Written by: Michael Den Boer on June 13th, 2010
Theatrical Release Date: Spain / Italy, 1979
Director: Paul Lezy (Pedro Lazaga)
Writer: Tulio Demicheli
Cast: Janet Agren, Nadiuska, Alberto de Mendoza, Paolo Giusti, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Adriana Russo, Beatrice Giorgi, Bentley Bosco, Patrizia Basso, Verónica Miriel, Juan Santamaría, Rafael Alonso, Rafael Hernández, Luigi Ciotola, Enzo Cerusico, Rossana Podestà, Madlain Lesseur
DVD released: June 29th, 2010
Approximate running time: 87 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
DVD Release: Mya Communication
Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC
Retail Price: $24.95
Synopsis: A group of women use their natural assets to scam wealthy men out of large sums of money.
Love Games was the final film directed by Pedro Lazaga a prolific filmmaker whose career spanned four decades. Some of his more notable films include Gladiators 7 and Maniac Mansion. The screenplay for Love Games was written by Tulio Demicheli, who is most known for directing films like Assignment Terror and Ricco the Mean Machine. The cinematographer on Love Games was Cristiano Pogany, who’s other notable credits as a cinematographer include Eyes Behind the Wall and The Last House on the Beach. The score for Love Games was composed by Fabio Frizzi, who is most remembered for his collaborations with director Lucio Fulci on films like Zombie 2, City of the Living Dead and The Beyond.
This Italian sex comedy doesn’t try to bring anything new to the genre. The main emphasizes throughout this film is sex and its ability to make men scatter brain. of course all of male characters in this film are easily conned as their one tracked minds get the better of them. And while it may appear strange that these women are conning men who are loosely connected and should know each other. The woman are able to move from one scam to the next with ease since it is explained that these men are to embarrassed to report what has happened to them. Absurd plot devices are abundant throughout this film. The cast features a few recognizable faces like Janet Agren (Eaten Alive), Giacomo Rossi-Stuart (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) and a actress named Nadiuska (The People Who Own the Dark) who is a ‘dead ringer’ for Sophia Loren. Ultimately Love Games is a predictable film that quickly wears out its welcome.
The DVD:
Love Games is presented in a 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a VHS sourced transfer. There are several VHS based defects that crop up throughout this transfer. Colors range from muted to average. Details look fuzzy and some scenes look overly bright. Also there are noticeable issues with compression.
This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in Italian. The audio fares better than the transfer as everything sounds clear and balanced throughout. Removable English subtitles have been included. The subtitles have a few of grammatical errors.
This release comes with no extra content. Overall Love Games gets mediocre audio /video presentation from Mya Communication.