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Released by: Retro-Seduction Cinema
Released on: January 17, 2012.
Director: Edward L. Monotoro, James Somich/All Ruban
Cast: Sandy Roberts, Jeff Baker/ Gigi Darlene, June Roberts, Jackie Miller
Year: 1968/1965
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The Movies:
A pretty solid double feature of sexploitation/roughie madness from Retro-Seduction Cinema, this two disc set rocks out as follows:
The Platinum Pussycat:
Just as well known under the alternate title of The Losers, this black and white cheapie from 1968 follows an ex-cop named Michael (Jeff Baker) who has made it his mission to find out who killed the late husband of a beautiful blonde dish named Dena (Sandy Roberts). It doesn't hurt matters at all on Michael's end that there's also the matter of a sizeable chunk of missing money related to the case but with Dena the number one suspect in her husband's death, Michael opts to help her hide out for a while at a place owned by a friend of his who just so happens to be a footloose and fancy free artist type with giant boobs.
This turns out to be a bad idea on Michael's part as Dena is promptly abducted and abused by some mobsters but Mike is bound and determined to come to her rescue, so long as he can make his way through the incoherent plot twists, random bombs, gratuitous lesbians and mild bondages sequences that make this total mess of a film far more entertaining than it really has any right to be.
Shot with a modicum of style, this one appears to have been pieced together, at least the color lesbian sequence (the rest of the film is in black and white) most certainly came from somewhere else and was edited in here to spice things up a bit (it works). It's all very poorly put together, really, but Sandy Roberts is certainly a treat on the eyes and it's a shame she didn't work more. She gets a lot of screen time here and shows off her feminine charm fairly frequently and with little sense of shame, so the movie definitely has that going for it as well.
The story doesn't make sense, but if nothing else it's never dull. There's enough random sex in here and enough head scratchingly odd moments to make this one worth a look for cult movie buffs. Coherent it's not, but it's definitely interesting, if sometimes for all the wrong reasons.
The Sexploiters:
The wonderfully campy (time has not been kind to this film!) The Sexploiters follows a woman named Lynn who appreciates the finer things in life. Her expensive tastes cost money, however, so for extra cash she heads into the big city to work part time as a model - only she doesn't so much model as she does turn tricks. The catch is that the agency Lynn works out of caters to a certain kind of clientele who dig on camera/model kinks, so she can kind of get away with it.
Lynn and a few of her co-workers pass the afternoons by pleasing and teasing the male clientele who frequent the establishment, and as they do we're treated to a few trashy set pieces (which, when combined, make up the bulk of the film's quick running time). Soon enough, a businessman starts bringing some of his clients around the agency for a little tax deductible fun on the side, and when he realizes just how keen this joint is, he decides to come back in a week's time with a pair of pals meaning that the agency is going to have to wrangle up a third gal for he and his pals to use and abuse. The agency suggests a hot little number named Lynn, which just so happens to be the name of our boy's wife. You do the math…
With a fairly ambiguous conclusion, the film really expects you to pay more attention to the scant bits of dialogue and plot than you're probably going to want to. See, plot or no plot, the real reason anyone would have wanted to watch this picture at the time was for the naked ladies who spend the bulk of the time bumping and grinding for the camera. This is not a clever film even if the ending is presented in such a way as to pretend it might be, this is exploitation plain and simple. That said, being a product of its time, it's also fairly harmless. Yes, there's a copious amount of bare flesh on display but the vast majority of it happens from the waist up and there's no actual copulation in the film. This is a nudie-cutie in the true sense of the word, never does it venture into roughie territory.
The film was obviously made fast and cheap. The quality of the picture changes from scene to scene and the narration is stoic and obviously not very well thought out. Nor is it particularly emotive. The dubbed/looped performances sound phonier than a three-dollar bill and if the cinematography is maybe a bit above average at times, you'd never know it, as the lighting is uninspired and drab. Yet, the film has its charm. As a relic of a bygone era, a time where topless gyrations were considered genuinely taboo within the general populace of America, it's an interesting film. Add to that the fact that it was directed by Al Ruban (who went on to act in and produce The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie!) and that it stars an ice-cream eating Gigi Darlene (Bad Girls Go To Hell), June Roberts (Kitten In A Cage) and Jackie Miller (Olga's House Of Shame) and it also makes for a fun game of 'spot the exploitation star.' It's far from a classic but it is an entertaining little slice of sleaze that fans of the genre will certainly appreciate, warts and all.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Retro-Seduction Cinema presents the both of these films in their original 1.33.1 aspect ratios in glorious black and white (excluding that aforementioned color insert in Pussycat!). The prints were not in the best of shape as there is a fair bit of noticeable wear and tear but despite all of that the transfers are quite watchable. It would have been nice to see the transfers flagged for progressive scan and sharpness and detail tend to vary from scene to scene but considering these are older, obscure, low budget pictures it isn't shocking to see them in this condition.
The English language Dolby Digital Mono soundtracks contain very little dialogue and are made up primarily of music. That said, when there is talk, it's reasonably clear and easy to understand. Some pop and hiss is present here and there which probably could have been cleaned up better than it has been but aside from that, these track are sufficient if unremarkable.
Extras on the Platinum Pussycat disc include almost an hour's worth of vintage 8mm softcore loops in which various women of varying degrees of attractiveness get down to their birthday suits for anyone wanting a peek. These are amusing enough and a nice addition to the disc. Additionally, there are a bunch of trailers here for other Retro-Seduction Cinema releases. Menus and chapter stops for the feature are also included.
As far as The Sexploiter's disg goes, author Michael J. Bowen moderates a commentary track with the film's cinematographer, C. Davis Smith who does a fantastic job of explaining what the exploitation film scene was like in the sixties by discussing how tightly knit certain factions of it where. It would appear that most of the filmmakers working in his specific circle all seemed to get along well with one another and it would seem that while no one thought they were making the next Gone With The Wind, that those involved did put some obvious effort into their productions - something that doesn't always come across with modern smut since shooting on video made things so much more affordable and so much more accessible. While it would have been nice if the track had been more specific to the picture itself, Smith does discuss the cast and crew and points out some interesting trivia as well as some keen bits about the locations what not. He also speaks about his unusual relationship with the late, great Doris Wishman. All in all, this makes for a pretty solid listen and considering how little dialogue is in the picture itself, it's not a bad way at all to enjoy this quirky feature.
From there, check out the Retro-Seduction Cinema trailer vault for a whole whack of previews and promos for vintage exploitation films galore. The disc also contains some animated menus and chapter stops. The liner notes from Michael Bowen that were included with the single disc release of The Sexploiters have not been carried over to this double feature release.
The Final Word:
While neither film is the be all end all of sexploitation, both are pretty enjoyable and worth seeing for those with an interest in prehardcore filth films. Retro-Seduction Cinema's DVD is a pretty good one despite some obvious wear and tear and contains some decent extras too. All in all, a pretty solid release.
