I’m just going to say right off the bat that Play Motel didn’t do a whole lot for me. This effort from writer/director Mario Gariazzo comes straight out of the sleaziest, trashiest Italian cinema bargain bin. And here’s the thing, I like that bin. I’m a fan of a lot of Italian sleaze. Play Motel just missed the mark overall and fell a little flat.
Play Motel is, well a motel where people go to have sex. It’s usually pretty weird sex. Games and costumes are involved. At one point we see someone dressed as Satan having sex with someone dressed as a nun. Maybe for some folks that’s normal, but I tend to think it’s a little odd. Whatever works for you though. Eventually those that participate in sex at Play Motel begin to die and a reporter begins to investigate.
The thing that kills me with Play Motel is the story actually has some elements that aren’t too bad. You can see there’s a semblance of something there. The main cast of actors do a pretty decent job trying to tell this story as well. The issue is the film relies to heavily on its trashy side and is full of sex scenes that are way too long. As soon as you start to feel a pretty solid murder mystery brewing Play Motel switches gears and turns into soft-core porn for about 10 minutes. The film tries to go back to the story after the sex scenes are complete but at that point you’re out of it.
Interestingly enough the booklet that is included with this new Raro Video USA Blu-ray release of Play Motel discusses the production of the film. According to this booklet a lot of the sex scenes were thrown in without the film’s major players, Ray Lovelock and Anna Maria Rizzoli, knowing it. By the sound of things they certainly were not pleased when they saw the final product and I totally get it. The potential for a good movie was thrown away in exchange for forcing unnecessary skin into the picture.
The score from composer Ubaldo Continiello is quite maddening. I can’t quite explain it but it doesn’t fit the tone of the movie at all. It has more a comic feel to it. Like the type of music you might hear on an old black and white silent film or a slapstick comedy. Not only did it feel out of place, but frankly it wasn’t very good. Just another strange element to a bizarre film.
As for the Blu-ray release as a whole from Raro, it’s about the average of what we’ve come to expect from them. It’s not their best, but not their worst. It sits firmly in the middle. The transfer is fine, not horrendous but not spectacular. The artwork on the case is pretty cool and the previously mentioned booklet inside is very nice. The essay is very interesting and a good read.
One special feature included is called the ‘Midas Touch,’ which is about the production company that made the film. It would appear they had a habit of sneaking hardcore sex scenes into their movies. This feature includes an interview with Lovelock who further explains how disgusted with the movie he is. It’s in this special feature that you learn the sex scenes initially spliced into Play Motel were more explicit than what you actually see in the film. Have no fear, those other scenes are included in the ‘Hard Cut Scenes’ bonus material if you’re curious as to what those are all about.
Odds are that I’ll never check into the Play Motel again. I’m sure there are others out there however, that would happily join their gold membership club.
Play Motel is now available on Blu-ray from Raro Video USA.