UN TENTATIVO SENTIMENTALE aka A SENTIMENTAL ATTEMPT (1964): A BARBARA STEELE OBSCURITY

 

One of my favorite things about collecting is searching out and finding obscure films that I've heard about for years but never expected to see. Most of these films have no commercial release on DVD, and certainly not Blu-ray, but can sometimes be found on Youtube. If physical media copies are available, they're only to be obtained from online sellers who provide DVD-R copies which are sometimes recorded from television and sometimes copied from VHS tapes. I've picked up a lot of titles from such sellers over the last several years. Most of these folks are honest and reliable, although there are a few that I've learned to avoid.

Some of Barbara Steele's work on film and on television has been notoriously difficult to track down. So much of her European filmography consists of low-budget titles that don't seem to exist anywhere. It can also get a little confusing, as her French and Italian movies were released under different titles in different countries, making her career seem much more extensive that it really was.

For example, UN TENTATIVO SENTIMENTALE was released in France as AMOUR SANS LENDEMAIN. I seriously doubt if it was ever released in the United States, unless it was shown in art houses. Steele's European work, outside of horror films and prestigious releases like 8 1/2 and YOUNG TORLESS, remains largely unknown to American film fans. Only the most obsessive Steele freaks, like me, are seeking them out, giving us not only a reason to live, but a creative way to spend more money. The passion is real, my friends.

I found a very watchable print of an Italian language version of UN TENTATIVO SENTIMENTALE with scene selection and English subtitles. The subtitles, however, are of very little help, as they are nearly incomprehensible. They almost seem to have been added by AI bots, or maybe by someone completely unfamiliar with spoken English. This makes it hard to follow the story. But there's a plot summary given on IMDB, and here is the basic outline; Carla (Francoise Prevost) and Dino (Jean-Marc Bory), both unhappily married to others, meet in an airport and decided to begin an affair at a seaside house owned by Dino. They make a pact to return for another tryst but agree that if one of them doesn't show up, the affair is over. Emotional confusion ensues, which often happens when people use adulterous sex as a solution for boredom. Barbara Steele has a supporting role as Silvia, a woman who previously had an affair with the freewheeling Dino and is unable to let go of him. Her romantic frustration leads her to an attempted suicide.

 This French-Italian production was co-directed by Massimo Franciosa (THE LEOPARD 1963) and Pasquale Festa Campanile (WHEN WOMEN HAD TAILS 1970). The filming took place near the Italian coastal village of Sabaudia. The locations and stylish sets are enhanced by the striking black & white cinematography by Ennio Guarnieri (A BRIEF VACATION 1973 and SWEPT AWAY 1974). It must be said, however, that the film is a rather standard soap opera, and, for the most part, not terribly engrossing. Lead actress Prevost is quite beautiful and gives a sensitive performance. She was completely unknown to me, but she has an extensive filmography, including De Sica's THE CONDEMNED OF ALTONA (1962). Her co-star, Bory, was also an unfamiliar name. A Swiss actor, he appeared in Louis Malle's THE LOVERS (1958). Also in the cast is Letitia Roman, known for Mario Bava's THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1963).

The function of these various actors is simply to fill up the time until the glorious Miss Steele is again onscreen in another closeup. Looking sexy and stylish with her hair cut short, she gives an effective, restrained performance as the jilted lover who tries to drown herself by slowly walking into the sea, but survives when Carla, her rival, pulls her out of the water. It's wonderful to see Barbara in a contemporary setting for a change, not chained to a wall or wandering through a windswept castle or climbing out of a coffin.

UN TENTATIVO SENTIMENTALE does not appear to have set the film world ablaze with excitement. The only critical comment I've found is from the French magazine Postif, which says: "Must one see a very bad film for the sole pleasure of seeing Barbara Steele in it with short hair? Undoubtably." The film does give Barbara very special billing in the credits:

Just think of this as another opportunity to allow Miss Steele to put you under her spell. What better reason to watch a movie?