The Voyeur movie storyline. At a college in Rome, a professor, nicknamed “Dodo” is in a deep depression. His stunningly beautiful wife, Silvia has just left him for another man. He wants her back very badly and has erotic daydreams about her. While visiting his bedridden father, Alberto he meets his dad’s very sexy live-in nurse, Fausta who takes care of much more then his broken leg. A beautiful young student, Pascasie in his class asks him for a ride home and seduces the lucky man, but he does not answer because he still he wonders about his wife and her lover. Fausta tells him of a beautiful young woman who has been having a sexual relationship with his father.
L’uomo Che Euarda (The Man Who Looks), misleadingly translated into English as The Voyeur, is a 1994 Italian erotic drama film written and directed by Tinto Brass in a free adaptation of Alberto Moravia’s eponymous novel. It tells the story of an academic who in his interactions with other people is fated to watch and not to act, an approach that does not lead him to success with women.
Film Review for The Voyeur
Tinto Brass’s erotic dramedy (yes, there are moments of spontaneous comedy that pops up out of nowhere) is a film too good for it’s actual material. Shot as if the entire film was a dream or in some fantasy world, the well directed soft core feature is just an excuse to have one sex scene after another without any real story to back up the talent behind the camera.
Francesco Casale stars as Dodo, a name that fits the character perfectly. Dodo is a college professor who is troubled by the fact that his wife has left him but for no good reason. Dodo obsesses over his wife Silvia (the stunning and unshaved Katarina Vasilissa) where he begins to have erotic daydreams of her, coming into his room, rubbing her meat curtains while pulling out his Italian sausage, going to town on it like it’s the last wang left in the world. When the two finally meet at a Chinese restaurant to discuss their relationship, she masturbates in front of him and leaves. Imagine witnessing that while you were eating your egg drop soup?
Dodo lives with his invalid and horny father who is being cared for by the sexy nurse Fausta, who takes care of his father by wearing cut off jean shorts that look like a thong and a see through blouse. The film is so preposterous that one can’t help but laugh. I did find it uncomfortable when Dodo stares at his father getting a hard on while his nurse gives him a shot.
While funny, I couldn’t help but be a little disgusted over that. Maybe I’m just a silly uptight American. Dodo then becomes a voyeur, spying on everyone getting it on. Dodo even has a chance to bang one of his students but instead watches her eat some muff with one of her room mates instead. I started to get annoyed with Dodo after awhile and just wished he would take one of these sluts and cover their faces with some of his home made pasta primavera and be done with it.
As I said earlier, Brass is no stranger to the world of erotic cinema (check out our review of the Tinto Brass Collection here) and while The Voyeur is much more closer to an adult film than some of his other features, it continues to keep his trademark visual style. This strange fantasy feels almost like a fever dream, that is if you are sick and totally horny at the same time.
But with a running time of over 100 minutes, the goofiness and erotism dies out by the 90 minute mark. It over stays its welcome, to the point that I started to question if the film was even worth watching a second time because there was no substance to the story. There never is any drama between Dodo and all the women in his life. I felt like the film was just an excuse to shoot some really nice sex scenes. I also didn’t give a shit if he was able to get his wife back.
Cult Epics, who have released some great blu ray presentations in the past, drops the ball here as their transfer of this film is just downright awful. The picture quality is on par with a VHS tape, in fact was this ported over from a VHS source? There is so much dirt and debris on this print, I was pulled out of the film as it was annoyingly noticeable.
The picture even looks zoomed in, cutting off the heads of characters in particular scenes. Such a travesty given that Brass’s films are gorgeously shot. I also noticed the image flickered several times as well. The 2.0 Italian Dolby Digital track was fine and easy to hear. It would have been nice to have gotten a 5.1 surround track given the film’s score was done by the great Riz Ortolani (best known for his scores in several Italian horror films like Cannibal Holocaust and House on the Edge of the Park).
Cult Epics failed again when it came to the special features as there is only a 2007 interview with the cigar smoking Brass who discusses the making of the film. Problem here is that Brass decided to do the interview in English so it is rather difficult to understand what he is saying at times. Aside from some Brass trailers, that’s it for the special features unless you count some lame photo gallery that’s also included.
The Voyeur (1994)
Directed by: Tinto Brass
Starring: Katarina Vasilissa, Francesco Casale, Erika Savastani, Cristina Garavaglia, Raffaella Offidani, Antonio Salines, Martine Brochard, Franco Branciaroli, Ted Rusoff, Tinto Brass
Screenplay by: Tinto Brass
Production Design by: Maria Luigia Battani
Cinematography by: Massimo Di Venanzo
Film Editing by: Tinto Brass
Costume Design by: Ingrid Mignone
Music by: Riz Ortolani
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Distribuzione Angelo Rizzoli Cinematografica (Italy), Cult Epics (USA)
Release Date: January 27, 1994
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