Roulette (1978)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Alan Vydra

Release Date:

27 February 1978 (Sweden)

Genre:

Adult

Plot:

A lord's fortune is threatened if he can't stop his young niece from gambling it away. |

Plot Keywords:

Nudity | Oral Sex | Threesome | Female Nudity | Group Sex

Cast

Christine Baer
Désiré Bastareaud	...	Balthasar
Anita Berenson
Erika Cool
Hubert Géral
Michèle Grubert
Claude Janna
Robert Le Ray	...	Lord de Chamoiz (as Jean De Villroy)
Micky Love
Véronique Maugarski	...	Veronique (as Vanessa Melville)
Rachel Montand
Barbara Moose
Toni Moreno
Nathalie Morin	...	Masseuse
John Oury
Marlene Oury
Carmelo Petix
Samantha
Segfried Sellier
Nicole Velna

Also Known As:

Sex Roulette (USA)

Runtime:

Belgium:72 min | Germany:83 min

Country:

Belgium | West Germany

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:X | Belgium:KNT | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Company:

Alan Vydra Studios Filmproduktion

Living in the Lap of Luxury

This nominally German film with minimal Belgian input (hence the short sex scenes which had to be edited down even further as hardcore was illegal there at the time), employing mostly French female talent, was much praised by various sources at the time of initial release. Hustler even bestowed its highest rating, undoubtedly impressed by surface gloss and the luxurious Monte Carlo locations. Three decades on, it remains one of the most overrated Europorn offerings ever. Yes, production is quite lavish (though a long car ride shot subjectively with a fish eye lens may cause viewer nausea) but the silly story's all over the place and the naughty bits are often so brief as to seem perfunctory.

Directed by Czech émigré Alan Vydra (a graduate from the film school of Prague and in-house director for legendary producer and sex empire founder Beate Uhse) in his usual slapdash style, the movie even manages to waste such valuable natural resources as the presence of blonde beauty Véronique Maugarski (a/k/a "Vanessa Melville", star of Claude Mulot's superior SUPREMES JOUISSANCES) who plays the lead as Véronique, spoiled niece of over-sexed septuagenarian Lord De Chamoiz, who else but Robert Leray a/k/a "Jean De Villroy" of THE PLEASURE SHOPPE fame. Seems that our heroine is more interested in playing the casinos rather than consorting with members of the opposite sex. Uncle will soon set her straight though the movie commits the cardinal mistake of making the eye-popping actress shed her inhibitions during that 1970s porno staple, the orgy scene, with too much attention given to other participants including genre stalwarts Barbara Moose (the bride from Claude Bernard-Aubert's LA RABATTEUSE), Belgian-born Erika Cool (from José Bénazéraf's sulfurous BORDEL SS), Nicole Natte (also seen in Jean-Claude Roy's COUPLE CHERCHE ESCLAVE SEXUEL), Hubert Géral and John Oury.

Désiré Bastareaud is the black midget butler Balthasar and would be a mainstay in Alain Payet (a/k/a "John Love") movies for over a decade to come. The busty redheaded masseuse is Nathalie Morin, an actress who also appeared in Alberto Ferro's all time genre classic SENSATIONS. Both Claude Janna (star of Jean-François Davy's PROSTITUTION) and notorious bisexual Carmelo Petix appear in the pigsty group sequence and sophisticated Siegried Cellier (who appeared in minor gems such as Roy's NUITS SUEDOISES and Jean Desvilles' LES PLAISIRS FOUS) is part of the Sapphic initiation ceremony set up by one of Véronique's eager suitors.