Julia (1974)

The runaway success of Emmanuelle, in which the lovely Sylvia Kristel had the title role, made another starring vehicle for her inevitable. And here it is in a beautifully made movie, with the amusing story unfolding against the lush backdrop of Lake Garda, Verona, and other Italian beauty spots.

We first meet 18-year-old Paul (Ekkehardt Belle) on his way to his grandmother’s house on Lake Garda, where he is to meet up with his father. He shares a train compartment with an attractive girl whose nubile charms exert a powerful influence on the highly impressionable Paul.

He makes a few gauche attempts to establish a more intimate relationship with his fair companion, but he is no match for an older and more sophisticated traveller who presently joins the train. The newcomer promptly goes to work on the young lady with a measure of success that almost turns Paul green with envy and frustration.

At his destination, he is met by his father Ralph (Jean-Claude Bouillon), who is also meeting Yvonne (Teri Torday), an employee of his who is also his girlfriend and who – to Paul’s horrified amazement – is none other than the girl he knows to have been casually seduced on the train!

Arriving at his grandmother’s villa, Paul reunites with members of his family, who turn out to be a weird collection of oddities.

There’s Uncle Alex (Peter Berling), a very fat way-out composer, who seems to gather his inspiration while sitting stark naked at the piano. Aunt Miriam (Gisela Hahn) is a beautiful woman with a predilection for her own sex in general and those of the pretty young housemaids in particular.

The maid, Sylvana (Christine Glasner), dutifully waits on this curious household, as well as indulging the more specific requirements of Aunt Miriam.

Paul meets the ravishingly beautiful Julia (Sylvia Kristel), the girl next door, and it comes as no surprise to us when he falls head over heels in love with her. Holidaying amid the sunlit beauty of the lake and its surroundings, life is extremely enjoyable for the youngsters until tragedy strikes one day.

Paul’s friend Gerald (Alois Mittermaier) – anxious to display the qualities of his new powerboat – invites Julia and Paul to accompany him on a trip on the lake. On the way, however, he is making a pass at Julia when he is accidentally thrown overboard and drowned.

Gerald’s death has a traumatic effect on Paul, who mopes around for days in morose silence before finally blowing his top with an attempted rape of Sylvana, the maid.

To distract his son’s morbid thoughts following the death of his friend, Ralph takes Paul, Julia and Yvonne for a trip to Verona, where they have an evening of merrymaking. It ends on a sour note for Paul, however, when he sees his father making love to Julia in the deserted amphitheatre.

Much more has to happen before Paul acquires the experience necessary for him to grips with manhood, but he and Julia eventually come together in a marathon coupling on Granny’s tennis court in the middle of a thunderstorm . . .

Julia is – like Emmanuelle before it – a very erotic film. At the same time, it is no cheap sexploitation film knocked together on a minuscule budget. On the contrary, Julia is a top-budget production with no expense spared in regard to actors, technicians or locations to make it a highly entertaining film.

Sylvia Kristel practically guaranteed a hit at the box office in this very enjoyable film for broad-minded, fun-loving people.

Ralph
Jean-Claude Bouillon
Andrea
Sylvia Kristel
Yvonne
Teri Tordai
Paul
Ekkehardt Belle
Miriam
Gisela Hahn
Uncle Alex
Peter Berling
Mimi
Rose Renée Roth
Hildegard
Dominique Delpierre
Sylvana
Christine Glasner
Train Conductor
Michael Tietz
Man on train
Manfred Spies
Gerald
Alois Mittermaier

Director
Sigi Rothemund