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Released by: Retro-Seduction Cinema
Released on: 11/13/2007
Director: Al C. Ruban
Cast: Norma Berke, Bettina, Joann Brier, Gigi Darlene, Walter Druker, Don Dwyer
Year: 1965
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The Movie:
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 film in its original 1.33.1 aspect ratio in glorious black and white. The print is not in the best of shape as there is a fair bit of noticeable wear and tear but despite all of that it is quite watchable. It would have been nice to see the transfer flagged for progressive scan and sharpness and detail tend to vary from scene to scene but considering this is an older, obscure, low budget picture it isn't shocking to see it in this condition.
The English language Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack contains very little dialogue and is made up primarily of saxophone-heavy bump and grind 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 would have been cleaned up better than it has been but aside from that, this track is sufficient if unremarkable.
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.
Inside the keepcase is a booklet containing liner notes from Bowen, which explain the history of the film and its significance. Bowen also provides some welcome background information on the filmmakers and some of the cast members as well.
The Final Word:
The audio and video are nothing to write home about but the commentary is interesting and it's nice to see this genuinely obscure effort see the light of day on DVD.