Cries of Pleasure

Cries of Pleasure is José Ramón Larraz at his most sensual, subversive, and hypnotic. This 1983 Spanish erotic thriller takes the basic ingredients of a chamber drama—lust, betrayal, madness—and transforms them into a haunting, slow-burn descent into psychological and sexual obsession. The new Blu-ray release is a revelation. Vinegar Syndrome’s restoration breathes vivid new life into the film’s sun-drenched colors, shadowy interiors, and tactile textures. Every drop of sweat, every whispered lie, every stolen glance—it’s all gorgeously preserved. This is how this film was meant to be seen. The performances are raw, unnerving, and intoxicating, especially from the magnetic Andrea Albani. The entire film pulses with erotic dread, blurring the line between pleasure and punishment, intimacy and manipulation. The mansion setting becomes a claustrophobic stage for desire spiraling into destruction. This is not just exploitation—it’s elevated Euro-erotica with brains, style, and a cruel edge. And the included extras—commentaries, interviews, and rare materials—make this disc a must-own for cult cinema lovers. Moody, beautiful, and deeply unsettling. A twisted jewel in the Larraz crown.

Lina Romey made one decent flick: Rolls Royce Baby. All the other movies she made are almost identical. Of course there are the ones she made after the age of about 40, after she had magically been transformed into a toad. Those are just plain repulsive.

As I noted in my review for the release of NIGHT OF OPEN SEX, director Jess Franco was an exploitation director who has been rediscovered by a new generation who love his films. That film and this one are both being released on disc from Severin and fans should rejoice at the chance to add them to their collection. Unlike NIGHT OF OPEN SEX there is less story on display here and more sex than that film. It definitely is the more porn like film of the pair even if there is a soft core like amount on display. The story involves the wealthy elite, a man who brings home his lover to meet his wife about to be released from an asylum. Not only does he have a thing going with this woman, he’s also involved with his housekeeper, a woman he and his wife raped and took in when she was younger. As the story moves forward we learn that he has plans to kill his wife for her fortune and escape with his lover. Or does he? The story may be simple but Franco tried for something different here, employing techniques used by Alfred Hitchcock in his film ROPE. Utilizing long takes and minimal edits Franco does his best to follow the master but falls far short. The scenery looks lovely and the location is nice but much of what happens takes place indoors and that almost always involves sex, some of which takes on a sadomasochistic bent. Once more Franco puts wife Lina Romay on display for all to see as the adulteress lover of lead Antonio Mayans. If her body weren’t enough there is also that of Elisa Vela as the housekeeper and Rocio Freixas as the wife. Various couplings of the group are on hand from start to finish. It’s difficult to describe why the film falls just short of the hard core status. Suffice to say there is plenty of female genitalia on display but little from the male lead and no penetration. The film could play on cable and not be cut. So is it any good? Well the story in itself is kind of interesting. And if soft core porn is something you enjoy then you have plenty on hand here to watch. The odds are though that most will not be looking for this film. But that wouldn’t include fans of Franco or those who love exploitation films. That group will be flocking to pick up a copy of the film and will undoubtedly find it quite fulfilling since Severin has done a wonderful job with the release. Not only are they offering in on blu-ray they’ve tacked on a number of extras as well. Those include “In the Land of Franco Part 1” with Stephen Thrower touring multiple Franco locations in Portugal, “When Donald Met Jess and Lina Part 1” where filmmaker Donald Farmer interviews the couple in 1993 and “Jess Franco’s Golden Years” an interview with Thrower the author of “Murderous Passions & Flowers of Perversion – The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco”. Parts 2 of these extras can be found on Severin’s NIGHT OF OPEN SEX.

Weird Franco softcore flick. Pretty artistic and unsettling.

EL ESTADO ES PERFECTO. CON GRANDES ESPECTATIVAS. GRAN PROFESIONAL.