Search - Art of Love on DVD

Not his best, but worth watching

A. Salas | Brooklyn, New York United States | 05/18/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a Borowczyk fan, I must say I enjoy The Art Of Love, although it may not be his best film. An ambitious ode to poet Ovid, one gets the feeling a larger budget would have been needed to get this done just right. Boro does his best with some nice soft focus and natural lighting, giving the proceedings an airy, glowing look similar to Behind Convent Walls and Emmanuelle 5. Sadly, the print used here gives it a washed out, at times over-exposed look. A film using soft-focus and unusual lighting definitely needed more care in the transfer, and much color correction.

Plotwise, it's basically the story of a handsome Roman general, his cheating wife and her young lover, a student of Ovid. There's a dream-like air of fantasy to the story, and the narrative takes a backseat to the visuals, intentionally I'd say. Performances by the talented and striking cast are hindered by sloppy dubbing, although the lovely score by Luis Bacalov adds much.

So I say, Borowczyk fans check it out... those looking for smut will find Art Of Love too arty and slow, historians probably a bit too pervy."