Voglia di sesso

****reviewing the Italian soft-core cut**** (I'm actually not sure whether there ever was a HC version, though some of the sex scenes do end very abruptly.)

This is one of those strange domestic dramas with soft-core porn content which D'Amato directed in the early 80s, just before homegrown hardcore became possible in Italy (with D'Amato's "Sesso Nero" probably being the first Italian hardcore movie).

All shot with three actors in one location: a house in the countryside. (There's a brief visit to town too, but nobody else ever shows up in front of the camera.)

As in "Sesso acerbo", D'Amato does not necessarily focus on the sex, but on the very different nature of the two cousins, their rivalry, and how they react differently to the opportunity of having sex with Mark Shannon's character. It plays much like a regular 'artsy' drama at times.

Pauline Teutscher plays her usual role as the MILF type (though virginal and bashful). She has also a weird thing going on with the picture of her uncle, whom she seems to have loved; she pleasures herself in bed while looking at it. In contrast, Laura Levi gets to flaunt her sexuality openly.

The soundtrack is a completely mixed bag, switching moods and style to the point of nausea. It starts off with a sinister and discomforting bugle solo, then smooth strings take over, with piano - much like a romantic concert. During the first sex scene, there's some weird paraphrase of Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" (no I'm not mistaken here), and a piece obviously inspired by Debussy's "L'après-midi d'un Faune" plays while Levi secretly fondles Shannon's dong under the table, during dinner.

Actual porn content: Plenty of vaginal closeups on both leading ladies, but no erection or penetration in sight. Levi has a shower scene, which I suspect to be taken from a different movie.