The Film (5/5)

     Jess Franco died a little over one year ago now in April of 2013, as one of the last remaining auteurs of early EuroCult cinema it was a tragic loss, but being in his mid-80's, and having been in declining health for sometime it was hardly unexpected. If one is to find a silver lining in the dark cloud of Franco's tragic passing it would be that over his very long and prolific career the Spanish director left us with over 200 films (more if you qualify the varying cuts of some of his films) to explore and to enjoy for decades to come. Prior to his passing his films began to trickle on to the Blu-ray format with Redemption Films releasing his classics Female Vampire and Exorcism on to the format in October of 2012.  However, it would be Ascot-Elite Films with their line of Franco Blu-ray's that have been keeping the maestro's work visible, and in very beautiful Blu-ray editions since late 2013.  The series is working it's way down, and we have decided to go back, and review as many of these titles as time allows as these are some of the most gorgeous cult titles on the market, and they offer a great tribute to the late Jess Franco.

    Girls in the Night Traffic is a simple, but fun film from Franco that comes from the height of his collaboration with Erwin C. Dietrich (who co-directed the film under the alias Michael Thomas). The film opens with 3 prostitutes waking up one morning after a long night of sex and debauchery. To recovery from their separate sexual antics the girls give each other naked massages before the film goes into flashbacks detailing their respective evenings which included sex with a disinterested man in a Fez (this has to be seen, a description cannot even cover this), one of the girls pretending to be a corpse for a client, and another participating in a jungle-esque sex show.

    Out of all the films in the Goya Collection-Dietrich collaboration line I've seen thus far this film has without a doubt been my favorite. The film has a unique atmosphere that treads the line between dark, sleazy, and fun. It is absolute the perfect Franco film to watch in a middle of the night movie watching delirium. The cinematography in Girls of the Night Traffic is some of the best of the Dietrich series of films. Franco's direction in this particular film is in top form keeping his normally trademark tendencies behind the camera in check, and keeping things looking good and flowing smoothly.  The film isn't exactly a long film in either version, but it is an absolutely breezy watch.

    It should also be noticed that Girls in the Night Traffic comes in 2 separate versions on this Blu-ray set from Ascot Elite a restored HD version which is the softcore cut under the title Girls in the Night Traffic.  We then get the hardcore version of the film which is 7 minutes longer, but is not similarly restored, and comes under the title Wilde Lust.  This is an Easter Egg on the disc, and can be found hidden in the extras menu by toggling right until a little icon appears on the screen.

Audio/Video (4/5)

    Much like the other films in the Goya Collection Girls in the Night Traffic is presented in a splended 1:78:1 1080p transfer that offers a very natural, sharp, and well detailed transfer with very good black levels.

   The audio is presented in DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 in Germany with English subs, and both tracks sound quite good. The dialogue comes through nice and clear, as does the music and effects.

Extras (3.5/5)

    Girls in the Night Traffics comes with the hardcore variation of the film Wilde Lust, an audio interview with Franco, trailers, a photo gallery, and more.

Overall

    Girls in the Night Traffic is a fun sleazy romp from Franco's Erwin C. Dietrich era.  The Blu-ray restoration from Ascot Elite is simply a thing of beauty, and deserves to be seen. The extras including the hardcore Easter egg are quite nice, and push this package over the top. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.