The following sentence often gets used and misused in movie reviews, but in case of "Naked and Lustful" it's definitely appropriate: "they don't make films like this anymore!". True, you simply cannot imagine a film like this to be made today, and that's probably a good thing, because it's sexist, women-unfriendly, and extremely non-woke. Then again, films like "Naked and Lustful" - and Italian cinema in general - are the reason why many of us, cult-fanatics, still worship the seventies after fifty years!
I bet a $1.000 that every male viewer secretly (or openly, for that matter) wishes to live the life of the lead character Gabriele Luciano! He's a wealthy businessman but, apart from attending a couple of meetings, he doesn't work that much. His wife Elisabeth is terribly ill, but he certainly doesn't suffer from a lack of love and physical pleasure. At home, he fools around with his wife's private nurse Anna (lovely cult heroine Femi Benussi), and at work he has his gorgeous blond secretary who takes care of his needs. Luciano then also buys a magnificent castle for his wife, and when he goes out to his yacht, he meets the ravishing blond student Roberta as his third mistress. Life is good, when you are Luciano.
The plot then makes a couple of weird and highly implausible, yet very entertaining twists. Elisabeth eventually dies, with a little bit of unwanted help from nurse Anna. Too bad for her, Luciano chooses to remarry Roberta, but she has a little secret agenda of her own. I can only describe the absurd ending by referring to a famous line from the TV-series "Futurama", namely "Death by snu-snu!" Once again, I wish I was lucky Luciano.
I watched "Naked and Lustful" because it's often referred to as a Giallo, and I hope to watch every single Giallo ever made. According to me, however, this film doesn't feature any Giallo-trademarks whatsoever. Strange as it may sound, Luciano isn't even such a bad person. Okay, he unbuttons the blouse of a beautiful servant without her permission, but apart from that all the women throw themselves at his feet on their own free will. And, although he cheats on her in the same room whilst she's passed out from her medication, he treats his wife with care and makes sure she's comfortable. Strange film, but most certainly recommended. Apart from copious amounts of nudity - duh - there's also an excellent score by Carlo Savina, and fine cinematography by Aldo Greci.
