Tag Archives: prostitution
Letter From an Unknown Woman (2004)
“The dead no longer want anything.” I’ll admit that I am not a die-hard fan of Chinese cinema. That said some of Zhang Yimou’s films stand out in my mind–those that star the exquisite Gong Li (Raise the Red Lantern, Red Sorghum, … Continue reading
Filed under China
Change My Life (2001)
Fanny Ardant is an incredibly talented and versatile French actress, and the drama Change My Life (Change Moi Ma Vie) gives her a role that allows her to display that talent. Ardant plays Nina, a neurotic, pill-popping has-been actress who’s … Continue reading
Filed under Fanny Ardant, France
Priceless (2006)
“It seems a man like you can’t be bought, even by me.” In Priceless (Hors de Prix) Irene (Audrey Tatou) is a svelte gold digger who haunts the playgrounds of the stinking rich looking for her next victim. Irene gets … Continue reading
The Edge of Heaven (2007)
“I’m a lady of easy virtue.” Lives intersect and create permanent changes in the wonderful film The Edge of Heaven (Auf Der Anderen Seite) from writer/director Fatih Akin. Akin was born in Germany but is of Turkish descent, so his … Continue reading
Filed under German, Hanna Schygulla, Turkish
Gambling With Souls (1936)
“You filthy operator of a sex exchange.” Strict censorship rules of the Hays Code spawned the production of many sexploitation films–films that were presented as exposes of the lurid charms of various human vices. These films took a strong moral … Continue reading
Filed under Exploitation
The Flesh Merchant (1956)
“The guys are here to have a ball–not a ball and chain.” Naive young country girl, Nancy (Joy Reynolds), unexpectedly arrives in Los Angeles to move in with her sister, “fashion model” Paula (Lisa Rack). Nancy thinks that Paula has … Continue reading
Filed under Exploitation
King of Thieves (2004)
“Barbu–King of the Circus!” The marvelously entertaining Czech film, King of Thieves begins in a small remote Ukrainian village as two village children–Mimma (Julia Khanverdieva) and Barbu (Iakov Kultiasov) entertain the locals with an amateur acrobatic show. But then in … Continue reading
Filed under Czech
Viva La’lderie (2004)
“Then let’s sin away.” Viva La’ldjerie follows the lives of three women living in Algiers as they negotiate the yawning gap created by the two vastly different cultural worlds they live in. As the spread of fundamental Islam clashes with … Continue reading
Filed under Algerian
Pantaleon y las Visitadoras (2000)
“I hope you like the jungle.” In the Peruvian comedy Pantaleon y las Visitadoras, strait-laced Captain Pantaleon Pantoja (Salvador del Solar) is given the daunting mission of setting up a ‘visitor’s centre’ in the heart of the Peruvian jungle. According … Continue reading
Filed under Peruvian
The Respectful Prostitute (1952)
“Don’t paw me, you’re not part of my contract.” Based on a Jean Paul Sartre play, The Respectful Prostitute explores the moral choices experienced by a white prostitute after she witnesses a crime committed against a black man. Set during … Continue reading
Filed under France
