soft porn should be the place we see much of this, simply because it affords a wider set of seductive options. But it just isn't so. I think there are several reasons for this. When a film is marketed as smut, expectations aren't very high and what you usually get is something that is measured as less than "the real thing."

Tinto Brass, in some of his later films tries to make something genuinely seductive I think, something that is itself. And he has a good eye, a good cinematic sense. Unfortunately for me, what he thinks is seductive in terms of body types doesn't score. Its a cultural thing.

But what he aims for is casual intimacy, the type of casualness that isn't deliberately seductive, but the center of being of the woman. So when you see the nude actress, it is more likely to be her lounging around the house. Its a study in a woman.

A second reason you see this so little is, well, there are few women on screen who can charm like say Audrey Hepburn. The ones that can act go to a different market. The ones who can't end up in the higher paying "adult industry." So it must be quite a challenge for Brass to find a woman sufficiently natural in a sexual appeal to built a film around.

The story in this case if you don't know it is that he found this woman as a waitress in a pizza place and charmed her into the role. She IS successful at being what he needs, apparently because its what she really is. So in a way, its a documentary, if you subtract out the story, which you'll do even if you aren't interested in the process.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

This movie makes me ashamed of the modern soft-core American porn that I see on the premium cable channels. Every part of a woman's body is shown, without apologies. You could say that no punches have been pulled; HOWEVER, the sex and nudity aren't treated as punches. Penises, both flaccid and erect are shown, as if the average adult actually knew what one was.

It is a beautiful movie, if one likes the female form. The movie's star is gorgeous with no silicon or evidence of a personal trainer. There is a plot, but it doesn't get in the way of the movie very much. The dialog is stupid, but sincere. They don't make movies like this anymore and I doubt that they ever will.