Amours de vacances

This is a great movie for those willing to throw caution to the wind and go for a ride. At first I was into it for the funky love-triangle. I wanted to see how it would turn out. As it progressed I found that I was paying less attention to the sexual aspects of the film and ended up lost in the eyes of Valérie Quennessen. Without a doubt she has the most beautiful soul I've ever seen in a woman's eyes.

The instant it ended I came to IMDb to see what else she's done. Then I learned the worst. Valérie died 10 years ago. I genuinely feel a loss in my heart.

I must be crazy...I must be in love.

This sex comedy/travelogue focuses on the beauty of Greece with its aerial photography of the island of Santorini (a.k.a. Thera). It is a picture-postcard fantasy of Greece. The production values are high and the scenes are colorful and crisp. A lot of its comedy comes from the fact that it's so embarrassing to watch, in a good way. There are a lot of cheesy moments that I wouldn't want to miss. It's 70's/early 80's alternative lifestyle style, which includes a group disco romp where everyone holds hands at the same time! Then there is that scene with the nude body builders... The film is well worth seeing if you've ever dreamed of going to Greece.

I liked the theme of personal growth and minor sexual liberation against the backdrop of Greece, specifically, Thira (Santorini). There is some decent, although very minor, treatment of the archaeology of the Minoan civilization on Thira. The performances were good and the scenery is stunningly beautiful. A good amount of toplessness and some minor full nudity is refreshingly well treated. Point in fact, I had similar experiences when I went to the islands in 1984. Entertaining and poignant.

How best to describe a big slice of cinematic Velveeta? The film concerns itself with three beautiful tan people (on an island of beautiful tan people) who find fulfillment in a relationship that involves the three of them together. A tawdrier subject who would be hard to come up with, yet somehow it all comes across as (mostly) good, clean fun. A pre-stardom Gallagher brings his self-conscious, sexually naive girlfriend (Hannah) to a splendid Greek island where nudity on the beach is common and sex and drugs are everywhere for the taking. (Of course, our screen lovemakers pass on the drugs, lest they offend even more potential Puritanical viewers than they do by getting involved in a threesome!) Penis and bare breasts are evident on screen before the opening credits even roll. Gallagher is on the island approximately 10 minutes before he comes across serene, sun-basking Quennessen who is completely at home with the Bohemian nature of the island (and has one amazing pair of eyes, although Gallagher probably was more interested in another pair of hers!) He pursues her at every opportunity until she catches him. Expected resentments occur once Hannah finds out, but what sets this apart from the other 2000 stories about adultery that have been filmed is this...once Hannah meets Quennessen, she finds herself enamored of her so much that she starts to encourage the relationship between her and Gallagher. The rest of the story you can glean from the title. The best aspects of the film include the tremendously inviting and arresting Greek scenery and architecture, the ultra-pop soundtrack (which is occasionally intrusive) and surprisingly natural performances of the rather green lead actors. Another plus, for many viewers will be the nonstop parade of non-surgically-enhanced breasts and buns of the young international cast of extras. Flaws include a pretty weak script and occasional editing that looks like it was done with the proverbial chainsaw. The film benefits extraordinarily from the location shooting. If it had been set anywhere else it would become the most tacky soft porn film of all time. It is dispiriting to think of this junk as screen veteran Rush's last theatrical feature, though, admittedly, she is perfect as Hannah's confounded mother. Her sidekick Cook gets in a few laughs before they are spirited off. Gallagher and Hannah obviously went on to much better things. Unfortunately, Quennessen was dead within a few years from an accident and rising Dutch actor Tongeren killed himself that same year. It's a bit of a time capsule...a pre-AIDS wallow in sexual freedom and exploration, that inexplicably remains rather innocent despite it's subject.

Okay, okay. It's a thin plot with a lot of Chamber of Commerce scenery. But it took me back to Greece as I had seen it. Santorini is unmatched anywhere. (Mykonos is also very beuatiful.) The beaches have more than their share of full-tan bathers. It's real. It's their culture. So what? It's not a reason to dish the movie. The movie brings in top musical productions of the era and three budding stars. In the "Isn't it Interesting Category" it's notable that Daryl Hannah (Cathy) states that her fantasy "is to be a mermaid." Voila! The mermaid she became vaulted her career forward. The biggest disappontment that I got from the movie is finding out that the beautiful Valerie Quennessen died in an auto accident in 1989. She played the European free-spirit role well. She had stunning eyes - mindful of Princess Di. God bless her!