Valentina (1989 TV series)

Valentina is an Italian erotic thriller television series that originally aired on Italia 1 from September 29 to December 22, 1989. It is based on the Valentina comics series by Italian artist Guido Crepax. The series follows a Milanese photographer, Valentina Rosselli, and her investigations assisted by the antiquarian Phillip Rembrant, with whom she shares an ambiguous relationship.

Valentina
GenreErotic thriller
Based onValentina by Guido Crepax
Starring
Theme music composerFio Zanotti
Opening theme"Valentina"
ComposerFio Zanotti
Country of originItaly
Original languageItalian
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerRoberto Cacciaguerra
ProducersAngelo Rizzoli, Jr.
Production locationsMilan
Barcelona
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkItalia 1
ReleaseSeptember 29 (1989-09-29) –
December 22, 1989 (1989-12-22)

Despite being shot in Italian language, the actors were dubbed over by different people. Demetra Hampton was voiced by Claudia Balboni and Russel Case by Dario Penne. The entire series was dubbed into English for syndication in other countries, and scenes from six episodes were edited into a feature-length film version which aired on Showtime and Cinemax in their late night programming blocks.

Production

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Created by Gianfranco Manfredi, the series is based on the Valentina comics by Italian artist Guido Crepax. It was co-produced between France and Spain. Among the thirteen episodes, there were only two directors: Gianfranco Giagni and Giandomenico Curi. Despite being shot in Italian language, the actors were dubbed over by different people. Demetra Hampton was voiced by Claudia Balboni and Russel Case by Dario Penne. The creator of the original comic book series Crepax later commented he found the series well scripted but thought the role of Valentina was not suited for Hampton.[1] She was given the role after being scouted on her vacation in Los Angeles. The agent saw Hampton, took photos of her and sent them to the producer Angelo Rizzoli. Hampton was sent to Milan the next day and was immediately cast in role of Valentina. Crepax was unsatisfied with the producer's choice since he wanted the girl who would portray Valentina to be Italian, not American.[2]

The first episode, "Baba Yaga" is a remake of Crepax's original story. It had been previously made into a film, Baba Yaga (1973), directed by Corrado Farina.[3]

Cast

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Episodes

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No. in
series
Title Original title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Baba Yaga""Baba Yaga"Gianfranco GiagniGianfranco Manfredi & Gianfranco GiagniSeptember 29, 1989 (1989-09-29)
2"Violoncello""Violoncello"Giandomenico CuriGianfranco Manfredi & Giandomenico CuriOctober 6, 1989 (1989-10-06)
3"Jack Loves Lulu""Jack ama Lulu"Gianfranco GiagniGianfranco Manfredi & Gianfranco GiagniOctober 13, 1989 (1989-10-13)
4"Valentina Doesn't Rest""Valentina non riposa"Gianfranco GiagniGianfranco Manfredi & Gianfranco GiagniOctober 20, 1989 (1989-10-20)
5"For the Love of Valentina""Per amore di Valentina"Giandomenico CuriGianfranco Manfredi & Giandomenico CuriOctober 27, 1989 (1989-10-27)
6"Butterflies""Farfalle"Gianfranco GiagniGianfranco Manfredi & Gianfranco GiagniNovember 3, 1989 (1989-11-03)
7"The Last Photo""Fotofinish"Giandomenico CuriGianfranco Manfredi & Giandomenico CuriNovember 10, 1989 (1989-11-10)
8"The Others""L'altra"Giandomenico CuriGianfranco Manfredi & Giandomenico CuriNovember 17, 1989 (1989-11-17)
9"Rembrant and Witches""Rembrant e le streghe"Gianfranco GiagniGianfranco Manfredi & Gianfranco GiagniNovember 24, 1989 (1989-11-24)
10"Murderous Valentina""Valentina assassina"Gianfranco GiagniGianfranco Manfredi & Gianfranco GiagniDecember 1, 1989 (1989-12-01)
11"Fallen Angels""Caduta angeli"Giandomenico CuriGianfranco Manfredi & Giandomenico CuriDecember 8, 1989 (1989-12-08)
12"Hello Valentina""Ciao Valentina"Giandomenico CuriGianfranco Manfredi & Giandomenico CuriDecember 15, 1989 (1989-12-15)
13"Goodbye Valentina""Addio Valentina"Giandomenico CuriGianfranco Manfredi & Giandomenico CuriDecember 22, 1989 (1989-12-22)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cassani, Alberto (December 10, 2011). "Tutta un'altra Valentina". muntari (in Italian). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  2. ^ "Demetra Hampton e 'Valentina', l'intramontabile bellezza degli anni '90". Giornale di Puglia (in Italian). December 4, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  3. ^ Seneca, Matt (February 29, 2012). "Guido Crepax's 'Valentina': The High Water Mark of Pornographic Comics". Comics Alliance. ScreenCrush Network. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.