Die teuflischen Schwestern

Following a number of disappointments viewing some highly-regarded Jess Franco movies, I warily approached this Erwin C. Dietrich production - which came none too soon, considering that I'd had the VHS of SEXY SISTERS for six days before I could summon enough courage to try it!

It's similar to SINFONIA EROTICA (1979) in that its characters are motivated either by greed or sexual frustration, and in its general depravity. Like SINNER (1972), then, while the film purports to be the character study of a single nymphomaniac, sex is virtually the only thing all the characters - and, by extension, the director himself - think about!; having four women in the brew, for instance, was a bit much, though the nurse's character (torn between her 'boss', Jack Taylor, and her genuine feeling for Karine Gambier) is quite interesting.

The formal look of the film (especially interesting is the interior design of the sisters' mansion with its proliferation of feline imagery) extends itself to the trim plot line, the effective but unobtrusive score and the generally balanced performances (though it must be said that no member of the cast is particularly taxed by the level of acting necessitated by the film). Pamela Stanford gives a fine 'bad girl' performance in the style of Britt Nichols from A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD (1971). The predictable 'climax', however, ends the film on a bit of a whimper: a more dramatic conclusion would not have been amiss.

It's superficial in comparison with other Franco films, but made in a refreshingly self-mocking way (the early scene involving Stanford and the gear-shift of a car, the 'mannerisms' of the numerous studs who 'visit' Gambier {reminiscent of the campy sex films being made contemporaneously by Russ Meyer in the US}, the unorthodox way in which Taylor takes Gambier's temperature) that it's not really oppressive - despite the extensive nudity involved - as others I've watched had been. The relationship between the two sisters does not convince, however - particularly their age difference (which cannot be great) as revealed in a flashback. Besides Gambier does not display enough charisma to sustain her basically one-dimensional role (unlike Monserrat Prous in SINNER and Lina Romay in SINFONIA EROTICA); in fact, her constant 'whining' becomes fairly annoying - to say nothing of unintentionally funny - after a while! The film really falls to pieces every time the characters open their mouths...to speak, that is; for a sex film, it's got an awful lot of dialogue - and practically all of it's silly, would-be titillating talk!

I watched this via a 20-year old VHS: hideously dubbed as always; non-OAR; occasionally fading colors; and, most surprising of all, no credit titles! Even if the film has been released on DVD as part of VIP's "The Jess Franco Collection", it's not substantial enough to merit a purchase from me...

The most positive thing you can say about this movie is that it's looking fine. There's LOTS of sex and most of it manages to find the line between trashy and too clean; those are some good scenes and nearly nothing embarassing. Well done! Sadly, the movie is lacking in all other departments. The plot is paper-thin and the final resolution completely without any tension. The music - while not bad - pales in comparison to some other Jess Franco movies. And the camerawork, while excellent doing the sex scenes, stays boring and pedestrian during all other ones. (Man, what you could do on screen with a beautiful car like the Alpine ... no, doesn't happen).

Also, there is no levity ... it's much too serious for a movie with so much carnal lust; the only obvious "joke" is that the "hero", sporting a James Hunt hairdo, is wearing a Niki Lauda jacket ...

Not recommended save for Jess Franco completists.

Well here we go again. Sexy Sisters is yet another sleazy flick from the ludicrously prolific exploitation director Jess Franco. In this one, a woman imprisons her nymphomaniac sister by chaining her to a bed. This unfortunate lady's psychological state is a result of sexual abuse as a child and unbeknownst to her, her evil sister is going to exploit her condition even further in order to claim a huge family inheritance.

I know that I have just recounted the synopsis for this one but I'm not really too sure if I should really have bothered because like the vast majority of Franco movies, the story-line is at best not much more than an afterthought. This is very squarely a soft-core sex film whose extremely limited plot is no more than a way of stringing together a succession of sex scenes. They aren't in all honesty very erotic at all but are nevertheless pretty explicit. About as hard as a soft-core movie gets really. Franco directs events in the same manner than he seemed to direct most of his features by this point in his career, i.e. fast, to the point and with little concern for any finesse. So this one is consequently another of his films that is what it is, and if you've seen a few of his late 70's efforts you'll know what you're gonna get. Essentially you will have to have at least a passing interest in watching naked women cavorting about for extended periods as a basic prerequisite for getting anything out of this one. On a side note, regular Franco actor Jack Taylor pitches up in this one and immediately sticks a thermometer up a woman's butt. With that in mind, it's not so surprising that the story line wasn't such a strong point in this one.

The story of this movie is extremely clichéd. And like a Sexploitation film, most of the screen time is spent in nude or sex scenes. But the sea (French) and garden (Portuguese) locations, the extravagant mansions and the gorgeous women with great skin, the art and the beauty of the cinematography make it one of the best films of its kind. Unfortunately, right now, it's about as far as retro and a little intense softcore films go, but the people of the 30th century will understand the beauty of the film and "Jess Franco retrospective" will be a staple at film festival.

I watched this in fast forward mode to the sex scenes, which were, although not explicit, lenghty and frequent. Lots of boobs on show etc. The women look quite sexy although they aren't drop dead gorgeous. Acting was OK, dubbing was so-so too. Plenty of cheesy music, nice locations & 70's style. You could find a worse way to pass the time. The film is well shot and better than some other Franco efforts. It is available in a box set from Anchor Bay with a lot of other Franco films; Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun etc at a good price although some of the films are cut (BBFC) in UK. Not as good as Lulu's Talking Ass.