Bella (1980) User Reviews

This is definitely Bella (1980), not Bella (1974)

[IvanaCerveza · 8/10 · 14 June 2017]

I am writing this review solely to counter the speculations about the main actress being underage in lor_'s review.

This simply cannot be a movie from 1974 because there is a black 1979 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham in one of the scenes. (About 10 minutes in, at the end of the first airport scene, as Dad's car is pulling away from the curb.) To prove this to yourself, put that car model into a Google Images search, then compare the distinctive tail light shape. Now modify the year backward, and you'll see that the rear end changes significantly in both 1978 and 1977. That's as far back as you can go since this line of Cadillacs was first offered in 1977.

Additionally, the license plate on that car would not have been assigned until 1979 or 1980 based on the three-letter code (ZDK). The ### AAA scheme was used from 1973 to 1980 in New York, but in 1974, they would have still been down near the low end of the alphabet. (Source: Wikipedia, "Vehicle registration plates of New York".)

I have been unable to find a birth-year for "Tracy Adams" as a distinct actress from the more famous "Tracey Adams," born in 1958. Lacking any info to the contrary, I'm going to assume things are on the level here.

Romantic porn classic -needs to be seen

[lor_ · 9 January 2015]

No idea why the classic XXX film BELLA has been forgotten -it is definitely worth rediscovering. IMDb has it dated as released in 1980, but the Arrow DVD bears a copyright date of 1974, agreeing with the year listed in Alan Goble's ground-breaking movie index book.

Confusion may have come about due to the title role being played by beautiful Tracy Adams -she is not the famous porn star of that name (I'm submitting a fix to IMDb right now). Both are beautiful women but do not even vaguely resemble each other, as this Tracy is nearly six inches shorter than the famous Tracey (please watch BELLA and see for yourself). I suspect that since Tracey would have been underage at the time someone has altered the film's date erroneously.

Credited to writer-director Alexander Kubelka and scored by a legitimate composer, BELLA is an atmospheric romantic drama that perhaps is too artsy for the mainstream porn consumer of today, or 1974 for that matter. At the time my favorite hardcore film was Damiano's MEMORIES WITHIN MISS AGGIE, which like BELLA shows the influence of great filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman.

Or closer to the point, a craftsmanship recalling Joe Sarno's many excellent soft-core dramas. This comparison is interesting since Kubelka uses the same approach but includes XXX content, while Sarno stubbed his toe and cranked out many horrible hardcore features, apparently unable or unwilling to extend his scope to take explicit sex seriously (Russ Meyer was another artist who completely eschewed hardcore pornography).

Simple and effective story begins with young Bella seeing her mom (odd looking but sexy twin actress Diana Sloan beginning her career without sis Denise in tow) humping neighbor Tom (Sarno regular Eric Edwards), while daddy (porn's favorite old guy Jake Teague) is away on business. Bella's reaction is unexpected: after dad returns home and dutifully humps his wife, Bella visits Tom and asks him to service her the way he did her old lady. Given that Tracy Adams as Bella is a fresh young beauty, he complies, setting the melodrama into motion.

As photographed by Carter Stevens, not usually associated with romantic movies, BELLA is quite beautiful to watch, both the star and the picture. Its atmosphere is enhanced by the score, which only gets silly when lapsing into "The RIde of the Valkyries" to over-hype the climax.

Plot development is engrossing: Bella's scheming to win Tom's affections away from her mom, while also maintaining a lesbian relationship with her BFF Patty (Arcadia Lake). The fact that Lake was Edwards' real-life lover adds to the bait & switch interest of this 5-character chamber drama.

Kubelka even manages to effectively inject a scene of b&d wherein Bella handcuffs Tom at gunpoint and forces him to watch in frustration as she makes love to Patty. A later twist of mom & daughter surprisingly agreeing to share Tom between them is a forced gimmick, but leads to the film's very well-executed incest finale. Sloan acting with her sister built an entire career around appearing in incest movies, but this one is different dealing with the intergenerational rather than sibling variety.

Superior porn outing

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 10 February 2016]

Fetching and eager teenage lass Bella (well played by foxy slim brunette Tracy Adams) catches her mother Susan (the buxom and enticing Diana Sloan) having an adulterous tryst with hunky next door neighbor Tom (the always solid and engaging Eric Edwards) while her father Bob (a sturdy performance by Jake Teague) is away on a business trip. Bella confronts Tom and demands that he make love to her the same way that he did with Susan. Complications ensue when Bella and Susan find themselves in a fierce rivalry over which woman will have Tom to herself.

Writer/director Alexander Kubelka keeps the engrossingly sordid story moving along at a steady pace, does an ace job of crafting a potent erotic atmosphere, and makes nice use of two gorgeous palatial homes. More refreshingly, Bella isn't depicted as your typical pure, sweet, and virginal innocent; instead she comes across as a selfish and calculating sort who at one point even resorts to repeatedly calling Tom on the phone in order to stop him from doing the deed with Susan. The sex scenes are quite tender, explicit, and arousing: They encompass everything from straight copulation to a scorching girl-girl session between Bela and her best gal pal Patty (the delicious Arcadia Lake) that Tom is forced to watch while handcuffed to a chair. The jealousy and competitiveness that develops between Bella and Susan provides a lot of crackling carnal tension that's resolved in a genuinely surprising way. The exquisite cinematography by Carter Stevens and Orestes Salocin's lush orchestral score both further enhance this picture's overall elegant quality. A real scorching little number.