Fuego

Fuego (1969)

*** (out of 4)

Carlos (Armando Bo) sees the beautiful Laura (Isabel Sarli) and immediately falls in love with her. Their love burns into a fiery passion as their love making reaches all sorts of levels. Carlos wants no one but Laura but what he doesn't know is that she's a nymphomaniac and her need for other mean could lead to devistation.

FUEGO is an Argentinan movie that is pretty much unlike many other movies out there. If you're familiar with the Coffin Joe movies then I'd almost compare this to them. Whereas that series took the horror genre and did something fresh with it, the same can be said for FUEGO as it takes a sexploitation plot and really turns it into a crazy little picture. Is this an award-winning film that ranks up there with Bergman? Of course not but there's no question that it's very enertaining.

There's no doubt that the main reason to watch this is for the beauty of Sarli. She easily steals the picture as she constantly shows off her sexuality while at the same time exposing her body for the world to see. There are some really crazy moments here that are just downright fun, although I think they were menat to be serious. One such example is when Sarli's lesbian "friend" is coming onto her. More hilarious moments happen when Sarli goes out and seduces a variety of men. And just check out the sequence in the woods!

Obviously, if you're looking for some sort of serious drama then you're not going to find it here. This film works because it's so over-the-top that you just can't help but have fun with it. The sexual nature is quite fun and the wacky nature to it all makes FUEGO a must see for fans of the genre.

FUEGO's director Armando Bo has been called Argentina's answer to Russ Meyer, and the stunning (and, yes, well-endowed) star of FUEGO,Isabel Sarli, would not at all be out of place in a Meyer film. One is even tempted to describe FUEGO as a South American version of Meyer's VIXEN, in that both films depict the exploits (or sexploits) of an insatible, irrestible woman. On the down side, Bo lacks Meyer's flair for disorientating camera angles and rapid-fire editing, but nonetheless, FUEGO features enough inventive camera work and (of course)gratuitous nudity to keep the viewer alert, and contains moments that are erotic and disturbing -- often at the same time! Overall, by no means a masterpiece, but a provocative and even compelling step above most so-called "nudie-films."

When mentioned at all, this movie is often compared (usually unfavorably) to a Russ Meyer film largely due to to the pendulous charms of its leading lady, Isabela Sarli. However, director Armando Bo, while technically less talented than Meyer (and seemingly unable to afford a dolly) is also refreshingly much less pretentious than Meyer, and his overripe, unintentially hilarious dialogue is much more entertaining than the wry, pseudo-hip dialogue penned by Meyer collaborators like Roger Ebert. This movie mostly resembles an especially entertaining Latin American telenovela except that it was shot on filmstock before liposuction and plastic surgery was all the rage and Latina actresses looked like human beings rather than plastic brunette sex dolls.

Sarli, who was the director's real-life wife, carries the movie, of course, as an insatiable woman who destroys the lives of everyone around her with her hilariously compulsive infidelities. Sarli certainly fits the physical mold of a south-of-the-border Meyer girl, but where Meyer's actresses were all pretty much strippers and Hollywood casting couch veterans not terribly different from the promiscuous characters they played in his movies, Sarli was reputedly a nice Catholic girl who hated doing nude scenes (which is kind of like finding out that Michael Jordan hated playing basketball) and whose international career never took off due to her loyalty to her hack-director husband. Thus Sarli is actually acting here a little, and while her talent may be strictly limited, at least she HAS some talent, which is more than can be said for most Meyer girls.

The best thing about this though is the cheesy Spanish music which is even more ridiculous than the dialogue but in Spanish and put to music ("Fuego! en tu boca/Fuego! en tu corazon/Fuego! en tu alma"). Listening to this over and over while watching Sarli have her voluptuous body licked dry by her homely lesbian maid after a nude swim or dressed only in a fur coat and fondling herself in front of male strangers on the street is truly a unique cinematic experience.

That's about all I have good to say about this. I blame either bad-dubbing, the alcohol needed to build the courage to watch this, or a combination of the two, but I found myself utterly confused by this movie. The lesbian mid-wife, servant, escort, whatever, served to do nothing other than make me want to stick a mousetrap in my pants. The large breasted star had two things going for her...and I do believe I just mentioned that. Her geriatric, lesbian servant...she made my flesh crawl. And her balding boyfriend, oh he was my favorite. The look on his face whilst Mrs. Hot Stuff was undulating with desire in the ice cold snow...that look, didn't really say to me "oh you're so beautiful and mysterious, I want you now". To me, it looked more like a bewildered, "Get the F#$% out of the snow, you moron." I hate this movie.

This film is nothing to write home about and was controversial for its time. However,Isabal Sarli is on fire in this film. She is in heat all the time and is ready to bed any man who is interested and if none can be found, she lets her lesbian maid have her way with her. What is a bit strange is that Sarli who was in her early 30s is taken to bed by all older and not overly handsome men. Even her lesbian maid is in her 50s. Well, if you want to see Isabel Sarli on fire see this movie; if not, order a pizza.