IN THE SIGN OF THE GEMINI

IN THE SIGN OF THE GEMINI

(A.k.a. I TVILLINGERNES TEGN)

The year is 1930, the place is Denmark. A brief monochrome introduction informs us via swirling newspapers and breathless voiceover that rival record companies Master Records and Onofon are competing to sign singer Dolores Rossi (Cia Lowgren) in a million dollar contract.

We then meet Master Records' boss Anthon (Ole Soltoft) - a playboy who lives the rich lifestyle to the full. Our first glimpse of him is at home in his mansion, in bed with a harem of women. With his bevy of beauties' assistance, Anthon likes to consult the astronomy column of the morning newspaper to decide how he will act on any given day. That morning, the stars tell Anthon to sign Dolores.

His rival Ulrick (Preben Mahrt) meanwhile is shown as a more serious-minded, middle-aged businessman. He's taken to sitting in his office and grumpily dismissing proposals from a would-be record inventor as "Piss". But he also knows when he sees a good deal, and is similarly desperate to get Dolores to sign on the dotted line.

Then we're off to a plush dinner party hosted by Anthon to celebrate his record company producing the top selling hit of the year. Following a lengthy topless ballroom dance routine and some bawdy shenanigans, Anthon and Ulrik home in on guest Dolores and begin to make a play for her custom.

It seems that the charismatic Anthon has the upper hand, as Dolores warms to him towards the end of the evening. The pair arrange a meeting for the following week, where he plans to seduce her while gaining her as a client for his record label.

But Ulrik and his bungling henchmen have other ideas, and a plot is hatched to kidnap Anthon until Dolores' signature is safely secured on Onofon's contract. After a ridiculous spot of Dick Emery-style capers in a gym sauna, Anthon is finally kidnapped and thus his plans to woo Dolores are thrown into turmoil ... until his estate bring out his identical twin, the naive Benny.

With Anthon gone, Benny must 'become' his brother. Anthon's harem arrange this, by bathing and shaving Benny into his brother's style, ditching his thick glasses and even versing him in the ways of lovemaking to prepare him for his proposed seduction of Dolores.

Unsurprisingly, the plot descends into farce of even greater proportions from this point onwards, slowing down on occasion only to wallow in neatly interwoven scenes of hardcore sex.

IN THE SIGN OF THE GEMINI is directed by Werner Hedman, a regular helmer of the TEGN series. This is by far his most accomplished crack at the whip, benefiting from assured direction of the fun cast and decent production values that accommodate a few unexpectedly effective stylistic flourishes.

The dance sequences are the colourful and well-choreographed highlights of the film (especially the early slow-motion boogie at the dinner party), while period detail and costume design work alongside the frequently lovely outdoor photography to result in an extremely attractive-looking movie.

The script is a deceptively proficient one, mixing gags with an engaging plot and throwing in plenty of references to astrological compatibilities, fates determined by the stars etc. Of all the TEGN films, it's the only one to actively flaunt its common concept. But, of course, never at the expense of the endearingly bad European comedy ...

GEMINI possesses more jokes per minute than in any other TEGN feature. The majority of them will draw groans rather than giggles, but occasionally there's the odd titter to be had. Slapstick scenes are also more common in this film. They include one character falling into a swimming pool, a speeded-up sex scene that plays like a more risqué version of the schoolgirls seduction sequence from A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, would-be kidnappers in drag and "boooiiiinng"s on the soundtrack when people get slapped.

Soltoft is most enjoyable in the dual role of brothers, excelling in particular as the initially puritanical Benny. GEMINI perhaps shows Soltoft in more spirited form than in any of the other TEGN films, and therefore emerges as his most memorable performance. The remainder of the cast have little to do other than pull faces, shout occasionally and - if they're female - get their kits off at some point.

Which brings us to the nookie. The hardcore content on this occasion includes a nice energetic bout of female masturbation, a surprisingly sensual red-hued lesbian tryst, and a spot of fellatio that leads to a decent fuck as witnessed by a goggle-eyed Benny and 'his' girls.

All told, GEMINI is the most stylish, considered and consistent of all the TEGN films. Soltoft gets to flex his comic muscles more here and shines as a result, while Hedman's direction and script are sharper than his other efforts in the series. Also, there's a great supporting cast for those with an interest in Eurocult cinema: Karl Stegger (various TEGN films), Lise Henningsen (DADDY DARLING), Anne Bie Warburg (JUSTINE AND JULIETTE), Lisbeth Olsen (THE SINFUL DWARF) and Kate Mundt (I A WOMAN PART 2), among others.

GEMINI is presented uncut in anamorphic 1.78:1. The picture quality is good, offering strong vibrant colours and a pleasing lack of obvious grain. Details are relatively strong while flesh tones are accurate throughout. Blacks also hold up well in this quality transfer.

The Danish 2.0 soundtrack is clean and evenly balanced, while optional English subtitles are well-written and easy to read.

A colourful animated main menu page leads into an equally luminous animated scene-selection menu allowing access to the main feature via 12 chapters. Both menus are happy to celebrate the film's hardcore content on loop.

The only extra on the disc is a slideshow. This offers stills over the course of 2-and-a-half minutes. Set to funky lounge music, it too offers some decent hardcore stills.

A startlingly odd yet agreeable fusion of arthouse beauty, puerile humour and occasional XXX sex, GEMINI is perhaps the strongest entry in the TEGN series. It looks and sounds decent in this uncut release from Smirk.

Review by Stu Willis


 
Released by Smirk
Region 1 - NTSC
Not Rated
Extras :
see main review
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