Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Shining Sex Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 20, 2023

Jess Franco's "Shining Sex" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary recorded by authors/podcasters Robert Monell and Rod Barnett; new program with critic Stephen Thrower; new program with filmmaker Gerard Kikone; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtle for the main feature. Region-Free.

Shining Sex is a Franco-Belgian co-production, so this is likely the biggest reason Jess Franco shot longer explicit sex scenes for it. They are not pornographic scenes, but they would not have passed for erotic scenes in most of Europe and America. (In France and the Benelux area they would have and probably did without a problem). This is likely the reason legit fully uncut home video releases of Shining Sex have not been available as well. According to the folks at Severin Films, this Blu-ray release, which is sourced from an exclusive new master struck from the original camera negative, is the first legit fully uncut home video release of Shining Sex.

Franco bends all kinds of different genre rules in Shining Sex, so any attempts to profile this film strictly as being this or that should be ignored. It is a big mish-mash of ideas and visuals that produce a typical Franco-esque mental trip. However, I think that it is one of the least accessible such mental trips because its material is so heavy on erotica and atmosphere that from time to time it begins to look like an odd exploitation project.

In a posh nightclub famous for its nude acts, stage performer and independent call girl Cynthia (Lina Romay) is approached by an adventurous couple, Alpha and Andros (Evelyne Scott and Raymond Hardy). Cynthia agrees to go back to their hotel where later she effortlessly seduces Alpha but unexpectedly loses her ability to dominate in bed. It turns out that Alpha is a creature from another dimension that is eager to learn about the human body and the different ways in which it experiences pleasure and pain, while Andros is its docile slave. During the sexual fireworks, Alpha reprograms Cynthia’s mind and transforms her into a killing machine. Soon after, Cynthia, now fully controlled by Alpha, is released to eliminate several high-profile targets that have detected the presence of the alien visitor – the clairvoyant Madame Pécame (Monica Swinn), Dr. Elmos Kallman (Olivier Mathot), and Dr. Seward (Franco).

Despite its disjointed narrative and free-floating ideas, Shining Sex makes perfect sense. As far as its story is concerned, it is one of the more straightforward films Franco directed during his busiest period. However, Franco does not manage its atmosphere as well as he could and should have. For example, in the second half, where Cynthia’s controlled experiences and Dr. Seward’s sensations begin to overlap, the camera’s preferences for positioning and movement often seem quite impulsive, leaving the impression that there is plenty of guessing work that should have been avoided. In Franco’s most effective erotically-charged mind-benders -- like She Killed in Ecstasy and Vampyros Lesbos -- the visuals have a very particular rhythm that is essential for the strength of the mental trip they are conceived to become. To be clear, this is not a conventional rhythm that can be recognized in a mainstream film, it is a key element of a compositional technique that Franco mastered extremely well. In Shining Sex, only certain areas have it, and ironically, the ones that appear out of sync feature Franco’s character.

Franco shot portions of Shining Sex at several tremendous locations. One of these locations is near the French town of Clermont-l'Hérault, where the popular medieval castle Château des Guilhem is. When Romay’s character arrives there and Franco’s camera captures the huge walls of the medieval castle, the atmosphere is simply incredible. Another location is La Grande-Motte, one of the most modernist cities in France, whose brilliant architecture must be seen to be believed.

The soundtrack is a predictably eclectic collection of atmospheric jazzy tunes. It was created by Daniel J. White, who scored quite a few of Franco’s most entertaining films, including The Girl from Rio and Kiss Me Killer.

Shining Sex Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Shining Sex arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new master that was struck from the uncut original camera negative. The overall quality of the presentation is good. However, I must point out that this negative appears to have aged quite a bit, so certain areas of the film reveal signs of minor fading and density fluctuations that are not part of the original cinematography. Color reproduction reveals a few weaknesses as well, though at least some of the green and yellow tinting is very clearly a byproduct of stylization that was done when the film was finalized. Clarity, delineation, and depth are mostly pleasing, but Jess Franco's notorious preference for quick zooms and cuts occasionally produces familiar out-of-focus close-ups. Image stability is good. I did not see any traces of problematic digital corrections, but grain consistency occasionally looks slightly off. All in all, this release offers a rather nice though uneven organic presentation of Shinig Sex. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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).

Shining Sex Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The English track features overdubbing that is quite exotic. I think that it is right for the film because very large parts of it are beyond surreal, but there is obvious unevenness and dynamic fluctuations that simply reveal the low-budget nature of the production as well. This is hardly surprising because many of Jess Franco's cheaper films, and especially the ones that have dubbed tracks, were done this way.

Shining Sex Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a fully remastered international trailer for Shining Sex. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Christophe Gans on Franco - in this recent program, Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf) discusses the cinematic legacy and style of Jess Franco. In French, with English subtitles. (30 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive audio commentary was recorded by authors/podcasters Robert Monell and Rod Barnett. The commentary is very good. The gentlemen deconstruct Shining Sex as best as they could and comment on what Jess Franco's aspirations for it might have been. I liked a lot the context in which these observations are placed because Franco's work evolved a lot as he moved throughout Europe and engaged different actors and producers over the years.

• Franco at Eurocine - in this recent program, producer Daniel Lesoeur discusses Jess Franco's professional relationship with his father, producer Marius Lesoeur, as well as some of the films they made together (The Awful Dr. Orlof, Shining Sex). In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Very NSFW Outtakes - presented here are several explicit scenes that did not make into the final version of Shining Sex. Restored. (14 min).

• Never Met Franco - in this new program, filmmaker Gerard Kikone discusses his professional relationship with Jess Franco in France during the 1970s. The two made several films together. In French, with English subtitles. (14 min).

• Shining Jess - in this new program, critic Stephen Thrower discusses the production, themes, and style of Shining Sex. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• In the Land of Franco: Part Three - back in January of 2020, Severin Films released a promotional trailer for Stephen Thrower's exclusive new program In The Land of Franco in which he visits various locations throughout Europe where Jess Franco shot many of his popular cult films. Presented here is part three of the program. Part one of the program appears on the label's recent release of Cries of Pleasure, while part two is on the release of Night of Open Sex. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

Shining Sex Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A vicious alien creature, odd mind games, explicit sex, breathtaking visuals from the medieval castle Château des Guilhem and the modernist city La Grande-Motte. Shining Sex is a cinematic hallucination that only Jess Franco could have conceived and only during the 1970s. I cannot describe it as a good film because it is not, but I do not think that it is a bad film either. Somehow it works, quite well too, and I think that I liked it. Severin's Blu-ray release offers the first fully uncut presentation of Shining Sex on the home video market with a terrific selection of bonus features. It is Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.