MAGENTA

US, 1996, 91 minutes, Colour.
Julian Mc Mahon, Alison Storry, Markland Kennedy, Crystal Atkins.
Directed by Gregory C. Haines.

Magenta is a straight-to-video release. It is soft-core pornography. Gregory C. Haines has made a number of films in this vein – a story of a marriage, a young doctor whose partner is corrupt, the sister of his wife coming to visit from England. With this kind of formula one can work out how the screenplay will go. The wife is having an affair with the friend, the friend is bisexual and has eyes for his partner, the innocent young girl is a modern Lolita and the husband begins an affair with her. So much, so predictable.

At times the screenplay tries to moralise but generally it indulges itself in its presentation of a fairly unprincipled and amoral group. There are salacious scenes – and the touch of the minor orgy in the house of the friend.

One of the difficulties is that the performances are fairly terrible. Julian Mc Mahon, after his appearances in Home and Away and before his American career – more successful with Nip/Tuck and The Fantastic Four – is a rather stolid presence. While at times he tries to be principled, his descent into the relationship is rather sudden and unconvincing. His violent confrontation at the end, even more so.

There is an irony that in real life Mc Mahon left Dannii Minogue for Crystal Atkins who performs (rather ineptly) as Magenta.