Just ask Oliver Stone, politics make for compelling film and on screen sexuality often adds an emotional depth to the characters, but rarely have the two been brought together for successful cinema. Take for example, Devil in the Flesh, Marco Bellocchio's 1986 sex and politics drama. While not a complete failure, it falls into the trap of trying to bring together such widely disparate elements, forcing the impact of both to be lost.

A student named Andrea becomes instantly enamored by a woman he sees from his classroom window; so enamored, in fact, that he gets up and leaves his class to pursue her. Andrea follows her to a courtroom, where her fiancé is being scheduled for trial as a member of a very left-leaning, armed movement. Once there, he catches her eye and she tries to subtly point out to him that there is a couple discretely having sex in the courtroom cell. After the guards notice, Andrea and the woman leave in the hoopla that commences; and so begins their brief courtship.

Marco Bellocchio’s Devil in the Flesh tells the story of Andrea and Giulia as they go about their affair. To tell any more about the character dynamics would be giving away too much, as the characterization and interaction between the two is the core of the film. It is explicit; there is a lot of sexuality, including a fellatio scene (almost 20 years before The Brown Bunny) which earned the film an X certificate in the States. There are some subplots and twists, of course. Giulia’s psychologist is revealed to be Andrea’s father, which is a fact danced around but never satisfyingly explored. There is also a subplot about trying to keep the affair discreet from the Giulia’s fiancé's mother. This again is very brief. This film's focus is primarily on the main characters and their relationship: What they say, how they say it, their emotional need for one another – and why it must end.

Watching Devil in the Flesh, I was reminded of two similarly themed films: Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris, probably the most obvious, and Sjöman’s I am Curious – Yellow. That isn’t to say that they are all the same film. In fact, they are quite different; but they all use sexuality to deliver a political message. This works to varying degrees of success. I am Curious is an exercise in the mundane. It may have been relevant in ‘60s Sweden, but it sure isn’t anymore. The same fate falls upon Devil in the Flesh, but to a lesser degree thanks to its presentation. Where I am Curious was poorly edited to the point where you could almost draw a line between where the political expression ends and the nudity begins. Devil in the Flesh combined the two by having unbelievable conversation during intimate moments, working against its own eroticism. The last thing I think of when on the receiving end of a blowjob is if Stalin wore a Cossack hat in 1917.

As for the less political Last Tango, that movie benefited from having Marlon Brando and the usual tour-de-force performance that comes with his presence. The male lead, Andrea (Federico Pitzalis) in Devil is not even close to being on the same level, but (Giulia) Maruschka Detmers is at least as off-centered as Brando’s character was and puts in a really strong performance. She, no doubt, understands her character, even if the audience does not. In the scenes where she is present, a good three-fourths of the film, she runs the show. Giulia may not have a real knowledge of her destination, but she is driven to get there nonetheless. This is important because she is the only character to have balance between having a stance and being over-spirited. She doesn’t control this balance well, but at least there is something else to the character aside from the ability to get naked frequently.

The sex scenes themselves are sore thumbs. It’s not being prudish to say that sex scenes in film need to serve a purpose; but the only purpose these serve is to expose flesh and disrupt flow of the plot. Sex is a distraction, and men know this all too well. While there is no denying that Giulia is extremely easy on the eyes, the sex scenes simply go on too long. When we spend so much time with Giulia and Andrea, we lose sight of the underused supporting cast.

That isn’t to say that there is nothing good in the film. Carlo Crivelli’s score is excellent, and the supporting cast does a fantastic job with the limited screen time that they have. The cinematography is beautiful with its strong use of color, and the film's sets are gorgeous.

Still, overall the film leaves the viewer wanting. More exposition, more background info, more… something. The main characters simply aren’t interesting enough on their own to support the entire film.

Presentation
Devil in the Flesh is presented in its original OAR. The colors are surprisingly bold, even though the overall image looks muted. Again, this isn’t the best that NoShame Films has given us -- the Sergio Martino films have a cleaner, bolder look. Still, it is serviceable. The same can be said for the Italian 2.0 DD audio track. Thankfully, there isn’t an English dub included. I always advise against dubs, so there is no love lost at this exclusion (if there ever was one to begin with.) The audio comes through nicely enough, with the only real push being from the score and a particularly noisy club scene. All in all, the presentation is solid, and I certainly wouldn’t expect (or desire) anything more than what I received.

Extras
Stolen Years, Hidden Lives –- (25:57) A very fascinating set of interviews with former, real-life Red Brigadiers Adriana Faranda and Mara Nanni. Both light up a cigarette and proceed to tell you in detail about their time with the Red Brigade, their time in prison (each of them was imprisoned for over a decade) and their view on how this was presented with the politics in Devil in the Flesh. This is the best feature I have seen on a NoShame disc to date. It is edited nicely with little stumbling about. They aren’t afraid to criticize the film, but mostly they share their experiences. History and documentary buffs will dig this insight.

In Bellocchio’s Flesh –- (27:12) Another fantastic feature! This is nearly a half-hour of Bellocchio discussing Devil in the Flesh, its source material, the politics of the film, and some of his other works. The flow is constant, and while he is never caught repeating himself, he does seem to stumble over his words quite a bit. I haven’t seen most of Bellocchio’s filmography, so much of that part of the discussion was lost on me. Perhaps NoShame can rectify this by giving more of his films a DVD release in the future. There are a few audio pops that are distracting and occurred during playback on two different machines, however, I am unsure if this is just my disc, or the production.

Original Theatrical Trailer –- (2:28) Nothing surprising except that it uses a couple of alternate shots to show the characters more fully clothed. This is somewhat odd since the trailer features quite a bit of nudity regardless.

Poster and Still Gallery –- (0:28) A series of 12 various stills and posters pass by with the soundtrack playing in the background.

Again, NoShame Films knocks one out the box with the booklet. Using the US release cover art, it contains an extensive collection of liner notes, a bio and short conversation with Marco Bellocchio, and a very welcome two-page history lesson entitled “A Brief Chronicle of the Armed Struggle in Italy in the Sixties and Seventies.” It’s a fascinating read and a good background to have before seeing the film and watching the Stolen Years featurette.

Additionally, the first 3,000 retail copies of this film will include a coupon redeemable for a free poster. NoShame informs me that it is the same image as the DVD cover art you see at the top of this review.

All and all, this is the most solid collection of extras that NoShame has assembled yet. The two features are fascinating, and the printed material was a joy to read.

Fine
Marco Bellocchio’s Devil in the Flesh is a remake of a film I haven’t seen, and based off a novel (Le diable au corps by Raymond Radiguet) that I haven’t read, so I may not be the most qualified person in the world to tell you about it. What I can tell you is that the film is the proverbial mixed bag. You are likely to find yourself saying, “Oh, I like this” as often as you are to be looking at your watch. As lukewarm as I am about the film, the features make for a great experience and being a history buff, I recommend it on that alone.

UPDATE from NoShame Films!!!

As we informed you a while back, the first 3000 copies of DEVIL IN THE FLESH
include a coupon for a free poster. Well... it turns out there's been a
mistake in the printing of the coupon. The coupons are still good, but as
you'll see, the self-addressed sticker part was a little too much for our
printers to handle. However, the promotion is still happening, so please
return the coupon (with your name and address) to:

NoShame Films
P.O. BOX 5095
Hacienda Heights, CA

We apologize for any inconveniences and we ensure that all coupons we
receive will be processed for the free poster. Thanks for your patience and
understanding in this matter.