Quante volte... quella notte (1972)

First let me say this much, this film is not a PORNO. I need to get this into the clearing immediately. Despite the fact that it is Italian - that the DVD box does not defend my position - AND that there was some nudity in it - Quante volte ... quella notte was actually a fun 70s sex-romp (modern cinema will call it a rom-com) that took you on an unknown journey similar to that of Sliding Doors or He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not. From an audience perspective, we watch our two main characters - the very masculine John Price (played by Brett Hasley) - and the very beautiful Tina (played by Daniela Giordano) - go from scenario to scenario giving the audience a different perspective on the events of a night of passion. Again - this was not pornographic in any way.

Obviously, I will need to defend that idea even further.

What makes Quante volte ... quella notte more than just a typical film is the introduction of the scientist at the end who tries to add value to the bottom line. From not only the peeping tom of a bellman, but also the idea that perhaps this "date" was nothing more than a sweet, innocent evening just added a new layer to this simple film. Knowing nothing about Mario Bava (the director), I thought that his camera angles, his comic timing, and focus on detail - as well as the surreal ending - was well captured. He was focused on this film - yet I should warn. If anyone begins this film and is bored within the first two stories, keep your eyes open - it does get better and less repetitive. My original gut reaction to this film was dull. I wasn't interested in our characters or their dilemmas. Yet, as we added the third and fourth story, it grew increasingly better.

FAVORITE SCENE: This hasn't been a regular occurrence on this blog, mainly because if the film was fun - typically there was more than one scene that was enjoyed - with this film it wasn't the gold standard of film making, but there were moments that stood out. One happened to be a scene where John and Tina (awfully American names for an Italian film) were in bed in the second scenario where she is the seductress and while he lies in bed, her legs pass by his face (a close-up shot) and five minutes later her legs pass again. His response, "I am not a machine" HA! HA!

I am glad I watched this film. It was my first, to my knowledge, endeavour into the world of Italian sex romps, and I was pleased with the final verdict that Bava gave this film. Is this a film I could watch again ... certainly not. It was Austin Powers fun, but not repeatable. I am eager to see Bava's other films - but not right away.

So - this film - gets a pink mark. It had high standards - it was a strong outing, but just not perfect.

Found in my TIME OUT FILM GUIDE #9, one more "Q" ... I still have high hopes for this letter.