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Released by: Cinema Epoch
Released on: 7/8/2008
Gilbert Wolmark
Cast: Michelle Angelo
Year: 1967
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The Movie:
Bob Cresse made a bit of a name for himself by importing and distributing all manner of European films but remains best known for cashing in on the Mondo phase with films like Mondo Freudo and Mondo Bizarro and for the notorious Love Camp 7. When European softcore sex films proved to be box office gold, Cresse decided to get himself a piece of that pie as well, and Little Girls was unleashed upon the American public in 1967.
Directed by French filmmaker 'Gilbert Wolmark' the movie follows four schoolgirls with a natural curiosity for sex. A friend of theirs sells them to a woman named Dani who runs a sleazy nightclub and Dani's friend, Mike, makes sure that they do as they're told. The girls are basically forced into a life of prostitution (though they really don't seem to mind this very much at all) where they do all the work and Dani collects all of the cash.
Soon, Mike decides to milk this setup for all it's worth and he and his busy camera get to work taking shots of the girls in various states of undress with their respective clients. Mike's plan is to use this as evidence in a blackmail scam, while Dani hopes that this new injection of cash into her operation will save her failing club from a slow death. What Mike doesn't bank on is falling in love with one of the four girls, Elena. Once he realizes his feelings for her are real, his plan becomes a little more complicated but neither Mike nor Dani realize just how grown up these little girls really are or how they're going to react to this whole blackmail thing…
From the opening scene in which Dani tells Mike she wants to 'live like pigs' to the fantastic (if somewhat predictable) 'twist' ending, Little Girls is a trash movie fan's delight. The English narration (which we can probably quite safely assume differs from the original French version somewhat) adds a nice, sinister vibe to the movie while the wanton and gratuitous sex scenes keep things nice and sleazy. The film is quite well shot and set to a fantastic score and the entire picture has a strange and depraved tone to it.
That said, there's also a weird moralistic theme not too far under the surface. These girls learn the hard way that their actions have very serious consequences and the film definitely makes sure that we know this just as well as the characters do. Bill Gibron's liner notes for the film point out that Cresse himself appears in a scene that he inserted into the film. You can clearly see him from behind giving Los Angeles area stripper Michelle Angelo a beating while she's topless and tied up. Michelle Angelo's website confirms this.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Cinema Epoch presents Little Girls in a pretty spiffy anamorphic widescreen progressive scan transfer culled from the only known existing 35mm print of the film. There are scratches and bits and pieces of print damage throughout but the picture is always completely watchable. Contrast levels are good and detail isn't half bad either. The black and white image is stable throughout and considering the age and obscurity of the source elements, there's little to complain about here.
The English Dolby Digital Mono track has some hiss here and there but it isn't difficult to understand the narration or enjoy the groovy score at all. Far from pristine, the mix is at least quite serviceable.
Aside from menus, chapter selection and an advertisement for other Cinema Epoch releases, the only supplement on this release is an essay from DVD Talk's Bill Gibron that explains the history and underlying themes of the film as well as how it was altered by its American distributor, Bob Cresse. Interesting reading.
The Final Word:
Little Girls is delightfully decadent slice of sixties Eurotrash that features a bevy of beauties and some fantastic camerawork. As twisted as it might be, it's also a whole lot of fun. Exploitation enthusiasts ought not to miss this one.