JESS THE RIPPER!

By day Dr. Dennis Orloff (Kinski) treats London's paupers at his private clinic. By night he cruises the seedy streets, brothels and cabarets, picks up prostitutes who he later rapes, slashes to ribbons and disposes of in the 'Thames' (actually a canal in Zurich). The Ripper's case is being leiusurely investigated by Inspector Selby, who's more preoccupied with courting a ballet dancer (Josephine Chaplin). Eventually the police (aided by a blind street beggar!) do catch up with the notorious murderer in a very anticlimatic finale.

In Jack the Ripper Franco creates the ultimate outcast. A hero tormented by society's false moral code, leading a solitary existence and periodically venting his frustration by explosions of violence. From Dr. Orloff in his many incarnations to Dr. Flamand in FACELESS, not to forget Mathis Vogel of EXORCISM - this ostracised, violent loner is a stock JF character.

Herbert Fux (MARK OF THE DEVIL) plays a fisherman who discovers that Kinski is the Ripper and foolishly tries to blackmail him. Fux also shared screen with Kinski in Herzog's disturbing VOYZECK. Josephine Chaplin went on to appear in Franco's last big-budget affair, the little talked about DOWNTOWN HEAT/CIUDAD BAJA.

in company of WICKED WOMEN

A beautiful villa by the lake. Two naked blood-splattered bodies inside.
The cops arrive on the scene, to find hysterical Lina Romay hiding in the attic.

Skip WICKED WOMEN.
The fairly interesting opening aside, this is just a standard erotic film.
Poorly-staged action is sort of fun, but all the sex is too softcore and dull.

Franco creates a world where fucking is everywhere.
All the characters are constantly groping each other.
This ever-present nudity is montonous.
Like those endless close-ups of zombies getting shot through the head in Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD, repeated ad infinitum.

What works: A few blurry, tricky shots and a grand WTF moment when a black-clad assassin suddenly pops up.

The music is the same as in other Erwin C. Dietrich productions of the era.
You might have heard these cues in JACK THE RIPPER or LOVE CAMP, for instance.

This throwaway film gets first-class treatment from Elite Entertainment, while Jess' more exciting work, such as PLAISIR A TROIS, remains without a good DVD presentation. Shame.

playing with BARBED WIRE DOLLS (1976)

Cheap looking, bored female extras armed with toy guns are guarding some decaying ruins on a small island (supposedly a women's prison). Hot female inmates spend the time talking crap, smoking and masturbating in their cells, represented by painted canvas-and-plasterboard sets.
BARBED WIRE DOLLS is yet another variation on Franco's own 99 WOMEN, shot for a price of a takeaway meal.

In JF films I pay the most attention to the camerawork. Unlike the simple, repetitive plots and stories of the actual films, camerawork speaks volumes about the creator of this trash universe. There's someone behind the camera who has a child's immence curiosity in exploring the space. Zooming in and out of background. Shifting focus seemingly for the sake of it. Panning away from the supposed main action to capture something accidental. This raw, unrehearsed quality of 'a film in the making' is both a blessing and a curse of JF cinema.

Anyone who has ever tried making a film all by himself, without support or experience, won't be able to write JF films off as worthless. They are attempts at cinema. Admirable attempts, even when resulting films are boring (BARBED WIRE DOLLS can be very slow). But the film is worth a look. Witness that jaw-dropping 'simulated slow-motion' flashback, see young and pretty Lina Romay, enjoy yet another strong performance from the ever-reliable Paul Muller.

No passion for murder: LA TERZA MADRE(2007)

They call her Mater Lacrimarum - the trashiest of the three and the least convincing...

There's no denying we have a bona fide bad movie classic here.

Plot in one sentence: Asia Argento gets chased by a monkey, has to trudge through an underwater river of puke and features in a 100% gratuitous shower scene.

LA TERZA MADRE is a hodgepodge of bad CGI, nice prosthetics, silly story and wild overacting.
Sergio Stivaletti's hugely uneven THE WAX MASK comes to mind as the next of kin.
There's the obligatory taxi ride, the Three Mothers Book, Varelli and Suzy Banyon are mentioned.
No amount or references can make LA TERZA MADRE a legitimate entry into the trilogy.
Stylistic unity established by the first two films has been disrupted.
Argento destroys the mythos built up by the previous two films.
The soundscape is disappointingly poor.

In the last shot of the film the surviving protagonists are laughing hysterically - seemingly at the very film which they had to participate in.

Argento's recent films are best appreciated if one forgets about his 'classic' early stuff.
The fact that LA TERZA MADRE is the final installment in the Three Mothers Trilogy makes comparisons to his past work inevitable, and these comparisons are not in favour of LA TERZA MADRE.
It's to Argento what DEMONIA was to Fulci - a botched rehash of once interesting themes.
The film is not scary. Neither were INFERNO and SUSPIRIA.
Those were two unique films though, Dario having really achieved something original with them.
I'd prefer the trilogy unfinished.

Something trashy this way comes...

Fred Anderson, the Swedish writer/actor/director/producer/publisher has now decided
to turn his hand to releasing DVD's.
He's launching a label called Attackafant Entertainment.

Among the first releases will be the amazingly titled Thai film KILLER ELEPHANTS (1976)
I haven't seen this film, but, judging by the reviews and artwork, it's pretty amazing.

Attackafant Entertainment is also planning to put out Godfrey Ho's cut-and-paste epic THUNDER OF GIGANTIC SERPENT (1988) on a quality DVD.

Those interested should visit THE HOUSE OF NINJA DIXON for more information.