Senso ’45 (Black Angel)

As the end of the fascist regime in Italy approaches, Livia (Anna Galiena), the wife of a ministerial official, falls for a much younger SS officer who opportunistically works his way up the ranks. A softcore remake of Visconti's masterpiece Senso by cult director Tinto Brass, who, after avant-garde beginnings, became one of the world's most famous erotic filmmakers. Brass' scandalous Naziploitation hit Salon Kitty (1976) starring Helmut Berger was influenced by Visconti's The Damned. Senso '45 is a permissive revision of Visconti's work that stays closer to Camillo Boito's novel, but moves the action from 1866 to 1945. We are showing the well-preserved copy of Senso '45, which we recently acquired as part of a package of Italian films, together with Senso: the juxtaposition illustrates the different artistic worlds of two directorial stylists and the changing times in national film production. (C.H.)