My First 40 Years

This glitzy tale of ambition and sex Italian-style is like Fellini's La Dolce Vita rewritten by Jacqueline Susann on acid. It follows the beautiful Marina (Alt) in her sexual conquests and social climbing, from an early marriage to a handsome but penniless duke, through a spell as a millionaire's plaything, to a tempestuous affair with a mercurial communist artist who likes to slap her around. A romantic affair with married journo Nino (Gould) begins with champagne and roses, but also ends in disillusionment. The characters are vapid, the dubbing ludicrous, and the would-be evocative soundtrack merely bizarre (Paul Anka, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Mungo Jerry and '70s bubble gum pop). What it lacks in substance, it tries to make up for in sartorial accessories and exotic locations, achieving a perversely compelling trashiness. High camp fun or 24 carat kitsch, depending on your tolerance level.