Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Eleven Days, Eleven Nights Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 4, 2019

Joe D'Amato's " Eleven Days, Eleven Nights" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers; new video interviews with composer Piero Montanari and assistant director Antonio Bonifacio; and new audio commentary by critic and author Troy Howarth. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Different players, different games

There are only a couple of other directors that shot erotic and adult films as well as Joe D'Amato did. In Italy, Tinto Brass was D’Amato’s most gifted competitor. In France, Alain Payet did many high-quality films that emphasized period detail and atmosphere, but he was not as adventurous as D’Amato and remained strictly an adult director. The few exploitation films that Payet shot, like Hitler's Last Train and Nathalie: Escape From Hell, were side projects and actually revealed weaknesses that hurt his reputation. José Bénazéraf, another very prolific Frenchman, did plenty of nice films as well, but as the home video market expanded the quality of his work tanked. In Germany, Sascha Alexander did a couple of memorable films with Teresa Orlowski, but he was also focused on serving the home video market and his work suffered a similar fate.

D’Amato, whose real name was actually Aristide Massaccesi, did not start his career as an erotic/adult filmmaker. His most explicit films appeared in the latter stages of his career, when he already had an enormous amount of experience working in other fields, which is the main reason why so many of them look so good. The bulk of his erotic films -- and a few of his early adult films -- for instance are hybrid projects that blend elements from various genres. On top of this, they actually take their mise en scène very seriously and almost always treat it as a key element of the narrative. In other words, in these films the explicit material is just one of the many pieces that complete the narrative. (By the way, even though for decades mainstream critics have argued that Brass is just another crude pornographer who made a living shooting bouncing flesh, this is precisely the reason why his explicit films are so good as well. They have style and usually tell very entertaining stories).

Eleven Days, Eleven Nights was released in 1987 and is one of D’Amato’s biggest erotic films. It had a good theatrical run in Italy and was also sold in multiple international territories where it performed equally well on the home video market. It mimics the narrative of Adrian Lyne’s hit 9½ Weeks, which came out a year before it, but like most such Italian ‘relatives’ of big-budget Hollywood films tries to impress by doubling down on enthusiasm and temperament. It follows Michael Terenzi (Joshua McDonald) who meets the sexy writer Sarah Asproon (Jessica Moore) on a boat in New Orleans and then begins a passionate affair with her even though he is about to marry his fiancée Helen (Mary Sellers). However, the affair is just a game for Sarah who is gathering material for her new book, so when it becomes too exotic for Michael, he decides to terminate it.

The ‘research work’ that is at the core of the narrative is somewhat silly, but these types of erotic films -- and yes Eleven Days, Eleven Nights is not an adult film, or even a softcore film, as Troy Howarth argues in his outstanding new commentary -- never required brilliant scripts to impress. Indeed, some of the best amongst them, like 9 ½ Weeks and Wild Orchid, are as effective as they are because of the exotic that is an essential element of their personality, and in D’Amato’s film the exotic is precisely what makes it attractive as well. So, D’Amato steps behind the camera and shoots New Orleans as if it is a special American playground where erotic fantasies easily come true and everything that happens between Michael and Sarah is perfectly normal. Their games are then carefully placed in a wonderful ‘80s atmosphere that works in conjunction with a very sexy soundtrack from Piero Montanari and D’Amato shows enough of the fireworks without making them look offensive.

This film is very much a product of its time and this is the main reason why it deserves to be seen now -- it is naughty but remains classy. No one really makes these types of erotic films anymore. They became irrelevant sometime in the early ‘90s, after video cameras made it way too easy to shoot pornography on a budget.

Eleven Days, Eleven Nights Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Eleven Days, Eleven Nights arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

This film was recently restored in 2K as part of a project that also included Beatrice Cenci. I don't know precisely what type of work was done, but the end product has solid organic qualities and the type of appearance that I would expect to see when an interpositive is used to prepare a restored master. So, depth and clarity are excellent, while density levels are just slightly below where ideally they should be. Unsurprisingly, on a larger screen the visuals look very strong. Colors are stable and healthy. There are a few sequences where I feel that they become a tad too warm, but I still like the overall balance. Ideally, a few of the supporting nuances should be expanded. Image stability is very good. Finally, there are no distracting debris, cuts, specks, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, I think that this is a very nice presentation of a film that has never really had a proper home video release. Well done. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Eleven Days, Eleven Nights Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) and Italian: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the English tracks, which should be considered the 'original' track for this film. Clarity and depth are excellent. I also liked how 'open' Piero Montanari's music sounded because it is very important for the film's atmosphere. Early on, I spotted one segment where in the upper register there is a bit of extremely light background hiss, but I am fine with it. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report.

Eleven Days, Eleven Nights Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer One - remastered international trailer for Eleven Days, Eleven Nights. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Trailer Two - remastered Italian trailer for Eleven Days, Eleven Nights. In Italian, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Italian - alternative Italian credits for the film. (3 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Piero Montanari - in this new video interview, composer Piero Montanari discusses the film scene in Italy during the '80s and early '90s and the type of erotic films that were made, the important role that music had in Joe D'Amato erotic films and the special attention he paid to on-location shooting, the production of Eleven Days, Eleven Nights, the work that some of his colleagues did for other directors that shot erotic and adult films, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for 88 Films. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (33 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Antonio Bonifacio - in this new video interview, assistant director Antonio Bonifacio explains how Joe D'Amato offered him the opportunity to work on Eleven Days, Eleven Nights, Part 2 and discusses the late director's working methods and stylistic preferences. The interview was conducted exclusively for 88 Films. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (22 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, critic and author Troy Howarth discusses the exact period in which Eleven Days, Eleven Nights, its stylistic characteristics and performance on the film market, the various locations where Joe D'Amato shot the film, the cast that was assembled for it, the evolution of the director's career and the legacy of films he left, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for 88 Films.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

Eleven Days, Eleven Nights Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Joe D'Amato's Eleven Days, Eleven Nights is very much a product of its time and this is the main reason why it deserves to be seen now -- it is naughty but remains classy. It oozes lovely '80s atmosphere as well, so at the right time it could definitely function as a nostalgia fix. This new release from 88 Films is sourced from a nice 2K restoration of the film and comes with a very good selection of bonus features. Piero Montanari's interview in particular is quite the eye-opener as it highlights a lot of the reasons why D'Amato was so good at making these types of erotic films. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.