Delta of Venus
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Actor: Audie England, Costas Mandylor, Eric Da Silva, Raven Snow, Rory CampbellBrand: NEW Line Home Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 99 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-11-04
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: New Line Home Video
DVD Reviews of Delta of Venus
DVD Review: Down in the 'Delta'
Summary: 5 Stars
We should start by making one thing clear: the films of Zalman King have no basis in reality whatsoever; they're erotic fantasies, pure and simple. How else to explain his casting choices for the leading roles in his films: Carrie Otis, Sherilyn Fenn, David Duchovony, Richard Tyson, Bridgette Bako, etc. People in real life seldom have the sex appeal of the above-mentioned names.
And then there are the stories that cloak these fine specimens, which almost always involve a young innocent woman led down a road of sexual discovery, usually by a domineering though charming man, who she's secretly lusted after for sometime. What King's films lack in dramatic verve, they make up for by hitting their intended target: your libido.
Critics pounced like never before on his feature film adaptation of Anais Ninn's erotic classic,'Delta of Venus.' But
they clearly missed the point, as 'Delta of Venus' isn't so much a feature film, as it is the most epic, most visually beautiful episode of King's 90s Showtime series, 'Red Shoe Diaries.' In that context, it succeeds at its fairly modest goals.
Set in 1940s Paris, 'Venus' introduces us to an aspiring writer named Elena (Audie England). In what appears to be a morning ritual, she rushes to the banks of the Sienne in the bitter January cold, with a muted urgency, for one thing: to watch the handsome Lawrence (Costas Mandylor)--a man she's yet to meet---row through the foggy river.
It isn't too long before she meets Lawrence at a party thrown by her agent, Marcel (Eric Da Silva), and discovers Lawrence is also a writer, with a thriving, if controversial career. He is, in fact, about to leave France for an American tour in support of his latest effort---but not before a whirlwind affair with Elena, which has far more profound effect on her than she could have ever imagined.
With Lawrence gone, no money, and no luck getting her stories published, Elena's crew of friends---an artist, a singer, and their same-sex lovers---suggest Elena model nude for cash. But Marcel's got a more lucrative idea: she could write explict sex stories for nameless collector of erotica, who'll pay her handsomely for it. Ulitmately, Elena accepts BOTH offers, and when the collector, through Marcel, insists on graphic realism in her stories, she ups the ante in her own sex life, fullfilling her desperate "desire to plunge into living" and be "capable of many loves."
Audie England's performance as Elena was unfairly panned. She isn't a great actress, but she does have just the right mix of doe-eyed innocence, restless intelligence, and raw sensuality bubbling just beneath the surface to make her believeable. Her initial scenes with Mandylor are mildly touching, as we see her teeter between school-girl crush and burning womanly desire. If nothing else, she's at least a marked improvement over the woozy Carrie Otis in 'Wild Orchid.' Take that how you may. And Costas Mandylor really isn't in this movie much, but he makes the most of what there is. The two have a chemistry, without which 'Delta of Venus' would really have been as terrible as critics have said.
Granted, King doesn't always hit the mark in 'Delta'--a sequence set at a party in St. Tropez is particularly irritating and his reach in themes does seem to overextend his grasp. There are definitely points at which the dialogue does seem strain to capture Nin's prose. Critics also complained that this film simply doesn't reflect the reality of life in 1940s France. (Ugh.)
But to counter that, go back to the top of this review and read the first sentence again. Are you really expecting Zalman King to give you the blow-by-blow of Hitler's invasion of France? If you're going in to this simply to watch an interesting love story--and be turned on by the beautiful cinematography, gorgeous actors, and atmospheric lushness--you will not be disappointed. And fans of the TV show 'Lost' fans will get a kick out of a cameo made by Adewale Akinnoyue-Agbaje as a mysterious clairvoyant who gives a...special reading to a redheaded prostitute.
Description of Delta of Venus
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