Is Cecilia Treasure or Trash?
Blu-ray Distributed By Blue Underground / August 25, 2020
Also known as SEXUAL ABERRATIONS OF A HOUSEWIFE, this extraordinarily rare entry in the exotic oeuvre of Jess Franco (VENUS IN FURS, SUCCUBUS) features the fabulous Muriel Montosse (THE INCOFESSABLE ORGIES OF EMMANUELLE) at the mercy of Olivier Mathot (CANNIBALS), Pierre Taylou (EXORCISM), Antonio Mayans (SADOMANIA), and even Lina Romay (WOMEN BEHIND BARS). Now this cavalcade of carnal delights has been freshly scanned and restored from its original negative, and presented in all its uncut, uncensored splendor in High Definition for the first time ever!
Jamie’s Take (2 / 5)
Easily the most prolific and biggest workaholic director there ever was, Jess Franco has been a part of many films in several different genres (horror, thriller, erotic, comedy, adventure) as well as having directed over 200 films in his vast career. With that being said, even his most die-hard fans would say 20-30 of them are good. The rest…well…they can range from mediocre to downright atrocious. Franco is an acquired taste and it took me a long time to appreciate not only his films but this style and work ethic (one year he directed 7 movies!). I am unsure what this man loved more: the zoom lens or nudity. Cecilia falls in the later category as I was more shocked when I saw a character with clothes on.
This French erotic melodrama stars Muriel Montosse as Cecilia, a housewife who loves sex (cue applause). Cecilia and her husband Andre (Olivier Mathot, a Franco regular) are well to do and decide to vacation at a secluded villa. When Cecilia is picked up by a chauffeur, she taunts him by getting completely nude in the car as she gets off being a little cocktease. The chauffeur, who mentions she has done this to him in the past, takes her to a remote location where he and his brothers decide to rape her. Horrified, Cecilia tries to get out of their clutches but soon she actually enjoys it and takes part in getting completely motherfucked by these Neaderthals.
When she tells Andre what had happened, he of course wants to go after them until she convinces Andre that they should basically become swingers and have lots of open sex. They turn to sex parties and orgies for kicks and while Cecilia at first thinks it’s great getting porked every which way, things take a turn for the worse when Andre starts to enjoy these other lovers. As their marriage starts to deteriorate, Cecilia and Andre need to come to grips of what they have become and what has become of each other.
Clocking in at 105 minutes, Cecilia is a drag and pretty dull. After the first few fucks and nude scenes, I couldn’t care less what became of these two rich assholes. As they live in a fancy villa with servants and money, I wasn’t really heartbroken when these two schmucks start to have marital problems. Cecilia actually comes across as annoying and a bitch at times (her drunken tirade at a bar had me wishing Andre would dump her right then and there). I was not invested with these characters at all. Andre seemed like a tool too and he just came across as stiff (as opposed to his flaccid french fry which seemed to flop about from time to time).
I will say that the dubbing, while bad, did provide some unintentional laughs. My favorite bit was “You’ve got marvelous breasts. I like mine to be as nice.” “Don’t be an idiot. Your breasts are beautiful.” In all fairness, both of these ladies had pretty nice milkers so we can put this argument to rest. I love a dubbed movie where even the sounds of screams or grunts are dubbed and come off as really loud and over the top. Obviously one can also watch this in the original French audio but what fun is that?
While this is not my favorite Franco film, this may be his most mature film that I have seen and he does fill the frame with some nice scenery (shot in Portugal despite being set in France) and does use some interesting camera tricks. He even takes a break from the zoom lens a little although he does zoom in on a sculpture’s genitals for no reason near the opening of the film. Ok maybe Franco isn’t as mature as I thought.
Being this is the first time I have seen Cecilia, the transfer looks great to me and colors look crisp and bright. Franco seemed to have loved using the fog filter and even the soft look of the film doesn’t hinder the flawless transfer. I expect this from Blue Underground as their transfers are generally solid. This blu ray doesn’t disappoint. Franco fans will undoubtedly love the special features as the original Spanish cut is featured. This takes out a lot of the backstory and flashbacks which provided some necessary character plot but does seem to flow a bit faster. A Franco interview is always a welcome addition as he was, in his old age very blunt and tells it like it is. Franco fan Stephen Thrower has an interview which provides some backstory on the making of the film and finally a feature length documentary on Franco which is worth the price of the blu ray alone. The doc provides some nice history on the man and showcases his more popular films.
Cecilia is not going to win over any first time viewers. It can be a bore and often I felt it was a chore to sit through. I do appreciate the fact that he tried to make a more serious film, one for couples but it was really hard for me to care about this spoiled rich couple who got to bang everyone in sight.
Jamie says: One’s Trash is Another’s Treasure.
Jamie's Take: | (2 / 5) |
Blu-ray Extras: | (4 / 5) |
Average: | (3 / 5) |
Special Features:
- ABERRACIONES SEXUALES DE UNA MUJER CASADA – Jess Franco’s rare original cut in Spanish with English subtitles
- Sexual Aberrations of Cecilia – Interview with Director Jess Franco
- Amoral Fantasies – Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of “Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco”
- Franco-Philes: Musings on Madrid’s B-Movie Maverick – Feature-length documentary examining the career of Jess Franco
- Theatrical Trailer
- Still Gallery