Jess Franco aka Jesus Franco Manera is a Spanish filmmaker who got his start in the European film industry as a second unit director on such films as Death of a Cyclist (1955) and Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight (1965). He moved up to directing in the late fifties and became a prolific filmmaker after the international success of his horror thriller, The Awful Dr. Orloff (1962, aka Gritos en la noche).

It is not known how many films Franco has actually directed since he has used so many pseudonyms over the years but it is estimated that he has directed close to 200 pictures. Like Hitchcock, he often appears in cameos and small parts in his movies but not because of vanity but as a money-saving measure.

Venus in Furs is not based on the famous novel of the same name by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch even though that title was imposed on Franco by the producers who felt that the association with the book would help the film's box office potential.

1969, the same year that Venus in Furs was released (it was also known as Paroxismus), another movie entitled Venus in Furs was released. It was an Italian film directed by Massimo Dallamano and starring Laura Antonelli. It WAS based on the Sacher-Masoch novel and went by the title Le malizie di Venere in Italy. Adding to the confusion, a low-budget American independent film entitled Venus in Furs was still in circulation. Released in 1967, it was directed by Joseph Marzano and featured a cast of unknowns. It too was based on the Sacher-Masoch novel and made the rounds of the sexploitation circuit. It is currently available on DVD from Something Weird video.

James Darren, who plays Jimmy, the haunted trumpet player of Venus in Furs, was most famous in the U.S. for starring in the Gidget film series as her surfer boyfriend Moondoggie. He also had some AM radio hits in the early sixties such as "Goodbye Cruel World" and "Her Royal Majesty." Venus in Furs was his only foray into Eurotrash features and he has since concentrated on TV series such as T.J. Hooker, Melrose Place and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Barbara McNair, cast in the role of Jimmy's girlfriend Rita, was a popular African American vocalist who first attracted attention on Arthur Godfrey's TV show. Nightclub appearances and guest shots on The Dean Martin Show and The Tonight Show followed. She had a bit part in her first film, Spencer's Mountain (1963) but the film that introduced her to a wide audience in a major role was If He Hollers, Let Him Go! (1968), which generated some controversy over her nude scenes. After appearing in Venus in Furs, McNair had her own TV variety show briefly and appeared with Elvis Presley in his final movie, Change of Habit (1969).

Klaus Kinski, one of the most prolific actors in Eurotrash features, making everything from Edgar Wallace thrillers to giallos and spaghetti Westerns, worked with Franco on a total of seven films. Although he had a reputation as a notoriously difficult and temperamental actor, Franco maintains that they always got along fine together.

Dennis Price, one of the most popular character actors in British cinema, was one of Franco's favorite performers due to his extreme professionalism. Price, who at one time was starring in celebrated pictures such as Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), I'm All Right Jack (1959) and Victim (1961), was slumming in low-budget features toward the end of his career, partly due to decreasing job offers and an alcohol problem. Venus in Furs marked Price's first film for Franco and he would work with him several more times, including Vampiros Lesbos (1971) and The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein (1972). Franco recently said in an interview, "You could shoot 18 hours with him. Maybe he wasn't totally sober because he was definitely one who gave weight to the argument that Irishmen are always drunk. But even when he was drunk...he was as sharp as if it was 9 in the morning."

Margaret Lee was a familiar presence in European genre films, appearing in everything from sword and sandal epics (Samson and the Sea Beast, 1963) to spy thrillers (Agent 077 Operation Istanbul, 1965) to costume thrillers (Jess Franco's The Bloody Judge, 1970) and was frequently paired with Klaus Kinski in movies such as Circus of Fear [1966], Double Face [1969] and Slaughter Hotel [1971]. Ms. Lee now enjoys the sort of cult immortality that is bestowed on actresses like Barbara Steele and there are several web sites devoted solely to her.

by Jeff Stafford

SOURCES:
Jess Franco interview on Venus in Furs DVD from Blue Underground
Maria Rohm interview on Venus in Furs DVD from Blue Underground
The Video Watchdog Book by Tim Lucas
IMDB