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Released by: Impulse Pictures
Released on: September 11, 2012.
Director: Atsushi Fujiura
Cast: Anzai Eri, Ezaki Kazuyo, Aono Rima, Maria Mari
Year: 1981
Purchase From TLA Video
The Movie:
Directed by Atsushi Fujiura, Nikkatsu's 1981 production Nympho Diver: G-String Festival takes place in a remote seaside village in Japan that was once a popular tourist destination thanks to their ama - nubile young ladies who dive from boats to the ocean floor to harvest various sea life. As their only remaining diver has seen better days, the mayor figures that they should bring in some new blood and so he sends his son out to retrieve four women who once lived in the village to return home to help out and subsequently boost the local economy. The mayor figures that having some new pretty ladies around strutting their stuff along the seashore will do wonders for their tourist trade.
The mayor's son returns with the four women and soon enough, everyone in the town is getting it on as the girls are screwing the mayor, his son, the local priest and even each other when one of the ladies complains that there are no men around to satiate her, let alone a cucumber! That aforementioned priest though? He comes in handy when one young lady wants to research the customs of the town. Her legs start to ache as she sits formally and goes through book after book, and as the horny old man of the cloth decides to help her out, she discovers that the town used to hold G-String Festivals. When it's suggested that the town could further improve tourism by bringing the G-String Festival back, the girls are all quickly decked out in tightly wrapped garb that leaves little to the imagination. Everything seems to be going well except for the fact that the fiancé of the mayor's son knows that he's screwing anything he can and is none too happy about it.
There's really not a whole lot of story here, the focus is definitely on the sex scenes but the movie does what it does fairly well. Some light comedy keeps this sixty-nine minute feature moving at a good pace and while you'd think that we'd get some slick underwater photography here, given the subject matter, we don't get any - though the filmmakers are smart enough to load on the nudity to distract us from such an omission. There's a bit of kink here too - aside from the aforementioned girl on girl action we get an opening voyeuristic scene in a car, we get a scene where a girl is turned on knowing that she and her man are being watched, we get a scene where an older woman lets the priest us a big wooden stick inside of her and a scene where the mayor porks one of the girls with a camera lens. It all culminates in a bizarre scene involving a middle aged woman and a younger man all decked out in baby clothes and wanting to breast feed from her and put his 'son' in her 'other mouth.'
While this one isn't as intense as earlier entries in Impulse's Nikkatsu line, it's plenty entertaining. It stays out of the dark territory that other entries are more comfortable exploring and it has an enjoyably playful, almost free spirited attitude towards sex. The performers are all game, the men obviously enjoying themselves quite a bit here and with a female cast like the one assembled for the film, you can't fault them for that. The comedy stays consistently goofy throughout, crass even at times, but somehow it manages to work. The film ends with a slightly somber scene that may or may not have been meant as food for thought but overall, this is an enjoyable sex comedy that delivers a lot more sex than comedy but which is nevertheless a fun watch for those who appreciate bawdy foreign oddities.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Nympho Diver: G-String Festival looks good in this 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colors are handled well and look quite natural as do skin tones, of which there are loads on display. Black levels aren't quite inky deep in every single scene but overall they are solid and detail is generally strong across the board, even if some scenes appear to have been shot with an intentional softness in mind. There are no issues with print damage to complain about and overall this is a surprisingly clean, sharp, good looking picture though some might note some aliasing here and there.
The Japanese language Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track is crisp and clean. The levels are well balanced and there are no issues with hiss or distortion and the various moans and groans of the ladies (and men) come through with the appropriate amount of sex appeal. The optional English subtitles that are provided are free of any typos and easy to read. Not a fancy mix but one that certainly gets the job done without any issues.
Extras on the disc are limited to a menu, chapter selection and the film's original theatrical trailer which is a blast thanks to the bizarre phrases used throughout to promote the movie. Inside the case is an insert containing original poster art for the feature and liner notes from film scholar/author Jasper Sharp that provide some welcome background information on Japan's long line of girl diver 'ama' films and how they evolved from travelogue/mondo style movies to sex films.
The Final Word:
Nympho Diver: G-String Festival isn't the 'be all, end all' of Impulse's Nikkatsu line at this point in the game but it's a lot of sexy fun thanks to some inspired performances and some memorable set pieces. The DVD looks and sounds pretty good and while it's light on extras, Sharp's liner notes add some welcome cultural context. A nice addition to the Nikkastu Erotic Films Collection!
