...back in the good ol' grindhouse theater days of the early '70's, to mid '80's, this viewer remembers having mentally...at least, unconsciously...latched onto the production studio name of 'Eurocine', as well as the occasional smattering of films, put forth by this guy, Jesus Franco...or Jess Franco, as he was alternately coined. Of course, once home video became a standard norm, and the local video store...if they were respectably savvy, as far as cult and genre films...began to stock and shelve many of these European imports, the names 'Eurocine' and 'Jess Franco'...once flickered on the viewing screen...were fondly brought back to mind, once again. And having already partaken of some of these cult film classics in the stale, musty darkness of grindhouse venues, this ardent viewer salivatingly knew quite well that with a 'Eurocine' film...the studio which by now, well recognized and revered sleaze master Jess Franco, often favored...now available in the privacy of of one's abode, what was in store for this eagerly anticipating viewer, was nothing short of raw and unbridled sleaze, at it's very finest. Oh, those titles, though..."Female Vampire"..."Kiss Me, Killer"..."Women Behind Bars"..."Devil Hunter"..."Zombie Lake"..."White Cannibal Queen"..."Oasis of the Zombies"...as well as this review's 'flavor-of-the-moment'...a moody and tempered bit of obscure and underappreciated Eurocine/Jess Franco sleaze, which features Jess' often-used sexy darling, actress Lina Romay, has escaped even the most ardent of cult film aficionados, and has finally seen the mirrored sheen of digital home video, thanks to the astute film acquisitioners, over at Severin...1975's "Hot Nights of Linda". Is it as 'hot' as the title...as well as the erotically alluring artist's rendering on the DVD/Blu-Ray cover...implies?? Let's find out, shall we??
...taking advantage of a uniquely juxstapositioned caregiver employment opportunity, which has come her way, Marie-France (Alice Arno) finds herself on a beautiful and secluded island, in a Greek-styled French villa, owned by an eccentric, though mysterious millionaire, Paul Steiner (Paul Muller). Upon arrival, in the midst of being shown her duties, Marie makes acquaintance with the villa's occupants...Steiner and his two daughters...Olivia (Lina Romay), a moody, provocative, persuasively dominant and often scantly clad gal, plagued by nightmarishly restless dreams...and the other, Marie's assigned charge, Linda (Catherine Lafferiere)...a pretty sort of waif, though helplessly invalid, as the unfortunate and tragic result of...what?? Settling in, Marie engages her caregiving duties, while also engaging intimate and provocative 'girl-speak' with Olivia; when the edgy conversation, the strange behavior of those living in the villa...including that of the villa's mute caretaker, Abdul (Pierre Taylou)...as well as suspicions as to what actually instilled poor Linda's invalid condition...incites Marie's curiosity, she soon finds herself invariably caught up in the clan's web of dark secrets, rampant suspicions, emotional turmoil...and wayward, unconventional, devil-may-care sexual promiscuity. Will she break free from this tangled labyrinth of emotion and eroticism...or willingly surrender herself to it??...
...as much as this viewer really looks forward and gets a real kick out of the rampant, unflinching and exploitative promiscuity & eroticism, normally found in Jess Franco's films...though admittedly, to date, can't admit to have seen everything in his repertoire...it was surprising that this obscure little ditty seemed to pull it's punches, in that respect (...Severin's limited edition, multi-disc package reportedly contains a rough 'n' racier print of the uncut version of the film, dubbed the 'rare banana version', but alas, it was not available for review). Often, during the film, the promiscuous and sometimes sadistic proceedings do seem to go just beyond the cusp of teasing the viewer...only to have the reins pulled back, in favor of the threadbare story, the wayward flashbacks, and some graphically arcane dream imagery. Character encounters appear to actually want to reach an unbridled crescendo pitch, but time after time, the other foot isn't permitted to fully drop, and again, we get only a just-satisfying tease, of both sex and violence...
...indeed, the ladies in this erotic and sinister play of events...alluringly flawed sexy beauties, one and all...are, without a doubt, captivating and alluring, beyond one's ability to resist; Catherine Lafferiere, despite her character's invalid deliberation, is irresistible in her supportive performance as Linda...a luscious waif of flawed beauty...numb to the madness around her, and at the same time, anesthetized to the wayward sexual advances of not only friend and foe, but also family, all of which she surrenders herself to. Surprisingly enough, Alice Arno's character of Marie...who alluringly draws us viewers into these proceedings...at one point, gets inexplicably relegated to a supporting role...in a way, as if we, the viewers, accompany her to the villa, she brings us in, and then sort of leaves us to fend for ourselves, popping in, every so often, as we wade through the unveiling events, dreams and flashbacks, of our own accord. And of course, there's Jess Franco's token beauty, Lina Romay, whose character of Olivia seems to delight in stirring up the pot, amidst these unscrupulous events, from encounter to encounter...all the while, exuding a seemingly fixed and dreamy 'you want me, come get me' visage...
...considering the obscurity of this film, in addition to the lurid and sleazy subject matter exhibited herein, it's actually not surprising to find out that the main print used for this released, was reportedly discovered in a Spanish bordello. Nonetheless, the 35mm print used here...alternately titled "...but Who Raped Linda?"...is visually soft and dreamy, with a slight lightening and darkening of color tones, clearly as the result of the age of the print, which exhibits just enough scratches and print blemishes, to give the film a great, overall grindhouse sleaze. In addition to the aforementioned limited edition 'rare banana' version of the film, as well as the original trailer, there are included, a number of chit-chat sessions with Jess Franco...one with Lina Romey (..whom Jess finally tied the knot with, in 2008), another with genre author and Franco aficionado Stephen Thrower, and a third session with Franco doing a solo Q&A study on the making of "...Linda"...
...seemingly often cited as not being the best of the late Jess Franco's work (...unceremoniously, we lost him, earlier this year)...agreeably evident to this viewer, as well, though again, despite admittedly not having seen the whole of Franco's work...due to being unusually slower than some of his higher profile films, as well as the seemingly and inexplicably reserved approach to this material, "The Hot Nights of Linda" is nonetheless a spicy taste of sleaze...a satisfying curio piece...a dreamy, mysterious and tantalizing tease, which regrettably, doesn't quite 'go all the way', as one might hope, or expect...
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