Sylvia Kristel
- 2001
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, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Based on a notorious real-life Belgian scandal involving corruption at the highest levels of industry and government, this film concerns fictional muckraking journalist Johannes van Buren (Herbert Flack), who is kidnapped by Billy (Peter van den Begin), the son of one of the accused. Billy interrogates the reporter about his ethics and his own deep dark personal secrets. Director Willem Wallyn had more that a passing interest in the so-called Augusta-Dassault imbroglio; his father was centrally involved in the affair. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Van Den Begin, Herbert Flack, (more)
- 1993
In this sexy outing, the inventor of a fabulous new brassiere recruits a bevy of beauties to advertise it. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Kevin Bernhardt, (more)
- 1988
- R
Emmanuelle's Sylvia Kristel vamps it up as Vanessa, the widow of the legendary Count Dracula, whose coffin is transported from its resting place in modern-day Romania to a Hollywood "House of Horrors" wax museum. After her arrival, she awakens to seek both the remains of her husband and the descendant of Jonathan Harker -- who has gone to great lengths to ensure that the count will never rise again. Notable mainly as the debut effort of Francis Coppola's nephew Christopher, this film benefits from a flamboyant style and great use of film noir ambience (gritty, neon-lit street scenes; Josef Sommer's Chandleresque voice-overs) but the tired script is in dire need of a punch-up. This basic premise was handled with far greater panache in Michael Almereyda's Nadja. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Josef Sommer, (more)
- 1987
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, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Giovanni (Gary Graham) is an addled motorcyclist who is on the run from his brothers-in-law after killing his wife's father. Besides being upset about the murder of their dad, they are rather ticked off that he's been making love to his wife's sister (and theirs) on the side. All in all, his life-expectancy is nil, so perhaps it's just as well that he thinks he's God. Along the way, he picks up Julie (Sylvia Kristel), a hitchhiker on her way to her waitress job. Rather than deliver her to work, he has an affair with her, they talk a lot, and then the two of them pick up another couple for sexual variety. By the end of the film, what with one thing and another, Julie is convinced that Giovanni died in an accident, but he shows up anyway, wearing a surprising costume. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Gary Graham, (more)
- 1985
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lance Sloane, Kimberly Evenson, (more)
Sylvia Kristel adds her sexual allure to the story of Mata Hari (Margaretha Geertruida Zelle), executed by the French in 1917 at the age of 41 for being a double agent. In reality, "Mata Hari" had been married, had children, and performed as a dancer around Europe -- not the normal background for a spy. And according to the man who requested her execution, Captain Ladoux, she was a lousy spy indeed. But Kristel and director Curtis Harrington capture one aspect of Mata Hari that made her most infamous -- her willingness to bed down with just about any military man she found attractive, and none were not. As Kristel jumps into bed with both Germans and French, and others in-between, something of the spirit of Mata Hari may live on in this ostensible biography. Viewers may definitely want to compare versions with Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, or Jeanne Moreau in the lead. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Christopher Cazenove, (more)
- 1985
- R
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. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Blair, Sylvia Kristel, (more)
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phoebe Cates, Betsy Russell, (more)
The once-notorious D. H. Lawrence novel Lady Chatterly's Lover seemed like kid stuff by the time this 1981 adaptation hit the screens. To pep up Lawrence's tale of an aristocratic woman who conducts an affair with her earthy gamekeeper, soft-core porn specialist Just Jaeckin attempted to convert the material into Emmanuelle Goes to England. To this end, Jaeckin utilized the undraped talents of his Emmanuelle star Sylvia Kristel, who behaves more like a saloon hall gal than the mistress of an 18th-century manor. Lady Sylvia--er, Lady Chatterly--can't get no satisfaction from her paralyzed spouse, so she dallies with low-born Nicholas Clay. As in most other Just Jaeckin films, the production values and photography are exquisite, the dialogue and acting less so. An earlier, more sedate version of Lady Chatterly's Lover was filmed in France in 1959, with Danielle Darrieux and Erno Crisa in the leads. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Shane Briant, (more)
- 1981
The expensive face of the title belongs to Sylvia Kristel, who actually levies a price of $2.5 million upon the fictional cosmetics firm of Glamour Inc. Ms. Kristel's story is but one of the many intrigues within the hallowed halls of Glamour. Tony Curtis stars as the company's CEO, beset with infighting, intrigue and infidelity. Lee Grant costars as a rival cosmetics exec, while Gayle Hunnicutt is Curtis' far from loving young wife. Based on Lois Wyse's novel Kiss, Inc., Million Dollar Face was purportedly the pilot film for an unsold TV series, though one wonders if Tony Curtis would have stuck it out after what he had to put up with in this first (and last) episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Adams, Sylvia Kristel, (more)
Penned by Dan Greenburg, Private Lessons details the plight of a rich, fifteen-year-old boy (Eric Brown) whose French maid (Sylvia Kristel of the Emmanuelle series) is hired to teach him the finer points of l'amour. A contrived subplot involving a blackmail scheme complicates matters but really only serves as padding between the erotic scenes. In the end, the boy ends up wiser for the wear in more ways than one as he learns all the sordid details. Typical of many early '80s adolescent-oriented T & A films, this entry includes plenty of leering nudity and debauchery, although it seems comparatively tame compared with many others. Surprisingly, Private Lessons was a box-office hit at the time of its release; presumably, many film-goers had seen Kristel in her role as Emmanuelle, although they would have been disappointed to learn a body-double stood in during her love scenes in this case. A similarly-themed film, My Tutor, was released soon after. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Howard Hesseman, (more)
- 1979
The fourth Airport film may be the silliest of them all, as George Kennedy returns, this time co-piloting with Alain Delon. The plane is on its way to the Moscow Olympics, has a bomb on board, and gets fired upon with missiles that necessitate flying upside-down. A look at the cast list resembles a bad episode of Fantasy Island, but it's always fun to see shameless touches like casting Mercedes McCambridge (Johnny Guitar) as the coach of the Soviet team. If you don't understand the significance of that choice, you may find this film more tedious than laughable, but fans of bad movies will have a field day, as Jimmie Walker, Charo, and -- oddly enough -- Bibi Andersson rub shoulders with high-altitude disaster. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Susan Blakely, (more)
Set in a remote seaside village somewhere in the Netherlands, this drama centers on the increasingly bizarre behavior of a tourist who has become romantically obsessed by a local beauty. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rutger Hauer, Sylvia Kristel, (more)
- 1979
- R
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ursula Andress, Laura Antonelli, (more)
- 1977
While leaving her husband, whom she now detests, Alice (Sylvia Kristel) drives into the countryside but must stop at an old house when her windshield cracks mysteriously. She is received at the house as if expected, and spends the night there while her car is being fixed. The next day, she cannot find the highway she turned off of, and returns again to the old house where a young man tells her she must "accept things." Once more she leaves, only to encounter a peasant wedding which is frighteningly boisterous and bawdy, whereupon her windshield breaks again. She returns to the mansion for the last time, where the truth is finally made apparent to her. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Charles Vanel, (more)
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Harrison, Sylvia Kristel, (more)
- 1976
Sigismond (Joe Dallesandro) is a man lost in an erotic haze which clouds his judgment. Early in the film, it is evident that the man has a physically passionate relationship with his wife, with whom he has a son. While on a business trip to Paris, he comes under the spell of a famous, beautiful prostitute (Sylvia Kristel) who resembles his wife. However, his efforts to monopolize her attention are not appreciated by her pimp, and he is severely beaten. When he gets a letter informing him of the death of his wife and son, he is totally devastated. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Joe Dallesandro, (more)
In this modern retelling of the classic Dangerous Liaisons, a virtuous young woman becomes the target of the schemes of an amoral womanizer who is in the habit of wooing women and killing their lovers and husbands in duels. When she finally succumbs to him, she discovers his true nature, and her newly awakened joy in passion turns to dust. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Jon Finch, (more)
- 1975
When Carolina (Anicee Alvina), the daughter of wealthy banker Georges de Saxe (Philippe Noiret), is reported kidnapped, it is upsetting to him even though he knows it isn't true. The kidnappers have taken the wrong person. The banker hires Frantz (Jean-Louis Trintignant) a disheveled, seedy detective to find his daughter and hide her safely away. She soon finds herself in a fantasyland whorehouse, where all kinds of extreme perversions are routinely practiced. There, a near-double of her father whips and then seduces her. Eventually, she and the private eye escape or leave, having extorted the kidnapping money from the girl's father. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Louis Trintignant, Philippe Noiret, (more)
