Joe Sarno was certainly an uneven director, with many of his films being a chore to sit through. But sometimes he really got it right. Those times seem to be the instances when he concentrated more on the story and the characters, then on getting all the sex scenes in. "The Seduction of Inga" scores in two ways; first the story, which is quite intriguing, and gets more mysterious as the film progresses. And of course, when there is a character like Inga, it is sure to be an enjoyable film, regardless of the story. Inga is utterly lovable in her naive innocence, her beauty, her way of talking, like a hopeful young girl, full of life and endlessly curious about everyone around her; Marie Liljedal is a true joy to watch, and to hear her deliver her lines..she just has that certain quality, Christina Lindberg had it too, Sarno really found some incredible women for his films. As far as the story goes, I was hooked from the beginning. She is "introduced" to this older man, by a somewhat shady younger guy, apparently a character from the prequel "Inga," which I am dying to see now...Inga falls for him, and he leaves her the key to his apartment, and his beautiful orange Porsche...and then just, disappears. He says he will return but he doesn't even write, leaving the 19 year old to her own devices. and of course, living in a rooming house with people her own age, she meets a boy and becomes involved. He is a rock singer in a band that plays at the local night club, where Inga soon feels the icy glare of a beautiful girl, night after night. She eventually discovers the girl is Greta, the former lover of Inga's much older gentleman. Why does the girl despise Inga so much when it was she that abandoned the older guy without explanation? And it just gets more intriguing by the minute. And when all is revealed; WOW! It is a real scandal film, fine soap opera of the highest order. I found things so intriguing that I forgot to notice the lack of sex in the movie. While there is sex and nudity, this one is quite tame for a Joseph Sarno production. But the true test of a film's strength is if it manages to hold the viewers attention with the story and the character development alone. And the backdrop of Sweden in Autumn/early Winter is also something to behold, with it's 70's brown and gold tones... and fans of movies from this era will know what I'm talking about with that..As mentioned, I look forward to the opportunity to see the first "Inga" from 1968; the black and white clips that i saw look really beautiful, and I am curious to know more about the character and her beginnings. As far as the films of Joe Sarno go, I think this one, along with "Butterflies" and "The Young Playthings" are his masterpieces. However I really didn't like his other films such as "All the Sins of Sodom" and "Abigail Leslie," and i thought "Marcie" was a terrible tease that went nowhere. Of course I have much more to see from this man. i just can't understand the low rating for this wonderful film...
Review of The Seduction of Inga
