Private DVD Pack 13: Tatiana Trilogy Review

Distributor: Private Edition Details: Limited Edition DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Feature Film, Box Set, Drama, Foreign Run Time: 490 minutes Rated: XXX Release Year: 1998 Director: Pierre Woodman Written by: Pierre Woodman Cast: Tania Russof, Myrka, David Perry, Inga, Bettina Campbell (as Bettina), Jean-Yves LeCastel, Keri, Rita Cardinale (as Rita), Sahra Ellmore (as Sarah), Alain Deloin, Andrew Youngman, Lydia, Karina, Franck Versace, Jean-Michel Kossa (as Jean-Michel), Elvis Cox (as Deborah), Caroline, Mephisto, Bruno SX, Paru Silios (as Peggy Sue), Kathy Divan (as Katalyn), Frank Gun (as Franck Gun), Tibor, Eva Unger (as Eva), Vanda Vitus (as Vanda), Leslie Taylor (as Laslo), Jolth Walton (as Zoltan), Nick Lang (as Attila), Yves Baillat, Jennifer Red, Tamas, Alain Kraut, Jenny McArthur (as Brigitte), Melory (as Myriam), Ines, Offilia (as Ophelie), Marianne, Vincent Winner (as Vincent), Adam Jannin (as Tibor), Layos, Laslo Smol, Lasly, Bemondo, Gyuri, Leonardo, Reti, Rezes, Leonardo, Francesca, Keri, Laurent, Margareth Miculova (as Margareth), Natasha Rutska (as Natacha), Sandra Dark (as Sandra), Sandra Taylor (as Sheyla), John Mikael Kern, Magalie, Mercedes (as Timea), Suzanna, Angela, Gabriella Wolf (as Gabriella), Emanuell (as Nora) Release Specs: Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (dubbed), French Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, German Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (dubbed), Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (dubbed), Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (dubbed) Subtitles: Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Portuguese Video: Widescreen, 1.78:1/Widescreen, 1.85:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 4 Disc: 3 DVD 9 (SS, DL), 1 DVD 5 (SS, SL) Special Features: Trailers, Photobook, Making of, Production Notes, Cast Profiles DVD-ROM Special Features: none

Synopsis:
In the Ukraine in the year 1833, Tatiana's (Tania Russof) father owes 1,200 escudos to the Marquis of Icecrown (David Perry), but due to a bad grain harvest has no way to repay the Marquis. After the Marquis deceives and takes advantage of Tatiana's sister Svetlana (Rita), Tatiana vows to get revenge on the Marquis. Tatiana leaves home as she knows it to get close enough to the Marquis to extract her revenge.

Video/Audio:
All three parts of the Tatiana Trilogy are presented in a widescreen aspect ratio, parts one and three are in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and part two is in the aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1. With the possible exception of part two, they all appear to be in their original aspect ratio. The picture quality in all three parts is good, with the picture in part one being the worst. All three suffer from slight grain and possible conversion artifacts from the PAL to NTSC conversion. Part one also appears to have had some edge enhancement. The color levels in all three parts appear to be true. Other than before mentioned problems, the prints are free from artifacts and blemishes.

All three parts contain the original 2.0 French Stereo track, which has an aggressive audio mix that sounds great. For those who don't speak or understand French, 2.0 Stereo dubbed tracks are available in English, German, Spanish, and Italian. The dubbed tracks contain the original French dialog and have a voice over narration that informs the viewer of important, and sometimes unimportant, plot sequences. Unfortunately this means that the viewer misses parts of the story throughout the film. The sound mixes aren't as good as the original French one either, as they are far more subdued. There are also subtitle options for Dutch, Swedish, Danish, and Portuguese for all three parts of the film.

Chapters/Time Code:
The chapter menus for all three discs are in the same format; there are seven chapters available on the first disc and eight chapters available on discs two and three. On all three discs video clips from the scenes identify the chapters. The chapters provide for decent navigation through the feature film on all three discs. All three discs have a time code for the feature film, so time searching is available.

Special Features:
In what is sure to be a letdown to purchasers, many of the extras on each of the discs are repeated again on the other ones. First off are the film specific extras. On all three discs is the widescreen trailer for the Tatiana Trilogy. Also on all three discs is an eight-and-three-quarter minute Report on the making of the Tatiana Trilogy. There are production notes, an English text feature, which reads like a press release regarding the Tatiana Trilogy located on all three discs. There are cast profiles, which contain text information and a Private video/magazine filmography for Eva, Rita, Peggy Sue, Tania Russof and Vanda on the first disc, Brigitte, Inga, Myrka, Natasha, and Sandra on the second disc and Keri, Magalie, Nora, Suzanna, and Timea on the third disc. There are also photobooks on discs two and three, which are photo galleries, with 16 photos on disc two and 20 different photos on disc three.

For extras that aren't related to the feature film, there are previews for Operation Sex Siege, Uranus Trilogy, and Xtreme Desires on all three discs and previews for Fatal Orchid and Indecency 1 on disc three. On the sampler disc, Private Presents DVD Sampler 5, is information regarding many of Private's DVD-Video releases and previews for 20 of those titles. Also on the sampler disc are three hardcore scenes, from Private Reality 3, Erotic Illusions 2, and Fetish & Magic.

Review:
Tatiana Trilogy contains the same discs as the individually released Tatiana, Tatiana 2, and Tatiana 3 as well as the disc Private Presents DVD Sampler 5, these are the exact same discs as the earlier releases. If you already own part or all of the Tatiana series, this DVD Pack may not be the right thing for you, as you already own some of the content that is in it.

As a historical adult film, Tatiana is excellent. Private has done a great job of collecting costumes relevant to the mid-1800's to make the films look more realistic. They have also done a great job with the props used. All of this work makes the film an excellent historical piece which may make this film an interest to more adventurous couples who like nastier sex. The locations that were used were great as well and add to the mood created in the film.

Alas, if only the story was as good as the use of costumes and props. The story, although decent, is plagued with problems. The story is definitely lacking and there are parts during the film where the story drags. In the second part, although there are many sex scenes, the story is barely moved along. However, the story is good enough to move the film along and keep the viewers interest between the sex scenes.

The cast is good looking and has a decent limited acting ability. No, you won't be finding the next Hollywood starlet here, but the acting isn't so bad that you find yourself wanting to bang you head into the wall. The cast interacts well with each other, which always helps. The sex is on the nastier side, which may turn away much of the couples audience. Although the film is filled with sex scenes, there is variety throughout them all, although I don't recommend watching the entire six-and-a-half hour film in one viewing, so the sex scenes don't get monotonous. For viewers who care about such things, there are no condoms used in the film. The sexual themes in the film are oral, vaginal and anal sex with lesbianism, DP, anal fingering and toys.

The cinematography is great in the film, in the plot portions as well as the sex scenes. The photography reminded me of how the golden age films were shot. Don't get me wrong, the entire film did not remind me of golden age films as the plot is far from anything produced in that era, just the photography did. The framing is excellent and the shots were well thought out.

The Money Shot:
All in all, Tatiana Trilogy DVD Pack is a mixed bag. The sex is great, the cast good looking and effort went into the locations, costumes and props, but the plot and audio tracks are lacking. If you are interested in owning the Tatiana Trilogy, the Limited Edition DVD Pack is the way to purchase it, as it provides the best value to the customer. Viewers who like adult films with a historical setting, nasty sex and plot based films will get the most enjoyment from this series. Viewers who like tame sex or hate plots in adult films will want to avoid this series. As this DVD pack is rather expensive, if you are interested in it you might want to rent it first. Unfortunately, if you already own the series from the previously released single discs, this pack offers nothing new but the sampler disc which can be obtained by itself cheaply online.

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