Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Night Has A Thousand Desires; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 0.50
Direction: 1.50
Pace: 0.75
Acting: 0.75
Enjoyment: 0.75
TOTAL: 4.25 out of 10.00
Finally, after all the rubbish Franco's put out, Night Has A Thousand Desires isn't too bad. The story is poor; however, it remains one of Franco's best-cinematised projects - up to this point in my viewing.
Franco has some decent ideas when it comes to storylines. The trouble is he writes the whole script, and his skill at structuring and developing characters is nearly non-existent. I wished he'd passed the synopsis over to a more talented scribe. In Night, we have the story of Irina and Fabian, two performers in a mind-reading act. But things aren't going well for Irina. She's dreaming of disturbing sexual encounters that always end in death for her partner, whether they're male or female. But are they dreams? Could they be premonitions? Worse yet, could they be real memories? This story would've been a decent murder mystery with a hint of the supernatural had Franco worked on it harder. Sadly he didn't, so the audience gets flat and dull characters that they can't relate to or emphasise with. Regrettably, the letdowns keep coming. Franco fails to build the thriller elements, which makes it even more tedious. I'm sorry to say I can't think of anything nice to mention storywise. But the narrative appears to be the main stumbling block in Franco's films.
Then we get onto the direction, and here, Franco displays some fine skills. Most of the scenes are well-structured and composed. He uses light to varying degrees. When we are in the club where the augurs perform, he lets the beautiful coloured leaded windows shine with their radiant hues and tones. This imagery works best in later scenes when there's no other light but the reds, greens, golds, and blues of sunlight through glass, bordered by deep shadows. Then when we go to Lorna's luxurious house, everything glows with a clean brightness. The only feature that Franco has difficulty with in the cinematography is the tempo. It's way too slow. Mixed with the tedious storyline, he's produced a gorgeously filmed, though uninteresting and lifeless movie. And though he tries to spice things up with some sex scenes, it's so spiritless it's like watching cadavers cavort.
When I looked at the cast list on IMDb, I giggled. Let me explain. The cast is Franco's usual band of performers. And yes, his missus, Lina Romay, takes the lead once again as psychic Irina. But this time, we find a new face on the roster - Daniel Katz as Fabian. And, what a surprise because the guy appears to be an actor. He doesn't do too badly. But lo and behold, another actor has voiced his lines. Antonio Mayans. Mayan's verges on petrified wood to okay. After seeing him in a couple of Franco's flicks, I can state that I'm not a great fan. But it would appear he works better when he's off camera. This vocal performance is some of his best work, and that's giggle-inducing.
I suggest staying away from this film if you're not a fan of Jesus Franco's work - and I understand there are many out there (and I can understand why). He was a prolific director, and I'm waiting to find the movie where the story, direction, and performances all gell. Until then, I'll keep plodding through the dregs of celluloid and videotape. But this was better than most.
Okay, Irina. This gentleman has given me a prized possession. Can you tell me what it is? That's right; it's his IMDb lists - Absolute Horror, Killer Thriller Chillers, and The Game Is Afoot. Can you tell the audience where he rated Night Has A Thousand Desires, or do they have to read the lists? Maybe they could find something better to watch too?
Take Care & Stay Well.
