Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Catherina If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Falconeer I was quite amazed by this passionate, old-fashioned style tragic romance. The costumes, the cinematography, Ennio Morricone's sweeping score, all come together to create an absolute classic of it's genre. Anna Galiena and Gabriel Garko are beautiful together as doomed lovers that find each other in the desperate, waning days of the second World War. Helmut Schulz, played by the impossibly sensual Garko, is a sleazy and corrupt young SS officer, addicted to gambling, women, and to other of life's excesses. His decadent lifestyle does not come cheap, and when the beautiful but lonely Livia, (in an amazingly elegant performance by the wonderful Anna Galiena) offers to financially support Helmut, the amoral man does not refuse. Director Tinto Brass photographs the present day in glorious black and white, while we see, in blazing color the erotic love affair as it unfolded, in a series of flashbacks described by Livia, while en route to Venice. "Senso 45/Black Angel" is Tinto Brass' most serious work. It seems like he wanted to create something impressive here, and he did just that. A much more accomplished film than his "Salon Kitty." Effectively capturing the decadence of Fascist Italy, 1945 in a dizzying orgy scene, filled with graphic and strange sexuality and drug taking, a trademark of Tinto Brass, and unforgettable images of Anna and her SS lover in desperate embraces in shadowy back alleys or sparse rooms, with rays of sunlight filtering through lace curtains. It is hard to describe the beauty and elegance of this film. For fans of erotic romance, and films that possess this specifically European style of film making, this intoxicating art-house film is certain to impress. As of yet "Black Angel" has not had a DVD release for North America, but there is a wonderful edition from the UK that offers an uncensored, widescreen version, in original Italian with English subtitles.

Armand Important for definition of this movie is its special flavor. Memories of another films and the taste of a lost age. Symbols of a nostalgic ambiguity and the forms of chimeric images.It is not a good film. It is not a bad or boring movie. Anatomy of a relation between a Bovaric lady and a gorgeous young officer, story of love and revenge, escape and cruel punishment, "Senso '45" is a delicate cinematographic puzzle .At first view is a film of "70. Same atmosphere, same acting and gestures.The androgynous Gabriel Garko is new Helmuth Berger and the drops of Visconti's art are omnipresent. A game, without any mystery but nice for the images of a splendid youth- that is the recipe of this film. Old ingredients and same cook. But the charm is not result of convention or reaction of politeness. To see this film is contemplation of frozen time. A not original film, monument of clichés, scene for all important influences of century, beautiful lie and shadow of a evening. A common sign of a lost hour.

manuel-pestalozzi Brass pictures (movies is not a fitting word for them) really are somewhat brassy. Their alluring visual qualities are reminiscent of expensive high class TV commercials. But unfortunately Brass pictures are feature films with the pretense of wanting to entertain viewers for over two hours! In this they fail miserably, their undeniable, but rather soft and flabby than steamy, erotic qualities non withstanding.Senso '45 is a remake of a film by Luchino Visconti with the same title and Alida Valli and Farley Granger in the lead. The original tells a story of senseless love and lust in and around Venice during the Italian wars of independence. Brass moved the action from the 19th into the 20th century, 1945 to be exact, so there are Mussolini murals, men in black shirts, German uniforms or the tattered garb of the partisans. But it is just window dressing, the historic context is completely negligible.Anna Galiena plays the attractive aristocratic woman who falls for the amoral SS guy who always puts on too much lipstick. She is an attractive, versatile, well trained Italian actress and clearly above the material. Her wide range of facial expressions (signalling boredom, loathing, delight, fear, hate ... and ecstasy) are the best reason to watch this picture and worth two stars. She endures this basically trashy stuff with an astonishing amount of dignity. I wish some really good parts come along for her. She really deserves it.

maatmouse-1 To start with, I am not a big fan of the Tinto Brass style of films. Many often contain rather stagey sex scenes and there is often a lack of warmth about that. Black Angel or Senso '45 is different. It is the story of a wealthy wife in her older years who is attracted to and falls in lust (can't really call it love) with an SS Officer, pays for his vices of gambling, drinking, smoking and keeping a private room and is then rejected after returning from exile to find him in bed with another lover or girlfriend. Livia takes revenge against Schultz for his rejection by informing on him and his plans to desert.Anna Galiena is a likable and ideal choice for this movie. She is not young but she is beautiful and she gives a very believable portrayal of a rich woman who finds her husband a bit of a bore but wouldn't leave him in a million years.