The Diabolical Mr. Franco

Eurotika!: The Diabolical Mr. Franco (1999)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This episode of Eurotika! takes a look at the career of Jess Franco and features interviews with the man himself, producer Daniel Lesoeur, Michael Lemoine, Monica Swinn, Nigel Wingrove, Brigitte Lahaie and Caroline Munro. At just 23-minutes, needless to say that this thing can't cover the entire filmmography of Franco but I think it does a good job at giving a few ideas about who the man is and what his films represent. I think those unfamiliar with the work of Franco will really enjoy seeing this as it's actually a very good way to get used to his type of films and it certainly lets you know what you're getting into. Actor Lemoine tells a terrific story of how he was hired to make two pictures with Franco but each day he'd show up not knowing which movie he was shooting the scene for and after a while he finally realized that Franco was having him shoot scenes for a third picture. Swinn talks about the type of director Franco is and Munroe tells a story about being warned about Franco. There's a brief section that is devoted to Lina Romay as we hear about how Franco found her. Overall, this is certainly far from perfect but it's an entertaining episode that Franco fans should enjoy.