FAUST - THE POWER OF SEX
DVD Region 0. Private

This porno retread of the Faust/Mephistopheles story has all the right elements - a dark, brooding atmosphere, fetishised sex and a stunningly beautiful cast. But in the hands of the unfortunately named Jose M. Ponce, it falls a little flat.

The sex is explicit, but somehow antiseptic - you might admire the visuals, but you're unlikely to be turned on. And the cast, though undoubtedly beautiful, tend to destroy the atmosphere when they speak, thanks to heavy East European accents which not only make the dialogue hard to follow, but ensure a flat, emotionless delivery (many of the cast are clearly speaking phonetic English, and don't understand what they are saying).

All that said, I'm glad Private are continuing to spend money on ambitious projects like these two films. With arthouse and porno cinema ever closer these days, the dream of a porn/mainstream crossover is suddenly a reality again, and Private may be the company to bridge the gap eventually.

LES DE MONZ