Customer Reviews

Delta of Venus [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Those who are familiar with Zalman King know that he is one of the few directors who is able to create erotically stimulating films without sacrificing production quality, cinemtography and acting. Delta of Venus is, in my opinion, his greatest accomplishment as the film flows with poetic motion, draws sumptuous romanticism from its setting in pre-World War II Paris, offers a lovely musical soundtrack, and excites the viewer with beautiful actors who interact with splendid chemistry.

If you are looking for a simple sex film or a picture exploding with action, this is not the film for you. It moves at a purposefully slow pace, like generous foreplay, leading the audience through a series of visual and auditory climaxes. It will appeal mostly to women, but also to men who delight in the slow, attentive pleasuring of a woman.

Although the R-rated version of the movie is well worth seeing, it does not compare to the unrated copy, which bursts with scenes that will propel any couple into a torrid evening of lovemaking.

This is one of those movies that the critics slam, while viewers, despite the negative reviews, shake their heads and embrace. Delta of Venus is not only a highly erotic, art film, it has a reasonably good story line and is fairly well done, despite the nay sayer critics.

For a erogenous film Delta of Venus has excellent credentials. Based on the writings of well known erotic author Anias Nin and directed by the master of sensuality Zalman King, Delta of Venus takes place in pre World War II, Paris. Elana Martin (Audie England) was a young impressionable writer from America who is attracted to and eventually meets and starts a torrid love affair with Lawrence (Costas Mandylor), a handsome young man who happens to writer of pornography.

When Elana sees Lawrence in the arms of another, she leaves him. Eventually Lawrence leaves Paris for New York. Although she is a writer, she is not well enough known to support herself by writing so she supports herself as a nude model and subsidizing this income by writing erotica for a mysterious benefactor, who deals strictly through her agent.

Elana's initial offerings were rebuffed as not being sincere enough, however her writing improves dramatically, when she writes about her personal erotic experiences, leading her to seek out such interludes.

CONCLUSION

The movie set in 1939 Paris, just before the German invasion, seemed to be historically accurate. The sets were good and the directing was well done. In addition to some very sexy scenes featuring strong nudity, the movie also depicted a troubled city showing communist demonstrations, anti-Semitism, Nazi hooligans and eventually German occupation, There was a lot happening and it all flowed together rather well. Even without the erotica, this would have been an interesting movie.

This movie comes in both an R rated and an unrated version. I viewed the unrated version and would recommend that although I have read that only a little over one minute has been cut out in the R version.

This movie, as with all of Zalman King's, has its weaknesses, but of them all, this is the best. I never fail to find it empowering, beautiful, envigorating, and, of course, scintillating to watch. Very few of this type of movie reach an emotional level as well as a physical level, and as such, very few are truly aimed at the thinking and feeling woman. Even Red Shoes and the Wild Orchid series (don't forget Shades of Blue) miss at times and sink to the common standard of male oriented meaningless sex. This movie, based on a novel that is about nothing but the meaning of sexual exploration and emotional risk, rises far above the norm to be a cornerstone in any woman's video library. Anais Nin would have been pleased.

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.

Delta of Venus was superb. Elana Martin: (Audie England) was a beautiful American writer of erotica who lived in paris. She falls in love with an impecably handsome French novelist of erotica named Lawrence, played by: (Costas Mandylor). This sensual erotic, heart pulsating, thrilling to the senses movie, will leave you in a world wind of passion & emotions. When Lawrence left for N.Y., he kept tabs on Elana through her publisher. He became an anonymous reader of her writings, criticizing the lack of detailed sex in her stories. Still not knowing the identity of the anonymous reader, she continue to strive to do her best in her writings, by experiencing and viewing many kinds of sexual liaisons. After she mastered the art, he congradulated her. Lawrence returned to paris to reveal his love for her. He soon learned that Elana wasn't the same shy girl he had left. The wild passion she experienced in her sexual awakenings, erupt all over Lawrence just before her swift departure from paris. A true love story. I recommend it.

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...

This movie was by far the best movie I've seen, well, almost the best. It leaves you wanting to see more of Anais Nin's writings put to film. The movie will you get very excited, if you're into erotica. Even if you're not, I still think it'll get you excited.

It is interesting to note the divide in people's taste. Hardcorists tend to frown at erotic films and eroticists find hardcore films offputting and daft. This one is more for the eroticists, hardcorists beware. Beautiful as such. Enjoy it.

The story is a little lacking, but the power that surrounds the main character, Elena, is amazing. The story is based on Annais Nin's book of the same title. I haven't read the book, but I am thinking I just might. Elena is an American writer that lives in Paris during World War II. Due to the depression, that was going on at that time, she has a tough time finding anyone to buy her stories. At the beginning of the film, you learn Elena's habit of writing at night and walking along the river in the morning. She goes to the river for 1 reason, a man whom she is attracted to, but knows nothing about. They meet up at a party (this is where you find out that his name is Lawrence & that he too is a writer) and start a relationship that lasts through a bit more than 1/4 of the movie. Their sexual encounters are beautifully filmed and done so that they are more sensual. Lawrence leaves to go somewhere, but I am not sure where, which leaves Elena alone in Paris. She keeps writing, but again because it was the depression nobody has the money to buy her stories. Her publisher/friend mentions trying to write erotica. Reluctantly she agrees to so for the next 1/2 of the movie you see her involved in creating stories from things that she has seen and done. The first few stories that she writes are not what the buyer wants, he wants her to make it more realistic, make it so that the reader feels that he/she is living it. This is when she explores different areas of her sexuality and uses them to create the stories wanted. Lawrence returns at the end of the movie and they end up coming back together for one last encounter on the staircase at the top of a cathedral. I have condensed this movie for writing this review. I love this movie. I couldn't turn it off even though it was past my bedtime. I have watched it many times since and still am intrigued by the story and the way it is shown on the screen. A definite must have!

"Delta of Venus" is beautifully filmed. The production values are exquisite. The acting is excellent. The character development is strong. And, yes, it is truly erotic. Beautifully and sensually erotic. The voice-over is softly and touchingly done, and the narration itself uses very poetic language. The editing is first rate. This is not just a good erotic movie. It's a good movie period. I warn you, though. You must be in the right frame of mind to appreciate it. You have to be mentally and emotionally prepared to immerse yourself in this beautiful delirium. I'm a harsh critic of so-called erotic films (check out my review of "The Image"). So believe me when I say, this one is a real winner!