Is Cries of Pleasure Trash or Treasure?
Blu Ray Distributed By: Severin / February 25, 2020
Obscure even by hardcore Jess Franco fan standards, it remains the legendary writer/director’s most daring work of his early ‘80s erotic shocker oeuvre: Inspired by Hitchcock’s ROPE, Franco utilized long takes, minimal edits and his beloved Lina Romay at her most extreme for this de Sade-induced saga of violence, depravity and psychosexual mayhem among the amoral elite. Antonio Mayans (aka Robert Foster of DEVIL HUNTER and HOT NIGHTS OF LINDA), Rocío Freixas (THE SINISTER DR. ORLOFF) and Elisa Vela (aka Jasmina Bell of MANSION OF THE LIVING DEAD) co-star in this fascinating Franco rarity from his Golden Films Internacional period, now featuring a 4k scan from the original negative and all-new Special Features.
Travis’s Take 
(1.5 / 5)
Based on other reviews, one might know what to expect when it comes to Jess Franco. Great locations, hot chicks, loads of nudity, zooms, and maybe some violence. While those are common elements, quality is not always one of them. And Cries of Pleasure disappoints as a film.
This is allegedly based on some Marquis de Sade source material as well as inspired by Hitchcock’s Rope. I just kind of roll my eyes at claims like that. Sure it might sound good, but frankly I think it was just a way to shoot a movie fast and cheap with long takes because there isn’t much going on. The film begins with a nude buy floating in a pool (ok, easy reference Sunset Boulevard) while some rando plays guitar. Ok, weird start. Then a flash back to a wife who gets released from the loony bin and her husband brings her home with two other chicks in tow. It’s obvious he’s fucking everyone, with double dealing, jealously, and murder being on the menu. But who is double crossing whom?
That’s about it. It’s just one long moderately graphic sex scene after another. Thick dick, butt eating, bush….this is almost a review of a 42nd Street loop. When it comes to murder or violence, the blood is absolutely minimal. With minimal dialogue and lack of anything truly graphic, this ends up becoming very boring pretty quickly. It is best served as a travelogue of coastal Spain rather than a sexually charged thriller. This is really only for Franco completists or Lina Romay horndogs.
The film looks very good. Great location shots, and nude flesh looking very enticing on the film transfer. Thankfully there are also decent bonus features. The disc contains 3 featurettes that explore some of Franco’s shooting locations, a vintage VHS quality interview with the power couple of Franco and Romay, and a retrospective on Franco’s work. This helps round out many of the interviews that already exist of Franco on disc, and is probably more entertaining than the film itself. But that’s not saying much. It’s still interesting to hear he shot 12 movies in 1982, and you get an anecdote about the always nuts Klaus Kinski. And of course, lots of smoking during the interviews.
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
| Travis's Take: |  (1.5 / 5) |
| Blu-ray Extras: |  (3.0 / 5) |
| Average: |  (2.3 / 5) |
Special Features
- n The Land Of Franco Part 1: Stephen Thrower Tours Multiple Franco Locations in Portugal
- When Donald Met Jess and Lina Part 1: Filmmaker Donald Farmer Interviews the Power Couple in 1993
- Jess Franco’s Golden Years: Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of ‘Murderous Passions & Flowers of Perversion – The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco
