La compagna di viaggio

A woman wants to commit a heist in a night train. She has an accomplice in a cigar smoking baron. There are more pretty women in this compartment, all having strange relationships with their male travel companions, respectively a psychiatrist, a member of parliament and a gigolo.

The rating of 4,5 for this film seems a bit harsh in comparison with other Italian 'erotic films' from this decade. This is a film that actually has some erotic moments, has at least some story going on, contains a few humorous bits and shows decent acting.

The erotic vibe is mainly due to gorgeous actresses who obviously know how to use their charisma's. Anna Maria Rizzoli, for example, is great as a woman with a strong, independent personality. This is probably her best film. But I also liked the 'insecure' characters played by Annie Belle (known for Laure) and Serena Grandi. Even the male actors were decent, with steady performances from Gastone Moschin (known for his part in Il Conformista) and Raf Luca, who quit acting not long after this film.

I think the key is that this film is unexpectedly well directed. Ferdinando Baldi, who wrote and directed the film, was an experienced director on this point, making westerns since the fifties. He used his feeling for aesthetics in this film. Yes, of course, there are also silly things. There's so much smoking in this film, it seems as if a tobacco company produced the film. And what a fantastic steady train is this! The last ten or so minutes are superfluous. And especially the male characters are caricatures. But it is a pleasant watch nonetheless, I rate it 6/10.