Deftly mixing rough car chases and action scenes, heart-tugging sentiment, and sparing doses of erotica, director Giuliano Carnimeo (Case of the Bloody Iris) knows how to keep his dizzying plot moving forward even when the viewer isn't quite sure where it's going. However, this is really Fenech's show all the way, and anyone used to seeing her as a clotheshorse in earlier productions will be pleasantly surprised by the range she displays here. The trashy promotion really doesn't do the film any favors, as it will appeal far more to fans of Italian police films and lurid melodramas than the softcore sex audience; sure, Edwige bares her body on occasion, but this is a far cry from late night cable fare. Adding even more class is the catchy score by Luciano Michelini, one of the lesser-known Italian composers from the '70s who nevertheless acquitted himself well with films like this and the more widely-distributed Screamers. As usual, Fenech's husband, producer Luciano Martino, is on hand to ensure the leading lady is treated properly, and prolific Eurocult scribe Ernesto Gastaldi provides his usual head-spinning array of twists and turns.
As usual NoShame has decked out this release with a fine array of extras including a lengthy featurette, "Memories of a Call Girl," in which Carnimeo, Gastaldi, and a still-ravishing Fenech talk about making the film and the state of the industry at the time. Shrewd and observant, Fenech manages to steal her co-stars' thunder even on much later DVD supplements! Other extras include the original Italian trailer under its more subdued native title (Anna, quel particolare piacere) with optional English subtitles, a still and poster gallery, and lively liner notes and bios by Richard Harland Smith and Giona A. Nazzaro.
The film itself is in excellent condition, lovingly restored to its original scope dimensions and looking far better than the dupey tape versions circulating on the grey market. Colors and detail are excellent. As with previous NoShame releases, the interlaced transfer tends to cause problems on some progressive scan systems, so be sure to switch your player to interlaced mode to avoid any nasty motion problems in the image. Audio can be played in either the original Italian (with optional English subtitles) or the English-dubbed version, both of which are actually quite acceptable. The latter may be preferable for many fans of Italian crime epics for its familiar use of 1970s dubbing voice talent, lending it a strangely comforting and engaging texture missing from the equally canned Italian track.
For more information about Secrets of a Call Girl, visit NoShame Films. To order Secrets of a Call Girl, go to TCM Shopping.
by Nathaniel Thompson
