Delta of Venus

Description

Based on Anais Nin's pre-WWII book. The lead character is an eager American writer with sex on her twentysomething mind, either as voyeur or as a participant.

Customer Reviews:

Depends on what you're looking for..........2006-11-17

This film has nearly optimum appeal if you're looking for panting, sexual tension and visual release. The plot centers on a young woman's effort to delve deeply into the world of sexual pleasure to write books that please a man who requests explicit descriptions of sexual activity. She begins timidly exploring, then emerses herself into an unrealistic world of sexual ideaology. Sex of the mind and body, of man and woman, and of woman and woman are explored with cinematic flair. Production is A-quality, but the plot still centers on sex. A love story of sorts, the movie is basically a sophisticated soft porn piece that does little to engage the mind. Under the guise of a mainstream movie, this is definitely not a film to view with a group of friends.

Flat "acting", no energy.......2006-09-21

Poor casting, poor acting, unconvincing characters. The leading lady had no energy. There was no excitement, sexual or otherwise. Boring. One of King's worst. In contrast, I found King's "Swimming Naked" (Red Shoe Diaries) to be enjoyable. The acting wasn't great, but the stories were mildly entertaining and the nude scenes very pleasant.

Down in the 'Delta'.......2006-06-23

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.

The quintessential well-made sensual movie..........2006-03-17

This movie never made it to popular status in North America because it was poorly distributed when it came out. The story is loosely based on erotic stories written by Anaïs Nin and to some degree, reflects on her affair with the provocative Henry Miller on the eve of WWII. The music, the poetry of the script, and the sensual stories make this movie as erotic as 9 1/2 weeks, but with the added bonus of the beautiful writing. I first saw this movie in its French version (it is based in Paris but was actually filmed in Prague!)and had been looking to acquire it on DVD for a while now...

Bland.......2006-01-23

Oh, Audie England is cute enough, and looks great wearing not much more than Audie England. The story as a whole just didn't grab me, though.

It's set in Paris, just before the German invasion of France in WWII. Somehow, all the excitement and tension of that time is lost completely. Instead, a self-involved woman is trying to advance herself as a writer by creating smut to order for a secret admirer. Huh?

A few scenes are pleasantly steamy, but the movie as a whole leaves me cold.

//wiredweird

Average customer rating:

Depends on what you're looking for...
Flat "acting", no energy
Down in the 'Delta'
The quintessential well-made sensual movie...
Bland

Delta of Venus [Region 2]
Starring: Audie England , Costas Mandylor , Eric Da Silva , Raven Snow , and Rory Campbell
Director: Zalman King
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0001XLVIG