Singapore Sling (1990)

Any London-based film fanatic of mature years is likely to join me in mourning the demise of the Scala Cinema at Kings Cross.  It was here back in the late '80s and early '90s that one would go to view those films ignored by the more mainstream cinemas.  As a club, they were able to show uncertificated movies as well as many obscurities, and it became a place of pilrimage during my film education, where I was exposed to so many movies that previously were just mythical titles to me.  Unfortunately the Scala was forced into receivership in 1993 after losing a court case for an unauthorised showing of "A Clockwork Orange"; yes, I know it is freely available now, but it wasn't for many years before Kubrick's death.  I was devastated as I suppose many others were as well.

But back to the film at hand: I must have viewed it originally some fifteen years ago, but it has always remained fresh in my mind and I assumed I would never see it again.  Well thanks to locating an American DVD, I was able to have another look at this cult item which has been described as one of the sickest films ever made.  What I could remember is that it is a Greek movie (not many of those reach our shores), that it was shot in beautiful deep focus black and white, and that it played on the music and themes from the American classic "Laura".  The film is actually made in a mixture of Greek, English and French and does indeed boast brilliant cinematography and also uses other classical music to underline its action.  What I did not completely recall was the depravity on display as a shot loner searching for his old girlfriend stumbles upon a villa occupied by a murderous and sexually-demented mother and daughter.  They play perverse games and the images of their digging graves in the pouring rain and stuffing their faces at a groaning dining table will be hard to forget, along with the depths of their passionate love-making and game-playing.  You may now wonder why I am going on about a movie that you are unlikely to ever view, unless like me you deliberately search for a copy (and I warn you again that it is definitely not for the faint-hearted), but I really wanted to go on public record of adding this title to those that I have seen and will probably never forget.  It is worth adding that neither the director nor the three lead actors were particularly prolificor made other films of any note, but this movie will ensure their immortality for those who stumble across it.