Sylvia Kristel Movies

Dutch playwright and filmmaker Frisch generated controversy in his homeland with this, his first dramatic feature film, which inspired catcalls and walk-outs during its premier screenings at the 2001 Rotterdam Film Festival. Focusing on the tormented and often pathetic lives of an aging alcoholic, his disturbed girlfriend, and her handicapped former husband, Vergeef Me incorporates a cast of non-professionals, many of whom are homeless and physically or mentally challenged and are allowed to follow their baser impulses in front of the camera. Based in part on a play by Frisch entitled Jesus/Lover, Vergeef Me was begun as a short film, in which the director hopes to shock the audience with his treatment of his cast; when viewers instead reacted with approval, Frisch opted to flesh the film out to feature length and take the material in an even stronger direction. Vergeef Me also includes clips from F.W. Murnau's classic silent adaptation of Faust. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this sexy outing, the inventor of a fabulous new brassiere recruits a bevy of beauties to advertise it. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Decked out in powdered wig and pasty "dandy" makeup, Richard Chamberlain stars as legendary Venetian lover Giovanni Casanova (1725-1798) in this made-for-television biopic. The teleplay by George Macdonald Fraser (of "Flashman" fame) follows Casanova as his reputation for being catnip to women builds throughout the 18th century. His sexual exploits cost him several important social and professional posts, and eventually land him in a Venice prison on a morals charge. Casanova's escape attempt provides a strong second act for this 3-hour effort, which also offers an amusing "con job" practiced by Casanova on a willing countess (Faye Dunaway). Frank Finlay co-stars as a nobleman who conducts a decades-long feud with our rakish hero. Filmed in Spain and Italy, Casanova debuted on March 1, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Linda Blair plays Chris Carlson, a U.S. college student who gets thrown in an East German women's prison when she happens to be found with a defector. She's in Germany to meet her U.S. serviceman fiance, and when he finally figures out where she is, he organizes a commando rescue squad to free her. Prison scenes show a dreary prison life where everything's forbidden and survival is the top priority for most inmates. Sylvia Kristel plays a tough and hardened inmate who rules the prison roost. ~ Rovi

In an adolescent softcore story with a plot that is hardly credible, a young teen (Lance Sloane) has taken a bet that he can seduce the daughter of the town's minister in less than seven days. Once that premise is established, sexual encounters and low-level erotica follows with an understanding female (Sylvia Kristel). Character development is not of the essence here, and neither is the troubled, insecure woman who is the target of the bet. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Three of the hallmarks of education in America -- nudity, teenage sex, and big, destructive gags -- are on plentiful display in this teen comedy. Christine (Phoebe Cates), a student at an exclusive all-girls private school, is in love with Jim (Matthew Modine), who attends an academy for boys nearby. Christine's archrival Jordan (Betsy Russell) also has her eye on Jim, and she is willing to do whatever she can to steal him away. Jim's über-slob buddy Bubba (Michael Zorek) is going with Betsy (Kathleen Wilhoite), Christine's cynical friend, though he would probably be unfaithful if any other woman were willing to get near him. Bubba and his pals sneak into the girls' school dressed in drag in hopes of reaching the Promised Land (better known as the women's shower room), while Christine and Jim run away together for the weekend, though their escapade isn't as romantic as they had hoped. Among the adults observing the chaos are Ray Walston, Fran Ryan, Martin Mull, and Sylvia Kristel; one of the sexy students on display is future scream queen Brinke Stevens. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterly's Lover stars Sylvia Kristel as Constance Chatterly, the young wife of an emotionally distant aristocrat in 1910's England, who becomes only less accessible to his spouse when he loses the use of his legs in World War I. He gives her leave to take up a lover, but when Constance turns to the bed of the low-born groundskeeper, Mellors (Nicholas Clay), she not only discovers what passionate lovemaking is really like, but also experiences actual intimacy and love for the first time, leading to a dramatic love triangle, and a bevy of subtext about classism and emotional freedome. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Maxwell Smart, the infamous Agent 86 from the '60s television sitcom Get Smart makes his feature-film debut in this goofy espionage spoof. This time, Smart and his cohorts must stop enemy spies from detonating a bomb that would destroy all the world's clothing. On television, the film was renamed The Return of Maxwell Smart. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this standard but toned-down sex comedy, seven different vignettes starring female leads like Monica Vitti, Ursula Andress, Laura Antonelli, and Sylvia Kristel portray various questionable exploits headed by women with minds of their own. Antonelli, for example, plays a dynamic businesswoman who picks up a young orchestra conductor and both yearn to spend some quality time together -- but to no avail. As the patient conductor follows her around like a footnote on a text, she continues to finish up dealings with other businessmen, lawyers, and various agents while her romantic interlude seems to be left cooling on the back burner somewhere. In another vignette, Monica Vitti and Michele Placido are in competition (and disguises), trying to con the pricey necklace off an unsuspecting woman at a casino. Other vignettes involve some nudity, but viewers looking for X-rated material will have to look elsewhere -- this sex comedy has more emphasis on the comedic than the lustful side of life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

The story in this lavish cinemadaptation of Alexandre Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask remains faithful to the original novel: the right heir to the throne of France is imprisoned in a dungeon by his evil twin brother, his identity kept secret with an uncomfortable iron mask. It's up to the aging D'Artagnan and his three Musketeer companions to set things aright. Though the action takes place in France, the film was rather obviously lensed in Austria, adding an exotic touch to the proceedings. Beau Bridges does double duty as the "right" and "wrong" King Louis, while Beau's dad Lloyd Bridges plays Aramis. Alan Hale Jr. essays the role of Porthos, just as he'd done in 1951's At Sword's Point; also carried over from the 1951 film is Cornel Wilde as D'Artagnan. Other seasoned veterans in the cast include Jose Ferrer (Athos), Ursula Andress (Mme. De la Valliere), Olivia DeHavilland (Queen Anne) and Rex Harrison (Colbert). The Fifth Musketeer was also released as Behind the Iron Mask. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi