Sexy Sisters (1977)

One frequently knows what to expect from a Jess Franco movie made in the 1970's: Several hot women who spend the bulk of their screen time cavorting about in the nude when they aren't engaging in steamy quasi-pornographic sex, a palatial single setting (the mansion full of feline imagery serves as a neat visual metaphor for the sordid narrative's primary emphasis on deception and victimization), Franco regular Jack Taylor portraying some kind of sleazeball (this time Jack's a smarmy and shady doctor), lots of bare breasts and pubic hair, all kinds of sexual depravity (this picture runs the gamut from voyeurism to incestuous lesbianism), a groovy lounge score, colorful cinematography (thankfully Jess keeps his penchant for zoom-in close-ups under control for once), and maybe even some okay semblance of a story to make it all cohere into some kind of meaningful whole. Erwin C. Dietrich's reasonably meaty script offers a bit more plot than the norm for Franco, with the evil and greedy Countess Edna Von Stein (nicely played with infectiously wicked lip-smacking aplomb by enticing brunette Pamela Stafford) devising a clever scheme to make her younger nymphomaniac sister Milicent (a sympathetic portrayal by yummy blonde Karine Gambier) appear crazy so she can have a hefty family inheritance all to herself. Franco surprisingly manages to maintain a quicker than usual pace and, naturally, certainly doesn't skimp on either the tasty gratuitous nudity and sizzling soft-core carnality. Why, we even have a decent twist at the end. Recommended viewing for Jess Franco fans.

The extremely prolific director Jess Franco chronically had a problem with coherent plotting for his movies, but for "Sexy Sisters" he found a rather drastic solution to the problem: he dispensed with plotting altogether! Nothing happens in this movie that couldn't have happened in a total of, say, 10 minutes - the other 75 are taken up by long sex scenes, both lesbian and straight. Unfortunately, these scenes are more explicit than erotic, despite Karine Gambier's thoroughly uninhibited performance - after a certain point in his career, Franco's approach became too "gynecologistical" for my tastes. Your mileage may vary. ** out of 4.

Following a number of disappointments viewing some highly-regarded Jess Franco movies, I warily approached this Erwin C. Dietrich production - which came none too soon, considering that I'd had the VHS of SEXY SISTERS for six days before I could summon enough courage to try it!It's similar to SINFONIA EROTICA (1979) in that its characters are motivated either by greed or sexual frustration, and in its general depravity. Like SINNER (1972), then, while the film purports to be the character study of a single nymphomaniac, sex is virtually the only thing all the characters - and, by extension, the director himself - think about!; having four women in the brew, for instance, was a bit much, though the nurse's character (torn between her 'boss', Jack Taylor, and her genuine feeling for Karine Gambier) is quite interesting.The formal look of the film (especially interesting is the interior design of the sisters' mansion with its proliferation of feline imagery) extends itself to the trim plot line, the effective but unobtrusive score and the generally balanced performances (though it must be said that no member of the cast is particularly taxed by the level of acting necessitated by the film). Pamela Stanford gives a fine 'bad girl' performance in the style of Britt Nichols from A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD (1971). The predictable 'climax', however, ends the film on a bit of a whimper: a more dramatic conclusion would not have been amiss.It's superficial in comparison with other Franco films, but made in a refreshingly self-mocking way (the early scene involving Stanford and the gear-shift of a car, the 'mannerisms' of the numerous studs who 'visit' Gambier {reminiscent of the campy sex films being made contemporaneously by Russ Meyer in the US}, the unorthodox way in which Taylor takes Gambier's temperature) that it's not really oppressive - despite the extensive nudity involved - as others I've watched had been. The relationship between the two sisters does not convince, however - particularly their age difference (which cannot be great) as revealed in a flashback. Besides Gambier does not display enough charisma to sustain her basically one-dimensional role (unlike Monserrat Prous in SINNER and Lina Romay in SINFONIA EROTICA); in fact, her constant 'whining' becomes fairly annoying - to say nothing of unintentionally funny - after a while! The film really falls to pieces every time the characters open their mouths...to speak, that is; for a sex film, it's got an awful lot of dialogue - and practically all of it's silly, would-be titillating talk!I watched this via a 20-year old VHS: hideously dubbed as always; non-OAR; occasionally fading colors; and, most surprising of all, no credit titles! Even if the film has been released on DVD as part of VIP's "The Jess Franco Collection", it's not substantial enough to merit a purchase from me...

I watched this in fast forward mode to the sex scenes, which were, although not explicit, lenghty and frequent. Lots of boobs on show etc. The women look quite sexy although they aren't drop dead gorgeous. Acting was OK, dubbing was so-so too. Plenty of cheesy music, nice locations & 70's style. You could find a worse way to pass the time. The film is well shot and better than some other Franco efforts. It is available in a box set from Anchor Bay with a lot of other Franco films; Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun etc at a good price although some of the films are cut (BBFC) in UK. Not as good as Lulu's Talking Ass.