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Review of Fantom
To start with this is an A film IMO.
The first minute plus which runs under the credits is merely a preamble to the video in which the Fantom chokes Jane into unconsciousness. When we next see her she is clad in the same undershirt and panties she was wearing in bed and lying on her stomach on a wooded floor, unconscious and blindfolded, with her wrists cuffed behind her, fastened to shackles that encase her ankles. Looking quite fetching I should add. In the next five minutes she is stripped naked and gagged with her panties, her torn undershirt being used to hold the panties in her mouth. This is a really good scene although not an awful lot happens, the reason being Jane’s whimpering and pleading. I am sure I will say it again below, but the reason this film is so good is mostly because of Jane’s performance.
Next the Fantom uses a riding crop on her, mostly on the soles of her bare feet. Then a rope is attached to her ankle shackles and her legs are hoisted upward until she is resting on her breasts. This emphasizes her hog tie. She is left that way to complain and groan into her gag. At 23 minutes into the film the Fantom comes back and removes the gag and gives her water in a doggy bowl which she tries to lap up in her awkwardly bound position. The bowl is removed and she is subjected to more bastinado and work on her body with the crop.
At 30 minutes she is released form the hog-tie and rebound with her arms still behind her back but stretched toward the ceiling. The blindfold is removed. This is good because Jane’s eyes are very expressive and she really manages to convey her fear and pain through them. She is made to squat over a chamber pot and pee. Then the rope is lifted higher and she must balance on the toes of her bare feet in a strappado position while she is whipped and raped. (Note: there is a full length mirror that is used to great effect in portions of the video to give a second POV.) She is then suspended AOH and whipped until she faints.
At an hour and ten minutes comes my favorite part of the video. Jane is suspended by her wrists and ankles in a U shaped position about three or four feet in the air with her back to the floor. I can't tell you how delicious she looks. In this position she is whipped and once again raped. Her struggles, pleading and sobbing are a work of art and do not let up until she faints. It is fifteen minutes of wonderful torment.
In the last scene, while she lies on her stomach unconscious, her ankles are shackled to a spreader bar and a thick wooden pole is laid across her shoulders. Her arms are tied to it in a crux position. She is then hoisted upright and whipped until finally the Fantom garrotes her from behind. The film is a little over one hour and fifty minutes long
The major assets of Fantom:
Jane is naked and beautiful throughout the film.
Her acting is her best yet.
The photography and sound are excellent. (There is an annoying flare spot at times but no big deal.)
JJ is quite good as the Fantom. The idea of him not speaking and wearing a mask works very well, especially in contrast to Jane’s pleading and crying and expressions of terror. Although I must dissent from the "villains who speak are losers" statement. E.g. Hannibal Lecter.
The uncluttered setting fits the action very well in contrast to some of RF’s earlier films.
I usually appreciate some attempt at a plot and here there is none except a good looking woman is kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed. For no apparent reason. Make up your own. It works for me.
The torture is not faked.
And once again at the hazard of becoming repetitious – Jane is simply wonderful.
Two negatives:
When the whipping is not fake it sometimes looks as though the whipper is pulling his punches so to speak. I understand it would probably be asking a bit much of Jane to take a lash at full strength across her breasts, but sometimes the whipping can look a bit mannered.
The music. I can listen to John Cage with interest (for a while at least) but the score hear was nothing but annoying. Worse torture than anything Jane suffered I promise you. Thank God it was at a low level and therefore not overly intrusive.
To sum up, Fantom is my ATF (at least until it is replaced by Maleficarum, one would hope). Here is one vote of thanks to the Red Feline crew.
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