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Valentina
We want to underline that those who write on this site has always been
anti-Berlusconi but to the Caimano must be recognized a certain vision
in the world of communication (ok, helped by various friends ...). Oh,
we are not talking about the fact that he understand the potential of
commercial TV, or at least, we're not at such high levels because we
refer to the fact that he understood that more tits and eroticism you
put, more success you have. The examples are many and even today
Mediaset often use this scheme. Among the many, however, we cannot
forget the series "Valentina", consisting of a single season of
thirteen episodes of twenty-five minutes.
The idea is brilliant. Turn in flesh the provocative character created
by Guido Crepax. Valentina Rosselli is the protagonist of erotic,
fetishist and very dreamlike adventures. A very famous and beloved
character since many years. Perfect for catching an interested male
audience.
So the "Silvio Berlusconi Communication" then merged into "Mediaset",
with French and Catalan partners (externals shot as well as in Rome and
Milan in Paris, Barcelona and in the French countryside) launches into
this project that debuts on "Italia 1" in the 1° September, 1989.
The screenplay is by Gianfranco Manfredi and Gianfranco Giagni and the
direction is by Giagni and Giandomenico Curi himself.
Three people who, with all due respect, as the results show, did not
have the ability to handle a character full of expectations and that
for television needs loses much of her eroticism.
The protagonist is Demetra Hampton, a model unknown at the time to the
general public who seems to have been hired to replace another actress,
a certain Heidi (so says an article from the era of "La Stampa").
Demetra Hampton launched by this series, however, has a face too coarse
than the Valentina of Crepax and a hair bob cut is not enough to
recreate the original.
The slide on the protagonist actress is serious and breaks down the
credibility of the whole series, which has a weak script, a poor
direction and an editing more than amateur. Everything is further
flattened by the omnipresent music that reveal that a moment of pathos
is coming or that accompanies the unfolding of the facts taking also
songs from artists like Simply Red, Art of Noise, Culture Club and UB40
that have nothing to do with the theme of the series.
Then of course, to look at it today, there an annoying aura of the 80s
in the whole series but how to make it a fault apart from the
difference from the original? We are in 1989 and Valentina is a fashion
photographer.
If then called "Giuseppina" or "The Adventures of Susanna", we would
talking about a sexy and light 80's series, so however, the comparison
is inevitable and the "Valentina" of TV comes out badly, staying away
from the refined and dark Crepax character.
The thirteen episodes roam between the thriller, mystery, crime, even
touching in an episode the science fiction (WTF'!) And closing with the
last two in which we notice a vague comedy (!).
The whole series tries to follow in part the dreamlike atmospheres that
the original character demands, but with very poor results. Central
themes that in addition to only vaguely remember the work of Crepax,
are developed badly and above all closed quickly with too absurd
endings.
Demetra Hampton is really beautiful and in the first episode shows
(almost) all she can and then undresses much less in the rest of the
series. A few soft-core scenes, lingerie, breasts and side b on
display, but in smaller quantities than what one would expect from
"Valentina".
To compensate for this lack of meat in the wind, often think of the
co-protagonists such as in the third episode "Valentina non riposa" in
which a girl who is kidnapped spends all the time with a shirt more
than unbuttoned, without a real reason.
However, there are some interesting moments. The fifth episode "Jack
ama Lulù" with Kim Rossi Stuart that refers to Jack the Ripper
or the next "Farfalle" in which Valentina ends up in a castle inhabited
by a kind of vampire. But as said, the story is always thrown away by a
trivial ending.
The cast that accompanies Demetra Hampton is composed of actors on the
launch pad, as the aforementioned Kim Rossi Stuart, Sabrina Ferilli or
experts such as Antonello Fassari and Russel Case. The latter two
interpret Checco, a colleague of Valentina and Philip, a sort of
boyfriend of Valentina who is an art critic.
Criticize at the time, today it shows even more all its limits. But
works the concept expressed for other of the period: seeing it at
fourteen is quite another thing.
