Monamour

I suppose I understand the young couple who apparently picked up DVD of this film because it was described as an 'erotic thriller'. Something lost in translation there , I think. And for those who take exception to the non PC and violent elements, I guess if this is your first Tinto Brass movie you could be forgiven for being taken aback that this is not all silky hand upon silky thigh to the drone of some appalling musak. But, come on everybody else, this is Mr Brass, this is Italian, so we get gutsy action, bottoms up, bottoms open and even bottoms on the toilet. True, we are given to understand that the leading lady is fantasizing/desiring all of this whereas it is of course, Mr Brass who is in charge of the fantasies portrayed, but then this is only a movie. Anna Jimskaia comes from Tashkent, Uzbekistan and has been a circus performer and gymnast, so no wonder she can bend that bottom high and so beautifully. Max Parodi is a little over the top as her failing husband but Riccardo Marino is suitably moody as her 'French' lover. This may be a bit vigorous for some, lifelike prosthetic penises make you wonder, why not the real thing but whilst perhaps not the ideal first date movie, I reckon you get what's on the can

Delivering on the strengths of beloved director Tinto Brass in seemingly his final feature film of his career. After watching his prior 1992's film, both films are somewhat similar in styles, tones and overall erotica of explicitness. However that film's leading woman was a lot more likeable as opposed to the lead in this film "Monamour" who simply comes across as manipulating her ways throughout with teases of each men for her desire. As with his style, there are constant random close up shots to woman's bottoms and privates', and brief explicit scenes. The plot flows as an art house soft core with minimal dialogue.

If you've never seen a Tinto Brass movie, this is not a good place to start. Tinto is at his best when he's not taking himself seriously, and in Monamour he attempts some sort of depth that he just can't pull off. What's worse, the plot feels like a recycled version of one of his better films - 1992's Cosi fan Tutte - but with all the wrong choices made; Cosi fan Tutte was light-hearted and featured a strong female lead in Claudia Koll, who was in charge of her own fate the whole time; the lead in Monamour is a despicable and unlikable character who succumbs to the will of men around her. While the two characters end up having similar journeys, the viewer just can't forgive Monamour's Marta as he did Diana from Cosi fon tutte. And the fact that the movie takes itself so seriously makes the erotica disturbing and off-putting, unlike the playfulness in Cosi fon Tutte.

Monamour has good cinematography and some well-shot sex scenes which are both a given with Tinto, but the sex is more disturbing than it is enticing. While Cosi fon Tutte was almost feminist (sort of) and is lots of fun for a couple to watch together, Monamour feels more like a horny old man's fantasy, and it just doesn't work.

It is an erotic and sensuous play around a very sexual woman who doesn't get it enough from her husband. Don't expect any semblance of real lifeism, expression of feelings and so on. Its a Tinto movie! Well, it is actually more of Anna Jimskaia's flick than Tinto's. She is a feast to watch, especially when she appears sans clothes or is in revealing attire which she is a lot many times throughout the film. Some of the clothes she wears are so "Tinto"! It is a film, a B-movie to be specific (its not a porn film) with a story and a script.

But it feels like a remix of the director's older movies. It tries to play out suggestive sexuality but in a way, it stops short of it. The psychological surge of sensuality and kink that is a characteristic of Tinto is there but is not as strong in his other films like The Voyeur. That is why feels like there is nothing much in the way of the movie. The performances of the cast could have been stronger but it is the relative weakness of script has played its part in the not-that-strong characterization of the cast.

It a turn-you-on movie. Nothing much but I like it the way it is. Worth watching just for every scene of Anna Jimskaia and the camera that's on to her!

Tinto Brass is still probably best known in the English speaking world for "Caligula", however most people don't realize that he's had quite the career up through today making soft-core erotica, the type of which hasn't been made much since about the 1970s.

What sets Tinto apart is that he has a very specific list of things that obviously turn him on such as: unshaven underarms, mirrors, infidelity, and most famously, the female rear end. All of these tend to show up in all of his films, including "Monamour". So, it can sometimes feel like if you've seen one Tinto Brass film then you have seen them all. They differ however in quality of script, actors, and scenery. "Monamour" is paint by numbers Tinto Brass. Tinto fans will find all of the usual hallmarks in this film, however little more. I am a bigger fan of his earlier films that I feel have better plots, acting, and scenery while touching upon the exact same themes as this one.

As other reviewers have commented, it feels like later day Tinto films feature female characters who are less realistic than in his earlier films, and certainly no woman in real life would ever act like the lead character in "Monamour" who basically can't say no to any man (or woman) who wants to touch her. This is pure male fantasy, making this film a bad choice I think for couples, especially when compared to Tinto's earlier films. A single male however, provided that he enjoys the same things Tinto enjoys can enjoy this film just fine, especially as Anna Jimskaia is one of the more beautiful Tinto Brass leading ladies in my opinion, and you do see a lot of her!