One of the most interesting Italian porn films of the 1980s, this is part of a series of co-productions between Italy and France, directed by Andrea Bianchi, although for many years it was believed that the director was Pierre B. Rienhard, due to the use of the pseudonym "Myke Strong" in the French version. In the Italian video release, the director appears as being "George Curor", a pseudonym previously used by Roberto Bianchi Montero in his brief venture into the XXX market, what made even more confuse the question regarding the paternity of this film.
The shooting date is unknown, although I suspect it was filmed between late 1983 and early 1984. Not even the authors of "Luce Rossa - La Nascita E Le Prime Fasi Del Cinema Pornografico In Italia" mention the film's production date, so it must be impossible to find out.
The plot is quite intriguing: a widowed countess named Marina (played by a splendid Dominique Saint Claire) is obsessed with the virility of a horse given to her by her late husband. The latter (played by a sordid Gabriel Pontello) materializes in what appear to be the countess's fantasies (or is it the count's ghost?), and both engage in a series of sexual encounters, some of them involving other people.
In these times of over political correcteness, the film can generate a lot of controversy due to its main theme of bestiality and other "extreme" sexual acts. However, except for the "golden shower" sequence involving the legendary Marina Hedman, all the rest was clearly faked. No real bestiality was performed here, as a prothesis was used to simulate the horse's c*ck. However, Bianchi was very efficient in creating a general atmosphere of sick debauchery, with the help of dialogues full of offensive terms, that may disturb a sensitive audience.
The ambiguity surrounding Pontello's character adds an interesting touch of supernatural. He could be a mere creation of the countess' imagination, as she misses a lot her beloved husband, but he also could be a ghost. Bianchi managed to build an effective morbid and uneasing atmosphere, despite the limitations in terms of narrative imposed by the porn genre. The photography is excellent, despite the poor quality of the print I watched, and the music sometimes fits so well the images that looks like composed for the movie, although no one is credited in this department and the genre is known for making use of library cues.
A movie like this never will be restaured and released on Blu-ray. A shame, as it deserved to be rediscovered and watched having in mind that it was the product of a different era, ruled by another mentality.
