Stay as You Are

When Alberto Lattuada's steamy dramedy, centering on an affair between Giulio, a middle-aged married man, and Francesca, a flighty young girl who might be his biological daughter, was released in 1978, Marcello Mastroianni was probably the foremost European star of the time, and 17-year-old Nastassja Kinski was an up-and-coming sex symbol—often thought of as a new Brigitte Bardot. But their pairing here does not prove combustible, even though Kinski appears provocatively in various states of undress and Mastroianni works extremely hard to give his character's frazzled efforts to discover his lover's true paternity a humorous edge. The primary failure doesn't lie with the leads (though Kinski's acting ability was clearly quite limited), but rather Lattuada's sloppy script and inept direction. Francesca is reduced to a succession of poses, with motivations that remain opaque from moment to moment, while Giulio becomes little more than a fumbling boob who is unable to either break things off or commit to the affair. Anyone interested in a Lolita story—which is what Stay as You Are undoubtedly leans toward—is advised to watch the authentic article (either Stanley Kubrick's idiosyncratic 1962 adaptation or Adrian Lyne's 1997 remake) instead of this misbegotten imitation. Presented with a lackluster transfer, this is not recommended. (F. Swietek)