Written by: Michael Den Boer on December 25th, 2009
Theatrical Release Date: France / Italy, 1983
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Writers: Walerian Borowczyk, Wilhelm Buchheim, Enzo Ungari
Cast: Marina Pierro, Michele Placido, Massimo Girotti, Laura Betti, Milena Vukotic, Philippe Lemaire, Mireille Pame, Philippe Taccini, Simonetta Stefanelli, Antonio Orlando, Pier Francesco Aiello
DVD released: December 15th, 2009
Approximate running time: 97 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
DVD Release: Severin Films
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: $29.95
Synopsis: A young woman researching a book about Pompeii becomes the main suspect when a professor that she is collaborating with is murdered.
Art of Love was co-written and directed by Walerian Borowczyk, whose daring take on erotic cinema lead many critics of films to brand him as a pornographer. Art of Love is the third and final installment in Walerian Borowczyk’s Immoral Trilogy. The other films in this trilogy are The Beast and Immoral Women.
The bulk of the film takes place in Rome 8 A.D., with the film’s final jarring reveal taking place during present day. The events which lead up to this shift in time all are linked to what is revealed during the present day finale which firmly puts everything that had just occurred into focus. In anything that I found lacking about this film it is those scenes which take place in Rome 8 A.D. and how they felt drawn out.
Visually this is another well made film from Walerian Borowczyk who creates so much more then he obviously had to work with, as this film looks like it was made on an anemic budget. When compared to his other films Art of Love is not as explicit and in many ways is one of his most tame films were sexual content is concerned. Outside of a few interesting set pieces Art of love is lacks the heat present in Walerian Borowczyk’s best films.
The DVD:
Severin Films presents Art of Love in an anamorphic widescreen that frames the image in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. This transfer has been flagged for progressive playback. Colors range from good to muted, flesh tones generally fare well and the image look soft throughout. Also there appears that the image has been cropped. The Dutch DVD release of the film offers slightly more information at the top and bottom of the frame.
This release comes with one audio option a Dolby Digital mono mix in English. The audio sounds tiny and at times there is some mild distortion.
Extras for this release are limited to a trailer for the film (2 minutes 23 seconds – letterboxed widescreen). Overall Art of Love gets a sup par DVD release.