Love Rites

Starring:Marina Pierro, Mathieu CarriÃ¨re, Josy Bernard, Isabelle Tinard, Jacques Couderc, Guy Bonnafoux, Claudine Berg, Lucette Gill, Julian Lee, Jennifer Ford, Sabrina Belleval, Jean-Raphael Sessa, Jean NÃ©groni
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Studio: Cult Epics
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
The last film by the great Walerian Borowczyk, about the terrors of seduction. When Hugo (Mathieu Carriere) meets Myriam (Marino Pierro), a prostitute who picks up her clients on the Paris Metro, he soon becomes obsessed with her sultry beauty and follows her to a flat owned by the mysterious Sara Sand, where he consumates his passion. Suddenly he finds the rules of the game have changed as Myriam is now in charge of hs body and his soul. A macabre love poem from the Director of "The Beast" and Immoral Tales".

Amazon.com

Herman Raucher's autobiographical (or first person, anyway) coming-of-age tale is set, as the title suggests, among sand dunes and departing GIs. Hermie (Gary Grimes) and his two buddies Oscar (Jerry Hauser) and the nerdy Benjie (Oliver Conant) are spending the summer doing the things preadolescents do: hanging out, eating ice cream, stealing "dirty" books from their parents, and trying unsuccessfully to act manly around the gawky girls they take to the movies. Then Hermie spoils everything by really falling in love, this time with the adorable older woman Dorothy, played by Jennifer O'Neill. Dorothy's husband conveniently leaves for duty overseas, and then, even more conveniently, becomes one of those "we regret" telegrams. Dorothy, desperate for comfort and sweetness, turns to Hermie--and surely makes his summer. The setting and the date give this movie a double helping of nostalgia for anyone who was once an adolescent boy desperately trying to get rid of both his callowness and his virginity. But the slow pace and dreamy atmosphere, courtesy of Robert Mulligan's direction and Michael Legrand's famous score, may give it less appeal to anyone who is still in that situation. --Richard Farr

Customer Reviews:

Definitely in the top 100 of all time.......2007-03-21

I first saw this movie in 1977 when I was 16 years old. It had come out a few years earlier and had a revival at a theatre in Manhattan. I went to see it on a Saturday, stayed for a second time. Went back the next Saturday and saw it again, then the next Saturday. Then it left and I was heartbroken until the VCR came into being!!!

It is a classic love story, touching, warm, passionate, just 3 guys hanging out in Nantucket for the summer. I can relate, I did it on Long Island at that age. They perfectly set up what the young mind goes through. When jennifer o'neil appeared many a young boys hearts fluttered--man she was gorgeous. The muscial score sets the tone for the entire movie. It's absolutely beautiful and will stay with you long after you have seen the film.

This is a movie that most likely wouldn't be made today. There are no more classics like this. Movies today involve violence, car chases, explosions and are geared for 18 year olds. A soft warm story such as this just wouldnt be made and thats sad----the classics are becoming fewer and fewer and only the magic of DVD's and video preserves these classics.

I can understand where people write about the double standard. This movie shows relations between a 15-16 year old boy and a 25 year old woman. But somehow its not bothersome---its done so tastefully and is not the crux of the story. If it was reversed, they are right, there would have been an uproar so there is a double standard. But just buy this or rent it and be mesmerized. A masterpiece.

Very Moving.......2007-01-23

Summer of 42, one of the little jewels of the Golden 70's, Robert Mulligan, a veteran Director (The Rain Must Fall and This Time Next Year) hits pay dirt with a wistful coming of age story during early WW2. The obsession of our 15-year-old boy is Jennifer O'Neill. O'Neil says goodbye on a New England island beach as her husband goes off to war. The boys, Gary Grimes, and friends see her across the sand dunes as a sex object. This reminded me very much of a far more complex film by Giuseppe Tornatore, Melina, which is fairly recent, an Italian knockout abandoned by her army husband. In Melina and the earlier Paridisio, the sexuality of young teens is the topic of wistful nostalgia.

Filmed in 1971, this island is fine for 1940's beach houses, so add a few 1930's cars and bobby soxer clothing and we have a lovely recreation. The boys want to do it, calculating whether their Saturday night date will allow further experimentation. Grimes, a handsome, but naive teen has been hanging around, doing odd jobs for O'Neill. He is quite stimulated while she pines for her serviceman. Then a tragedy throws O'Neil and Grimes into a desperate tryst. It's very moving actually. This is a wonderful film of an earlier era.

An Unforgettable Coming of Age Movie.......2007-01-11

I first saw this when I was barely 12. Now, nearly three decades later, having seen it again, the movie has lost none of its sense of wonder and pathos. Jennifer O'Neil has to be one of the most sultry women ever to have graced the screen in the 70s. Her beauty and sex appeal are more evident than ever in this decently remastered DVD. The melancholic love theme will resonate long after the movie's over. And the 2 main characters, who live on the fringes of mainstream society, start a romance that just cannot be sustained. His a teenager and she's a married woman. Their parting is always imminent. But knowing that midway through the movie does nothing to diminish its watchability. In fact, that makes it even more rivetting. This movie does not pale in comparison to Casablanca. At times, it's even better than that well-known Bogart classic. It's really about 2 very lonely souls who find comfort in each other's arms. A more recent treatment of this theme is found in Sofia Coppola's equally admirable Oscar-winner, Lost in Translation. But in Summer of '42, lies something more deeply rewarding for the audience who's watching it today. There is an all-consuming nostalgia that envelopes you because this is a highly original love story that came from a time when innocence and sexuality could blend together with a sweet, melancholic afterglow. One of the best romantic movies ever made. You can watch it over and over again. Unforgettable.

Unforgettable, Cherished Summer of 42.......2006-10-30

I just had to get this movie just so I could remember it from when I first saw it at the movies in the early 70s and to see the similarites from the movie The Inkwell (1994). Even my youngest daughter noticed the similarities watching it by herself. The only differences are; when the setting took place in the summer of 1942 from 1976, Nantucket Island from Martha's Vineyard, not white but African American. Both young teen males lost their virginity to older married woman, Summer of 42 she lost her husband in the war; The Inkwell, the husband was cheating on her, both women are sad and found comfort in these young men. The Inkwell being a little more funnier, Summer of 42 was still GOOD, SAD and SWEET (like another person puts it)and had some funny scenes too. Like Hermie going to the Drug Store trying to buy condoms (rubbers, hahah!!) and Oscy (Hermie's best friend)trying desperately to get his 1st lay and trying to follow instructions from a Medical book on foreplay leading to sex and exceeding it...haha!! Also Summer of 42 the possibilites of that happening to a normal young man was more realistic. In The Inkwell Lorenz Tate's character was a too weird and awkward teenage boy almost like Benji, Hermie's other best friend who was just too shy to be with girls his own age. But in the end that's something Hermie will never forget and will cherish for the rest of his life.

Summer of 42.......2006-08-21

Excellent movie that we had been having difficulty finding at nearby locations.

Average customer rating:

What a twist at the end!!!
Fun Potboiler B-movie
GREAT FLICK!!!
High "sleaze"
High "sleaze"

Last Rites
Starring: Tom Berenger , Daphne Zuniga , Chick Vennera , Anne Twomey , and Dane Clark
Director: Donald P. Bellisario
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002V7O5G
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Description

Tom Berenger (Platoon) and Daphne Zuniga (The Sure Thing) set the screen ablaze in this controversial tale of a love affair between a priest and a sexy woman. A relentlessly entertaining tale of lust, betrayal and revenge with a shocking final twist, Last Rites administers equal measures of white-knuckle suspense and white-hot romance. A Mafia hit a vulnerable witness a man of the cloth with a secret past. When Father Michael Pace (Berenger) finds himself drawn to the mistress (Zuniga) of a brutally murdered mobster, he risks his life, his standing and even his faith to protect her in this riveting thriller that will keep you guessing until the final frame.

Customer Reviews:

What a twist at the end!!!.......2006-02-20

This was a terrific character study, as well as some action as well. The twist at the end was totally unexpected, but looking back, one could see how it was going to that. I really liked the movie because it has a very young Adrian Paul (better known for his Highlander role, Duncan MacCleod); only a bit part, and a bad boy at that. Very good movie!

Fun Potboiler B-movie.......2002-12-16

Another vote for "guilty pleasure". This movie was implausable, a bit tacky, tawdry, but I enjoyed it anyway. An entertaining yarn. Just don't expect to feel too edified at the end of the movie! It's over-melodramatic typical B-movie fare. Also, some people might be upset by the filmmakers' obvious agenda to get a priest involved in a love affair. And let's face it, we all can tell that this is where the film is headed from the beginning.

The main stars, Tom Berenger and Daphne Zuniga are fine. Tom Berenger always does well as the handsome, tormented and conflicted hero; Daphne Zuniga was very pretty, but I was little confused about her role. There were elements of sleaze to her part (the first scene she's in certainly qualifies) and maybe she's not the best actress for sleaze. I haven't quite made up my mind about that. But still, she was capable enough.

If you are a fan of either Berenger or Zuniga, and don't mind a somewhat tacky, implausable B-movie, you'll get a kick out of this film.

GREAT FLICK!!!.......2002-07-07

This movie is great on two levels: 1) The story is a bit far- fetched, but it is believable due some fine acting. The stars work well together to turn this into an enjoyable movie.
2) Daphne Zuniga gets naked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

High "sleaze".......2001-09-11

I own this video; I am on a fixed income so have to choose my purchases VERY carefully. I saw this movie on cable years ago & loved it so much I wanted the video. I love "sleazy" movies [in the old days classified as "film noir"]--mystery, intrigue, plot twists, "good vs. evil," suspense, plot twists & turns]... This movie has all those elements + good acting [I was young when Dane Clark was in his hey-day but have always liked him], Tom Berenger [good in both drama, thrillers & comedy], Daphne Zuniga [CONVINCING damsel-in-distress/victim] & Anne Twomey [I'd never heard of her before this!--MOST capably "playing her part well; there all the honor lies"]. I only wish Donald P. Bellisario would have directed MORE FILMS in this genre. If you like modern-day film noir with a mafia, gangster flavor, you will LOVE this movie. It's not well-known or highly-tauted by the critics, but it's one of my favorites & well-worth the investment.

High "sleaze".......2001-09-11

Average customer rating:

Another slow, beautiful erotic fantasy for grown up adults

Love Rites
Starring: Marina Pierro , Mathieu Carrière , Josy Bernard , Isabelle Tinard , and Jacques Couderc
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Manufacturer: Cult Epics
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Beast (La bête)
Devil in the Flesh
Immoral Women
Goto, Island of Love
Lie With Me

ASIN: B0007ZSHUI
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Description

The last film by the great Walerian Borowczyk, about the terrors of seduction. When Hugo (Mathieu Carriere) meets Myriam (Marino Pierro), a prostitute who picks up her clients on the Paris Metro, he soon becomes obsessed with her sultry beauty and follows her to a flat owned by the mysterious Sara Sand, where he consumates his passion. Suddenly he finds the rules of the game have changed as Myriam is now in charge of hs body and his soul. A macabre love poem from the Director of "The Beast" and Immoral Tales".

Extras:
Includes Two Versions of the Film:
Side A The Director's Cut
Side B The Complete Version
Photo Gallery
Liner Notes

Customer Reviews:

Another slow, beautiful erotic fantasy for grown up adults.......2005-06-22

And if you are looking for softcore porn here, you'd probably do better to look elsewhere. It takes nearly three quarters of the film for the leads to make it to the bedroom - and even then it isn't really explicit. What makes this film worthwhile is the mood, which is saturated with psychological eroticism. A great deal of time and energy is spent on the seduction and on the forestalling of the inevitable act - which only heightens the sexual tension. In this sense the film reminds me more of real-world sex, even though the dialogue is deliberately literary - right down to a narration in the third peron.

The really good news here is that Borowczyk was able to reassert himself as an artist after hitting his exploitation nadir with the dismal 'Emanuelle 5' - which had to be a depressing experience for him. Here's hoping that he returns to the cinema soon.

Cult Epics' disc is only BARELY letterboxed - looking about like the UK release. The extras are sparse, and it's no match, really, for their recent three disc SE of 'The Beast.' But the film itself is worth having if you have an idea of what you are getting with this director.

Walerian Borowczyk Collection (The Beast/ Goto Island of Love/ Love Rites)

Average customer rating:

misunderstood surrealist master

Walerian Borowczyk Collection (The Beast/ Goto Island of Love/ Love Rites)
Starring: Sirpa Lane , Lisbeth Hummel , Elisabeth Kaza , Pierre Benedetti , and Guy Tréjan
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Manufacturer: Cult Epics
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E6EK4W
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Customer Reviews:

misunderstood surrealist master.......2006-10-03

Walerian borowczyk is a terribly misunderstood filmmaker primarily because of the way he uses sex in his movies, but this stuff is truly high art. i'm not going to go into too much depth here, but just touch on some high points. early in his career (with films like goto and his well received animations) he was an arthouse darling, but as he delved more into sexual themes the arthouse goons branded him a pornographer and he was kind of relegated to cult obscurity. but all the better for us cult fans!
goto is (i believe) his first feature. it's somewhat straightforward but it does hint at the depths of surrealism and modern life that he explores in later films.
the beast is a legend and is a fully realized surrealist film. it is primarily about the battle between modern and traditional, and the film covers this topic delightfully. my favorite sequence is probably them running around the house after the death of the main character (i cant remember his name). this is likely the most absurd sequence of the film and reminds me a lot of bunuel at around the same time (mid 70s).
my favorite of the 3 films included in this collection is the bizare and somewhat horrifying love rites. there are several sequences in this film that are just to die for: the conversation across the subway tunnel, the long walk to the apartment (particularly the long shot in the alley as the characters walk farther and farther away), etc. it becomes blatantly bizarre post coitum and does not let up from there. the ending is one that i will never forget and left me kind of uncomfortable, but in the good, thoughtful sort of way.
im definitely pleased with this collection and would recommend to all sorts from genre fans to the arthouse to people who are just looking for something different. enjoy!

Average customer rating:

too many holes in the plot ...left me totally unsatisfied
Moondance .
ACADEMY AWARD WINNING
Not to be missed, a delightful film

Moondance
Starring: Rúaidhrí Conroy , Ian Shaw , Julia Brendler , Marianne Faithfull , and Brendan Grace
Director: Dagmar Hirtz
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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ASIN: B0000DZ3BV
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Description

This powerful and electrifying motion picture delivers a wild mix of rivalry, jealousy, and betrayal! Patrick and Dominic are brothers. Nothing has ever come between them ... until a sexy young woman unexpectedly enters their lives! Now they'll never be the same as they become rivals for her affection ... each trying to win her passion. Powered by an outstanding cast of rising young stars -- and featuring hot songs written by rock 'n' roll legend Van Morrison ... MOONDANCE is unforgettable, cutting-edge entertainment.

Customer Reviews:

too many holes in the plot ...left me totally unsatisfied.......2005-09-09

This movie asks the viewer never to question anything, just accept the story as it is told...but I can not do this. Dominic around 14 and his older brother anywhere from 19 to 27 live a carefree life. Father is dead and mother is off to Africa. Patrick has no visible job, but they have money...from where no one bothers to ask. Dominic does not go to school, and no adult really presses the issue. I guess Ireland does not have mandatory education and education is not any priority to anyone, including the mother when she does finally shows up. Anya a girl from Germany shows up....I guess she is a relative of the aunt...does not explain how an Irish aunt has a German niece and there is no hint of a german accent. Anya is suppose to be in college but she looks more like 14...I guess this was done to make it more believable that a college age girl will be torn between a 14 year old and his adult brother. She comes across more as a slut than a belivable girl in love with two. Anyways the mother returns to Ireland, so the boys go to Dublin. Anya just happens to have a friend who just happens to have a flat that he is willing to let them have for free. Patrick just happens to find a job selling religious articles is a small shop with two gay? men. And of course that is going to pay so well that he is able to feed the three of them and provide them with booze. Sorry, but I am going to cut to the end: Anya decides to go back to Germany I guess because she can not handle being in love with two (personally, I think she is going to find new lovers). Dominic runs off to sea at his age. Guess Ireland has no child labor laws either. Patrick goes back to the store, and the mom is okeedokee with all of this....yeah right.

Moondance ........2004-07-15

I have to confess to buying this DVD as a result of my interest in the music of Van Morrison. I was delighted and enthralled not knowing what to expect. The music is beautiful many of Vans famous songs sung by an equally talented Brian Kennedy. But the acting and story line was simply fabulous. The appeaance of Marianne Faithful is a treasure and the blend of story acting and music make this film unmissable. Buy it and enjoy!

ACADEMY AWARD WINNING.......2004-01-21

As a fan of Marianne Faithfull you too will be beleiving that Marianne has adopted you into her family. The "MOONDANCE" is truly a treasure and a magical reality check. Marianne's perormance left me unable to determine if she is acting or truly a genius, the second is an obvious. This film is too "cool" to be mainstream in the "good "old" U.S." The masses wouldn't get it.... I did... Thank you again Marianne Faithfull

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to be missed, a delightful film.......1998-06-17

This recently released film is a beautiful story about Patrick and Dominic, two brothers living an unusually independent life on a delapidated country estate in western Ireland. Their lives are changed when Anya comes to stay, propelling both of them into a new understanding of themselves, their world and one another.

The cinematography in this film is outstanding and the acting sensitive and evocative. Ruaidhri Conroy, who has appeared in a number of Irish films, gives a particularly touching performance in the role of Patrick's younger brother Dominic, who undergoes a right of passage as the story unfolds.

Marrianne Faithful puts in a rare appearance as the boys' estranged mother.

Customer Reviews:

Delicious.......2006-06-01

We saw this sophomore year in Honors Humanities after reading Antigone. I enjoyed it very much. It was actually very educational. I now understand that there are some very strange people in the world. This video was almost like "educational" softcore porn, which pretty much everybody in my class enjoyed. If you want to make somebody laugh, this is the movie to have them watch, but make sure they understand Antigone's story first.

Just. Plain. Awful........2006-03-16

Maybe this film has some redeeming qualities. I sure couldn't find any.

This movie is essentially soft-core porn with a really bad soundtrack. The costumes clash (you have some characters wearing basically rags and the rest wearing things that wouldn't be out of place in the Matrix). I really haven't found a lot that matches up with the actual play. I wish the characters would actually speak themselves, instead of having a narration. After all, I'm sure they're not all mute.

This tops my 'Worst Films Ever Seen' list, which isn't very long. And I'm sure it's on a 'Worst Films Ever Made' list. Somewhere. I hope.

Give it an "A" for "awful".......2004-03-11

From beginning to end, the students in the AP English Class at my high school where stunned by the "over-dramatic" and offensive imagery portrayed in this movie. It was too much to bear. I would never, ever recommend under any circumstance borrowing, buying, or being gifted with this film.

psuedo-intellectual bombast.......2003-12-05

Where to start? Amy Greenfield's "emotionally relentless, visually stunning" interpretation of the classic play is admittedly "relentless" and I was indeed "stunned." The video was purchased to augment an eleventh grade honors class, ostensibly to show a different, modern, visual interpretation of a Greek classic that touches us still, thousands of years later. Sophocles's play does still affect us today because it taps into primal human issues--family honor, immortality, fate, the role of government, faith, and the list goes on. Greenfield's overblown piffle does not. I do not recommend this for anyone, except as a study in bad, self-important "Art" with that tell-tale capitol "A". This isn't dance. The important dialogue is absent. The music is discordant, oppressive and the best part of the whole mess. The oracle at Delphi was clear to both Oedipus and his father, Laius: Oedipus will kill his father, marry his mother and have monstrous children. Finally, in the form of Amy Greenfield's "Antigone: Rites of Passion" we have the monstrous child at last. Apollo is always right. And you know what? He'd tell you not to buy this turkey.

An descent, powerful and emotional look on Antigone.......2002-04-28

When I ordered it I did it because I knew that Diamanda Galas - my favorite artist - was partially responsible for the music. I'm usually very pre-occupied with modern "glances" on Ancient Hellenic tragedies. It is my belief that a remake of something as classical, as powerfull and as timelessly meaningful as every Ancient Hellenic tragedy is can be eigther a masterpiece or a complete disaster.
The first few minutes that I watched, I felt that it would be a disaster but I thought "what the hell, I gave my money to buy this DVD so I'll watch it to the end". And so I did.
I'm not in a position that makes me to say only that I fortunately didn't switch off my DVD player. I'm in the position to say that I feel extremely previleged to have Amy Greenfield's work on Antigone. And that's because I figured out that she has kept a very basic element of Ancient Hellenic tragedy. The slow and escelating motivation of the viewers interest for the play. Antigone realy gets more and more interesting as the minutes pass.
I won't get involved in a detailed analysis of the film witch realy exposes its meanings and its power little be little. I just want to say that Amy Greenfield did such a splendid work that she deserves to claim that she did a remake equal only to masterpieces.

Average customer rating:

Natasha Gregson Wagner = 5-star nudity
Yes indeed, a thinking person's movie
An amazing movie, for intelligent people only
unfairly criticized but not for everyone
A wretched little film. Simply terrible.

First Love, Last Rites
Starring: Natasha Gregson Wagner , Giovanni Ribisi , Robert John Burke , Jeanetta Arnette , and Donal Logue
Director: Jesse Peretz
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Customer Reviews:

Natasha Gregson Wagner = 5-star nudity.......2005-08-23

Make sure you have your thumb poised over the pause button.

Yes indeed, a thinking person's movie.......2001-01-18

It is hard to see past the frequent bouts of lovemaking that the two main characters engage in. And that may be why some viewers have a hard time with this film. Though the (...) scenes are central to the plot, that's not all this film is about. And I have to say, as far as (...) scenes go, these are well-filmed. They are realistic without being (....) Joe and Sissel are teenagers growing into adults. Their passion, through fits and starts, grows into love. Slowly, each learns about responsibility and failure. Some viewers may wonder about Sissel's strange behavior, just as Joe does. But I think she's bearing the brunt of her parents' recent break-up and her little brother's trouble with the broken family. All the while, Sissel's parents act frequently like children. I couldn't figure out why Joe, the boy from Brooklyn, was in Louisiana at all except that he was on "vacation." But who cares? I liked being able to think up my own various scenarios for his departure from New York to the South. The soundtrack was the best I've heard in a long time. I, like another reviewer, had some trouble with the dream sequences. But, they also gave me additional food for thought. I see very little meaningful symbolism used in films; this one's chock full of it. Enjoy.

An amazing movie, for intelligent people only.......1999-10-03

This movie was based on a short story by Ian McEwan. I suggest reading the story then seeing the movie, or vice versa. Either way you will understand the movie a bit better. But, this is an intelligent person's movie. The average person does not think deep enough while watching movies to ever, ever understand this one. Most people go to the movies to be entertained, not to think. Which is a fine thing to do but to be entertained while watching this movie you HAVE to think. This movie is filled with so much wonderful symbolism if you don't find the symbols and think about what they might mean you will hate this movie. Which is why most of the reviews here are from people who hate the movie because they didn't/couldn't understand it. Giovanni Ribisi is endearing as always here and Natasha Wagner plays the role of the beautiful bitch with flair. Look for the symbolism of the rat in the wall, the boiling records, the pink jacket, the red dress, the messy room, and see what you can intrepret from them. Basically it is a story of how love starts out with beautiful passion and red hot flames, then cools down to a loving friendship. It shows how these 2 teenagers deal with the changing of their relationship. What do you do when you realize there is more to having a relationship than just sex? It is a bittersweet story about something that happens to all of us who have ever been in love. The soundtrack is out of this world also, brilliant music. Movie=must see, music=must have (but only if you are willing to THINK)

unfairly criticized but not for everyone.......1999-09-21

although some find the langorous pace unbearable and the characters flaky this movie reminded me of a lazy teenage summer with an ex-girlfriend and i was just completely captivated by the mood and atmosphere of the film... this movie is just about teenage love and the wonderful laziness and freedom of summer... the dream sequences are a little much though... anyways i think this film is underrated...

A wretched little film. Simply terrible........1999-06-25

One of the reasons I dearly love independent cinema is the fact that it often breaks the rules of Hollywood, which state that a film must include an all-star cast, car crashes, lots of special effects, and stunningly beautiful characters in order to make money. With budgets approaching pocket change, many indie directors are breaking new ground in visual style by sidestepping these laws. The downside? Some filmmakers are a bit too eager to disregard rules which *shouldn't* be ignored. "First Love, Last Rites," for instance, does away with the notion that a movie should contain a coherent narrative. It cheerfully tosses aside the thought that we should care about our characters. It laughs in the face of the idea that a movie should hold the audience's attention. In short, "First Love, Last Rites" is a film that goes nowhere, and is in absolutely no hurry to arrive.

The story, such as it is, revolves around Joey (Giovanni Ribisi) and Sissel (Natasha Wagner), a young couple living together in a run-down shack in the swamplands of Louisiana. What do they see in each other? I have no idea. Apart from the fact that neither of them are the least bit personable and always appear to be half- asleep, they seem to have absolutely nothing in common. Oh, I take that back: they both love sex. Approximately a third of the film's scenes feature the two of them boinking like rabbits.

I'd like to describe the film's ending, but it doesn't really have one. Sure, there's a moment when images are no longer appearing on your television, but the final scene is purely ambiguous. Pick any moment from the movie, and it would be just as sensible a place to end as the one chosen by the director. A great film can have an ambiguous ending: both "The Full Monty" and "Chasing Amy" leave things up in the air at their conclusion; as I left the theater after each, I found myself wondering what the characters would do next. Although "First Love, Last Rites" leaves a lot of unanswered questions when the credits begin to roll, I have not devoted one iota of thought to how they could be answered. I just don't care, unless it involves Joey and Sissel both getting a swift kick in the rear.

Product Description

Great Britain released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: French (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Subtitles), SYNOPSIS: The last film by the great Walerian Borowczyk, about the terrors of seduction. When Hugo (Mathieu Carriere) meets Myriam (Marino Pierro), a prostitute who picks up her clients on the Paris metro, he soon becomes obsessed with her sultry beauty and follows her to a flat owned by the mysterious Sara Sand, where he consummates his passion. Suddenly he finds the rules of the game have changed as Myriam is now in charge of his body and his soul. A macabre love poem from the Director of The Beast and Immoral Tales. SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu,

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