Charles in Blood oranges in 1997

A risible and idiotic movie, "The Blood Oranges" is a maladroit adaptation of a novel that should probably never have seen the light of day, given the ridiculous dialogue that, one assumes, the scripters Philip Haas (who also directs) and Belinda Haas (who also produces) have taken from the book.

Charles Dance and Sheryl Lee play a 1970s sexually liberated couple residing in a small unnamed European town. They allow each other extramarital affairs but their meeting with a pair of travelers, in town with their children, changes their traditional patterns. In flashbacks, narrated by Dance, the audience learns something bad has happened in the couple's fantasy land...given the context, Dance and Lee (who irritatingly calls him Babe throughout) are terrible.

http://www.boxoffice.com/reviews/2008-08-the-blood-oranges

 

But of the quartet, only Dance renders a credible and emotionally resonant performance. Basically miscast, Lee interprets her role as a babe whose sole motivation is to get Hugh into the sack. As the victimized couple whose experimentation in lifestyle leads to tragic results, Robins and Lane are no more than decent

http://variety.com/1997/tv/reviews/the-blood-oranges-2-1200451651/

 

a trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv41ppyr-q4

this erotic drama, a couple who have devoted themselves to sexual freedom discover that their open relationship may have led them into dangerous waters. Fiona (Sheryl Lee) and Cyril (Charles Dance) are a married couple with an open relationship; they allow each other to pursue erotic pleasures with other partners at will, and they're eager to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves as they vacation in Italy. While in town, they meet Hugh (Colin Lane), a photographer travelling with his wife Catherine (Laila Robins) and their children. Fiona and Cyril discover that Hugh likes to photograph nude couples, and they eagerly invite him along for some fun and games at their rented villa, with blood oranges scattered around the floor. Before long, Fiona and Cyril discover that Hugh has a secret they never counted on. Based on a novel by John Hawkes, Blood Oranges has rather ornate dialogue that earned it some unintended laughs in its early screenings, especially when Cyril uses his favorite euphemism for having sex, "Tasting the love lunch." ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

the movie has been presented at the Toronto film festival in 1997, click to read