Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 15, 2019

Pim de la Parra's "My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new video introduction by the director; vintage promotional materials; and newly remastered short films from Scorpio Films' catalog. In Dutch or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The lucky guy

For approximately an hour, I was convinced that I knew exactly where this film was heading. I could see all sorts of different clues proving that I was deconstructing it correctly -- like the way in which the camera catches a ‘casual’ remark that actually initiates an important character transformation, or the emergence of a timely summation of a relationship that places other events in a proper context. But I was wrong, because the film tricked me to ignore the obvious. I also did not give enough credit to its crucial and very Dutch sense of humor, which is about as subtle as a brick through a window.

The opening sequence very quickly makes it clear that sex would be an integral part of the story. On a dusty road somewhere in the Dutch countryside, an American businessman (Jerry Brouer) pulls over his luxury car and picks up two very attractive and much younger than him girls, Sandra (Marja de Heer) and Olga (Franulka Heyermans). Moments later, the driver offers them a bottle of bourbon, Sandra whispers something in his ear, and he pulls over for a second time. The clothes come off and they begin making love, and as the temperature rises, Olga kills the man. His body is then ditched in a nearby field, and the car abandoned not too far away from it, as if both are cheap disposable objects. Piet (Nelly Frijda), a dim-witted loner who has been hiding in the bushes, witnesses everything, but the two girls never notice her presence.

After the shocking murder, Sandra and Olga return ‘home’, a secluded villa that functions as a hostel and is maintained by former ‘city girl’ Susan (Willeke van Ammelrooy). Soon after, Anton (Hans van der Gragt) parks his bike in front of the villa and Susan shows him his ‘room’, which is the open loft right on top of her ‘bedroom’. Another girl, Julie (Marieke van Leeuwen), who also lives in the villa, then joins the group for a late lunch. Then in the middle of the might Sandra and Olga seduce Anton, while Albert (Serge-Henri Valcke), who is paranoid and has isolated himself in a cellar, secretly observes the trio through a tiny hole in the wall.

In the days that follow the kooky Piet reappears wearing a pair of American glasses. Susan opens up to Anton and then invites him to her bed. Sandra and Olga decide that it is time to see Albert’s face, and maybe even have some fun with him. Julie suddenly rediscovers her energy and then goes berserk when she hears indecent noises coming from Albert’s room. A couple of local cops also accidentally discover the abandoned car in the field, while the dead American somehow finds a new spot to rest in peace.

The thing that separates My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie from the other films that Dutch maverick Pim de la Parra directed in the early 1970s is the nature of the humor that is used to create all of the important contrasts. It is very Dutch, which means that it is very dry and direct. For approximately an hour, Parra does different things -- which should not be spoiled -- that essentially provide his film with a Hitchcockian identity, but the humor keeps chipping away its edges, which makes the key relationships look a bit odd. However, it all begins to make perfect sense when you realize, like I did an hour later, that the real distraction that throws everything out of sync is actually the Hitchcockian material.

The film does not look cheap or expensive, it just looks right. All of the action takes place in and around the same rural area where the hostel is and everything that cinematographer Marc Felperlaan does with his camera helps to strengthen its credibility.

A vintage trailer from Scorpio Films sells the film rather well as an erotic thriller, but it is really a wicked black comedy that used sex to separate itself from the pack.

My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Pim de la Parra's My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics.

The release is sourced from a recent remaster that was prepared in Holland. I believe that the source is a 35mm print, and my guess is that the Eye Film Institute in Amsterdam was in some way involved with the project. The end result is good organic presentation of the film, but with some small yet noticeable limitations. For example, density levels are quite good, but there are certain areas where indoor and darker footage has less than optimal nuances. It is where the blacks also become thicker and depth begins to fluctuate. Also, colors are stable, but ideally saturation should be better and the supporting ranges ought to be expanded. There are no traces of problematic digital work, which means that you do not have to worry about traces of degraining, sharpening, contrast boosting, etc. If some unevenness appears here and there it is because it also exists on the element that was used to produce the remaster. A few white flecks and blemishes remain, but there are no distracting large cuts, warped, or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).

My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Dutch DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Dutch track. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the film with the original Dutch audio track. The English track is a dub of some sort and it is quite lifeless and even funny. The Dutch audio is clean and stable, with proper depth and decent dynamic nuances. However, the film's original soundtrack is pretty uneventful, so there is nothing that has the potential to impress you.

My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - an exclusive new introduction to My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie by director Pim de la Parra. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Short Films - presented here are three short films from Scorpio Films' catalog. All three have been recently remastered.
  
  1. Heart Beat Fresco (1966) - directed by Pim de la Parra. B&W. Music only. (11 min, 1080p).
  2. Joop (1969) - directed by Pim de la Parra. In Dutch, with optional English subtitles. (11 min, 1080p).
  3. Joop Strikes Again (1969) - directed by Wim Werstappen and lensed by Jan de Bont (Speed). With music by Serge Gainsbourg. In Dutch, with optional English subtitles. (11 min, 1080p).

• Trailers - remastered trailers for the following films:
  
  1. My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie
  2. Frank & Eva
  3. Blue Movie
  4. Obsessions

• Poster and Photo Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie. With music. (4 min, 1080p).

My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rutger Hauer apparently turned down Pim de la Parra's offer to play the main character in My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie because he did not like the exotic entrance the director had in mind for him. I think that Mr. Hauer made a mistake. This is a small film but with a wicked sense of humor that he could have transformed into a huge hit. I enjoyed it quite a lot, and I am very happy to have a copy of it in my library. Cult Epics' new Blu-ray release comes with an exclusive introduction by director Parra and has three recently remastered short films from Scorpio Films' catalog, one of which was lensed by Jan de Bont (Speed). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.