Trapped in an unhappy marriage, the wife of a high ranking Fascist official starts a dangerous, self-destructive relationship with a duplicitous S.S. Officer.
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Just perfect...
i must have seen a different film!!
Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
far to be original, adaptation of a classic Italian novel, Senso "45 is special. not surprising, not good, not touching. only strange. first, for the slices of memories about the universe of Luchino Visconti.or Pasolini. the second - for the great chemistry between the two lead characters. and, not the least, for the music of Ennio Moriccone. the darkness, the high sensuality, the decadence , the meets between the powerful woman and her vulnerable, vulgar lover are motifs for see a film who could be useful trip in the heart of different zones of cinema. the magnetism of irresistible Gabriel Garko, the science of Anna Galiena to do a complex work for explore each nuance of her role. one of films who reflects a state. in smart manner. and, in many scenes, courageous.
Franco and Brass, even Argento matter to me. They have intuition that inspires. Yes, they make vulgar and sometimes nonsensical films. But that is just a matter of degree compared to Hollywood fare, right?What I like about Brass isn't about the women or situations, but how he chooses to frame and light the photographs. This is related to women's fashion magazines, where we know the models are insipid beings, and the clothes bordering on the ridiculous. They simply provide a narrative vocabulary for the artist to explore and exploit.Brass does well sometimes, but he falls into a crevice when he relies on Nazi images in the context of sex. Here he reaches too far in trying to make something like "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis" with the tone of "Europa." The film here clearly reaches to an analogy of Italy as a fading sexual beauty, confused in her passions and easily seduced by fascism. This could pay off, but the filmmaker himself is seduced into making a different film — one he instinctively knows. There is a war between the film he can make and the film he wants to, but alas this war is not interesting. Nor is the woman or the Italy she represents.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
I was quite amazed by this passionate, old-fashioned style tragic romance. The costumes, the cinematography, Ennio Morricone's sweeping score, all come together to create an absolute classic of it's genre. Anna Galiena and Gabriel Garko are beautiful together as doomed lovers that find each other in the desperate, waning days of the second World War. Helmut Schulz, played by the impossibly sensual Garko, is a sleazy and corrupt young SS officer, addicted to gambling, women, and to other of life's excesses. His decadent lifestyle does not come cheap, and when the beautiful but lonely Livia, (in an amazingly elegant performance by the wonderful Anna Galiena) offers to financially support Helmut, the amoral man does not refuse. Director Tinto Brass photographs the present day in glorious black and white, while we see, in blazing color the erotic love affair as it unfolded, in a series of flashbacks described by Livia, while en route to Venice. "Senso 45/Black Angel" is Tinto Brass' most serious work. It seems like he wanted to create something impressive here, and he did just that. A much more accomplished film than his "Salon Kitty." Effectively capturing the decadence of Fascist Italy, 1945 in a dizzying orgy scene, filled with graphic and strange sexuality and drug taking, a trademark of Tinto Brass, and unforgettable images of Anna and her SS lover in desperate embraces in shadowy back alleys or sparse rooms, with rays of sunlight filtering through lace curtains. It is hard to describe the beauty and elegance of this film. For fans of erotic romance, and films that possess this specifically European style of film making, this intoxicating art-house film is certain to impress. As of yet "Black Angel" has not had a DVD release for North America, but there is a wonderful edition from the UK that offers an uncensored, widescreen version, in original Italian with English subtitles.
To start with, I am not a big fan of the Tinto Brass style of films. Many often contain rather stagey sex scenes and there is often a lack of warmth about that. Black Angel or Senso '45 is different. It is the story of a wealthy wife in her older years who is attracted to and falls in lust (can't really call it love) with an SS Officer, pays for his vices of gambling, drinking, smoking and keeping a private room and is then rejected after returning from exile to find him in bed with another lover or girlfriend. Livia takes revenge against Schultz for his rejection by informing on him and his plans to desert.Anna Galiena is a likable and ideal choice for this movie. She is not young but she is beautiful and she gives a very believable portrayal of a rich woman who finds her husband a bit of a bore but wouldn't leave him in a million years.