Mil sexos tiene la noche

Of the six Spanish Franco films I've watched from the late 70s and early 80s, this is easily the most satisfying; ironically, I had this DVD-R for a year and a half before deciding to check it out (and, in fact, hadn't watched any new title by the director since that time)!

The plot may be trite (made even less intelligible by the lack of English subtitles) but it's basically a pot-pourri of Franco's favorite themes set within familiar surroundings and, therefore, wholly fascinating (resembling most closely NIGHTMARES COME AT NIGHT [1970] but is actually superior to it) – the night-club act, the shady deal, the mystical influence, the duplicitous partner, the murders committed in a trance, the unlikely psychiatrist hero (played by the director himself). The film's trump card, then, resides in the typically dreamy visuals (which come across even in the print of variable quality that I watched – for instance, a most effective subliminal image of star Lina Romay about to carry out her first 'assignment') accentuated by the languid pace, the exotic Canary Island location and the score (a lovely romantic theme offset from time to time by weird ambient sounds).

Maybe I've been away too long but the copious sex scenes didn't feel overlong this time around, and weren't even as explicit as I had come to expect in a Franco film from this liberated era: two in particular were actually quite well done – the 15-minute drug-fuelled orgy which is the centre-piece of the film (culminating in multiple murder), and the scene towards the end between the heroine and one of her victims making love against a hotel window (highlighted by the intruding rays of the sun and the beach scenery being reflected on it). As in most of these cheaply-made but surprisingly accomplished films (save for the occasional jerky camera move or unwarranted zoom on female pubic hair!), the cast list assembled is very sparse – led, of course by Romay (plump but gorgeous in one of her best roles); the remaining actors, however, fare less well (with the villain coming off – no pun intended – as particularly ineffectual).

Until now, I hadn't been as impressed as I know others were with Franco's efforts from this particular phase in his career; however, Severin Films' decision to release a few of them on R1 DVD (which is in itself a brave move, given their high sexual content…but, then, there's always Franco's passionate and consistently enjoyable interviews to look forward to for the more casual fan!) may help to redress the balance and put a different perspective on this hitherto untapped and largely neglected period: two are already available – MACUMBA SEXUAL (1981; I actually watched this one via an unsubtitled DVD-R and liked it quite a bit) and MANSION OF THE LIVING DEAD (1982; which, in view of its affinity with Amando De Ossorio's cult "Blind Dead" series of films, I'm interested in regardless) – and with a couple more on the horizon – THE SEXUAL STORY OF O (1981; which, again, sounds intriguing) and THE INCONFESSABLE ORGIES OF EMMANUELLE (1982; decidedly unappetizing, unless anyone cares to chime in with a statement to the contrary!), one hopes that MIL SEXOS TIENE LA NOCHE (which roughly translates to NIGHT OF A THOUSAND SEXES, but its meaning is anybody's guess!) itself won't be too far behind

If IMDB is anything to go by, this would be one of nine films released by Jess Franco in 1984. Having watched the film, and knowing the mixed reputation for Franco's films in general, I was surprised by the quality of this film. Not only is it beautifully shot with great locations, the film has a careful pacing to compliment its delirious dream sequences and soundtrack. Yes, the ending is very sudden and a bit out of place, but it didn't ruin the overall experience of the film. Lina Romay drifts through her dreams with an almost ghost-like intensity that is underrated.

A very ambient experience that personally puts Franco in a new light for me.

Night Has a Thousand Desires (1984)

** (out of 4)

Irina (Lina Romay) and Fabian (Daniel Katz) are working as mediums and making a pretty good living at it. Before long Irina starts having horrible nightmares and soon she thinks that her dreams might actually be happening and she could be murdering men.

MIL SEXOS TIENE LA NOCHE is known under several different titles but it's basically a remake of two previous Jess Franco movies. I really wasn't a fan of Franco's NIGHTMARES COME AT NIGHT or VOODOO PASSION and I'm not really a fan of this third version either. Out of the three versions I think this one here is the best as there are plenty of good things about this picture but in the end it just didn't really keep me entertained.

Many have called in a drug orgy and that's a pretty good way to look at it. This film was made in 1984 but it certainly looks like something that would have been released in the late 60s because there's a lot of psychedelic moments and there's no question that it appears to be someone suffering from a drug high. I really thought that visually this was one of the director's most impressive films. The cinematography is extremely good and it's clear that a lot of thoughts went into the images, the music selection and especially the editing.

I thought Romay turned in a pretty good performance as the woman who is slowly falling apart not knowing what is real and what is reality. The screenplay is mainly visuals so there wasn't a need for a "performance" but Romay was good. The supporting cast isn't nearly as interesting thought. Those looking more more graphic sex or nudity will be disappointed. Yes, there's a lot of nudity from Romay but it's not really the main focus of the picture.

The biggest problem I had with the film is that it just didn't really draw me into it. If you can get caught up int he visuals then you'll probably enjoy the noir/mystery that is going on a bit more than I did. To me the film just didn't work nearly as well as it could have. Everything is there on a technical level but the story just doesn't work.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Night Has A Thousand Desires; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 0.50 Direction: 1.50 Pace: 0.75 Acting: 0.75 Enjoyment: 0.75

TOTAL: 4.25 out of 10.00

Finally, after all the rubbish Franco's put out, Night Has A Thousand Desires isn't too bad. The story is poor; however, it remains one of Franco's best-cinematised projects - up to this point in my viewing.

Franco has some decent ideas when it comes to storylines. The trouble is he writes the whole script, and his skill at structuring and developing characters is nearly non-existent. I wished he'd passed the synopsis over to a more talented scribe. In Night, we have the story of Irina and Fabian, two performers in a mind-reading act. But things aren't going well for Irina. She's dreaming of disturbing sexual encounters that always end in death for her partner, whether they're male or female. But are they dreams? Could they be premonitions? Worse yet, could they be real memories? This story would've been a decent murder mystery with a hint of the supernatural had Franco worked on it harder. Sadly he didn't, so the audience gets flat and dull characters that they can't relate to or emphasise with. Regrettably, the letdowns keep coming. Franco fails to build the thriller elements, which makes it even more tedious. I'm sorry to say I can't think of anything nice to mention storywise. But the narrative appears to be the main stumbling block in Franco's films.

Then we get onto the direction, and here, Franco displays some fine skills. Most of the scenes are well-structured and composed. He uses light to varying degrees. When we are in the club where the augurs perform, he lets the beautiful coloured leaded windows shine with their radiant hues and tones. This imagery works best in later scenes when there's no other light but the reds, greens, golds, and blues of sunlight through glass, bordered by deep shadows. Then when we go to Lorna's luxurious house, everything glows with a clean brightness. The only feature that Franco has difficulty with in the cinematography is the tempo. It's way too slow. Mixed with the tedious storyline, he's produced a gorgeously filmed, though uninteresting and lifeless movie. And though he tries to spice things up with some sex scenes, it's so spiritless it's like watching cadavers cavort.

When I looked at the cast list on IMDb, I giggled. Let me explain. The cast is Franco's usual band of performers. And yes, his missus, Lina Romay, takes the lead once again as psychic Irina. But this time, we find a new face on the roster - Daniel Katz as Fabian. And, what a surprise because the guy appears to be an actor. He doesn't do too badly. But lo and behold, another actor has voiced his lines. Antonio Mayans. Mayan's verges on petrified wood to okay. After seeing him in a couple of Franco's flicks, I can state that I'm not a great fan. But it would appear he works better when he's off camera. This vocal performance is some of his best work, and that's giggle-inducing.

I suggest staying away from this film if you're not a fan of Jesus Franco's work - and I understand there are many out there (and I can understand why). He was a prolific director, and I'm waiting to find the movie where the story, direction, and performances all gell. Until then, I'll keep plodding through the dregs of celluloid and videotape. But this was better than most.

Okay, Irina. This gentleman has given me a prized possession. Can you tell me what it is? That's right; it's his IMDb lists - Absolute Horror, Killer Thriller Chillers, and The Game Is Afoot. Can you tell the audience where he rated Night Has A Thousand Desires, or do they have to read the lists? Maybe they could find something better to watch too?

Take Care & Stay Well.

This obscure Golden Films production got to pop the Franco-cherry on my new movie projector. It was just the right choice! Lina Romay, chubby like she just walked out of an Anders Zorn-painting, plays Irena (Female Vampire flashbacks, anybody?) who's part of a kind of hypnosis nightclub act with the magician Fábian. He's not a very nice guy and uses his hypnotic powers to use poor Irena as an instrument of vengeance, sleeping with and killing off his enemies. Or is the whole set up just part of her nightmares? An unusually good, hypnotic (in both meanings of the word) sleaze flick that really shows what Franco can achieve with extremely limited resources - some hotel rooms, a handful of actors (the same old faces that's in all films from this period), a film camera and some re-used Daniel White music. Man, I really love this stripped down Golden Films stuff when it's done right and this films is much closer in spirit to, say, Macumba Sexual than Mansion of the Living Dead. Parts of the film are almost delirious. There's a thick, intimate atmosphere and interesting experimental photography. Some scenes are almost bordering on the poetic, for example we have a beautifully shot long kiss filmed through a glass door, bathing in sunlight. Say what you want about Lina's acting capacity but here she gives all she's got, somewhat reprising her roles in Female Vampire and Doriana Gray. Even though the story itself is more similar to Nightmares Come at Night. Highly recommended!