Ravishing Dany was recently released on disc by Mondo Macabro. I took a chance and was somewhat entertained by this European sex comedy.
Sandra Julien plays Dany, a Parisian model with a problem. Her car is need of repairs (four flat tires). Dany decides to hitchhike to and from her photoshoot in Italy. The film is rather oddly structured. We see the rides Dany gets on her way back to Paris, but not on the way to Italy. Then, at about the halfway point, Dany is given another modeling job, and we see her rides to the gig (but not on the way home). Why Dany did not get her car fixed with the money she made from the first modeling gig is never explained, other than the fact she is too cheap to pay for transportation.
The rides mostly involve lighthearted adventures. My favorites include an amorous butterfly collector with a lyrical imagination and a man who confuses women and sheep.
The film loses steam in the second half. The film includes a lengthy ride with a pair of bank robbers, which includes some killings and sexual violence (this is the 1970's after all) that darkens the otherwise lighthearted mood of the first half. However, the film does end on a humorous note.
For the most part, Ravishing Dany kept me entertained. I was certainly not riveted, but I did get a few laughs and the film's episodic nature worked for me.
