I Am A Nymphomaniac

UK Tv viewers will be familiar with the 'Eurotika!' name from the late night show of the same name. Now, the same folk that brought us the great Pagan line of DVD's have launched the 'Eurotika!' collection.

First up is Max Pecas' 'I Am A Nymphomaniac', the unintentionally amusing tale of a young girl called Carole (played by the lovely Sandra Jullien), who leads a boring life with a boring job and a boring boyfriend. One day, distracted by a passing mysterious handsome stranger, she falls down a lift shaft and when she comes round - she finds she has become... a nymphomaniac !!

Yup, I know the plot sounds absurd and that's exactly what you get, a hilariously absurd slice of Euro-trash (oh yeah, it does indeed live up to that label) that had me chuckling throughout. Deliriously bad acting backed up with some top notch bad dubbing (when the english soundtrack is selected) that highlights the seriously dodgy script.

A sort of cheap and cheery Euro take of the possession scenario, except her replacing satan with sex. Watch as Carole strolls her way through the movie in heat, having it off with anyone interested (the boss, the carny folk etc) then promptly feeling like a 'dirty girl' seeking solice (or maybe an exorcism) from the cheery local priest and a dashing doctor that helps her by putting her through dozens of 'nympho' tests that included checking her tummy for lumps ?!!

In France director Max Pecas is known as 'the King of Crap' (to which he responds 'at least I'm King!'), but I wouldn't go that far. 'Nympho' is a highly enjoyable romp, of the cheesy grade z nature. Although made back in 1970, the film often has the feel of a fifties french jazz-cafe flick (dig that groovy soundtrack!) with some dirty fun for good measure. Pecas direction is solid enough, with a nice use of lighting throughout.

'Eurotika!' have done a fine job with this release. The print is remastered nicely from the original negative, with a 2 channel Dolby mix. On the extra front, there's the very welcome addition of the documentary on Pecas work that originally aired as part of the 'Eurotika!' tv series, which is excellent viewing in its own right. There's also some nice background reading in the form of the cast/crew bios and an interview with Sandra Jullien, as well as the usual still gallery. Audio wise, there's the option of viewing the film with either French or English soundtracks, but it's the dodgy English one you want to go for (unless you're french of course !)

Truly dodgy stuff, but fun viewing all round. A nice debut from 'Eurotika!' that will be welcomed by fans of vintage Euro-trash everywhere.