Eugenie - The Story Of Her Journey Into Perversion [1969] [DVD]

Beautifully shot in a dreamy coastal landscape, with the awesome Marie Liljedahl and Maria Rohm, it is undoubtedly one of Franco's finest achievements. Dont know why the Amazon details of the film (year and cast) get their facts so wrong- so check the web for further details.

Anyway, buy it. And look out for Christopher Lee's interview in the extras. It is one of funniest little vignettes I have seen for a long time.

Although it passes the time on first viewing, that really isn't enough to justify my recommending it for repeated home viewing. Perhaps if I leave it for a few years. The extras are entertaining, particularly Christopher Lee's interview. I would be interested in other collaborations between Lee and Franco. On this occasion, he just popped in to do a weird narration.

I agree with the other reviewer: the girl playing Eugenie has a splendid derriere and the scene where she makes out with Maria Rohm is pleasant. Otherwise, you can't help feeling that something like this pales beside, say, Quills starring Geoffery Rush. The movie's content does seem today rather unsensational, too tame to be exploitative of either cast or audience.

To sum up then, a curiosity for those interested in weird films, but of no lasting interest. I await a customer review of the new Jess Franco Collection Boxset.

This film fails for three reasons: the acting, the direction, and the script.

Firstly, the acting. To say that Marie Liljedahl is no Soledad Franco would be a little unfair; after all, who is? However, that is no reason for Marie Liljedahl’s performance to grate in every scene - and she is in most scenes. Half the time she fumbles in front of the camera without a clue as to what she should be doing, although this may be the director’s fault. She isn’t helped by the fact that this is an English language production and her voice is so-very-obviously dubbed. She also has to play opposite Maria Rohm, who excels, as does Christopher Lee. Everyone else is pants.

Secondly, the direction. Jess Franco comes over like an amateur film maker with no real idea of what to do. His over use of the red filter, his clumsy editing, and his inability to direct Marie Liljedahl damns the film completely. Although this is obviously made be the same director that made Eugenie de Sade the following year, his flair seems to have deserted him here. Maybe he needs Soledad Miranda to inspire him?

Thirdly, the script. The idea of an innocent girl being corrupted until she becomes evil is a fascinating theme. Sadly, the script handles it in such a kack-handed manner that I failed completely to believe that Eugenie would behave in such a way. She would be traumatised by her experiences, not corrupted.

So there you have it. A pretty bad film. It has one redeeming point: Marie Liljedahl’s bottom. If she wasn’t voted Rear of the Year in 1969 when this film was made, then she should have been. However, if this is not reason enough to buy this DVD, then buy Eugenie de Sade instead. Now there is a minor classic.