The one and only Japanese made, Italian financed, Greece set erotic drama. DEDICATED TO THE AGEAN SEA/Dedicato al Mare Egeo (1979) was the directorial debut of the acclaimed Japanese novelist and graphic artist Masuo Ikeda, who based the script on his own 1977 novel HOMAGE TO AEGEAN/Ege-kai ni sasagu. It was made for the Japanese pink film market but (following the lead of fellow countryman Nagisa Oshima, who relocated to France for the filming of his erotic classic IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES/Ai no korîda) Ikeda lensed it outside his native country to evade Japanese censors—a doomed effort, as the film was shorn of a half hour’s-worth of footage (and so rendered largely incoherent) upon being imported into Japan. The uncut 109 minute version was however released throughout Europe, and is currently the more readily available of the two cuts.
Nikos (Claudio Aliotti) is a handsome young art student living in a boarding house. This place is manned by the uber-horny divorcee Elda (Olga Karlatos), who has a thing for Nikos—as does Elda’s mute younger sister (Sandra Dobrigna). Nikos defiles Elda, and also a pair of fetching Swedish tourists (Stefania Casini and Illona Staller), which only deepens the mood of simmering jealousy and longing suffusing this hothouse. A violent denouement would appear to be on the horizon, and indeed one is.
Nudity is ever-present in this film, and soft-core sex a constant. There’s even an extended nude photography session that devolves into a torrid girl-on-girl encounter between Casini and Staller, certainly one of the hottest non-pornographic sex scenes in seventies cinema. So despite some undeniable flaws (it’s overlong and under scripted) the film delivers in the sexploitation department. It is, however, primarily a mood piece, with an air of encroaching darkness underscoring the pretty scenery, both of which are beautifully captured by cinematographer Mario Vulpiani (of LA GRANDE BOUFFE and CASTLE FREAK). Ikeda and Vulpiani also excel in subtle, non-showy touches like the younger sister’s frequent interactions with her dolls, which evidence dark psychological underpinnings.
One area where this film really stands out is casting. Ikeda amassed a veritable who’s-who of 1970s Italian trash cinema, starting with Claudio Aliotti, who had bit parts in EMMANUELLE AROUND THE WORLD/ Emanuelle—Perché violenza alle donne? (1977) and the notorious Nastassja Kinski vehicle STAY AS YOU ARE/Così come sei (1978). His co-star Olga Karlatos—or at least her right eye—was immortalized in the most famous scene of Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE/Zombi 2 (1979), while Sandra Dobringa is best known as “Little Girl” in Flavio Mogherini’s THE PYJAMA MURDER CASE/La ragazza dal pigiama giallo (1977). Stefania Casini has an even more impressive pedigree, having appeared in BLOOD FOR DRACULA/ Sangue per Dracula (1974), SUSPIRIA (1977) and THE BLOODSTAINED SHADOW/Solamente nero (1978). Illona Staller, a famous porn star, may not have as illustrious a career, but has amassed a few film credits, such as Sergio Sollima’s REVOLVER (1973) and THE TEENAGE PROSTITUTION RACKET/Storie di vita e malavita (1975), that are actually watchable.
Another worthy collaborator is Ennio Morricone, who offers a wistful and restrained (at least by traditional Morricone standards) melodic score that became a hit upon its 1979 LP release in Japan. Several limited edition CDs appeared in the 1990s and 2010s that sold out very quickly. DEDICATED TO THE AGEAN SEA remains one of Morricone’s most sought-after scores, and is, for better or worse, better known than the film it graces.
Vital Statistics
DEDICATED TO THE AGEAN SEA/Dedicato al mare ego
International Cinevision Corporation
Director: Masuo Ikeda
Producer: Asao Kumada
Screenplay: Masuo Ikeda
(Based on a novel by Masui Ikeda)
Cinematography: Mario Vulpiani
Editing: Mario Morra
Cast: Claudio Aliotti, Olga Karlatos, Sandra Dobringa, Stafania Casini, Ilona Staller, Maria D’Alessandro, Stefano Rolla, Laura Tanziani