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Released by: Retro-Seduction Cinema
Released on: 1/29/2008
Director: Jerald Intrator
Cast: Lana Lynn
Year: 1965
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The Movie:
Liz Adams (Lana Lynn) is a young woman apiring to be an actress. So desperate to make it to the big time is she that she's literally willing to do whatever it takes to make it on Broadway. Upon her arrival in New York City, she hooks up with an up and coming actor. From there, she meets a stage director and uses her considerable female charm to persuade him. Eventually Liz meets up with Connie Mason (Rusty Allen), a pretty young woman who makes a living as a model. The two become roommates and things are going fine until Connie learns the truth about Liz and her overly ambitious methods.
As the girls go about their business, the eventually find themselves in Greenwich Village attending a swanky party made up of artists and hipsters and actors and such. Of course, the party soon turns into an orgy which causes the rather chaste Connie to split as quickly as she can. Liz, on the other hand, is on the downward spiral in a big, big way and she decides to go for it… after all, at this point in the game, what has the girl got to lose?
Directed by Jerald Intrator (credited here as J. Nehemiah), the same man who gave us The Curious Dr. Humpp, Satan In High Heels and who shot the insert footage for Night Of The Bloody Apes, the film also played theatrically as The Sexperts: Touched By Temptation, The Xperts (likely to make it more marketable in more conservative locales), and simpy Touched By Temptaion. While it may have been racy material at the time, by today's standards the film really is quite tame. That said, it's not without interest and there are a few quirks about this picture which make it worth a look for trash film fans.
First up are the inserts. For whatever reason, for a few scenes here and there, the film switches from high contrast black and white to trippy looking Eastman Color. While these inserts completely interupt the narrative flow of the film, they're definitely interesting looking and probably added some serious marketability to the film during it's original theatrical run. The film also features an appearance from none other than Olga herself, Miss Audrey Campbell, who can be seen delivering a fine on-camera bump and grind routine towards the end of the picture. Audrey didn't make many pictures but her turn as Olga immortalized her in the minds of many roughie fans and it's always a treat when one of her more obscure appearances sees the light of day - for the record, the film is released on home video for the first time ever by way of this DVD.
It should be noted that the film was produced by the infamous William Mishkin, known for bankrolling such notorious films as Fight For Your Life, and much of the late Andy Milligan's cinematic legacy. Charles Ross, who wrote The Wild World of Jayne Mansfield is credited with the script and the film features some interesting time capsule footage of late sixties era New York City. The plot is a little on the pedestrian side and not particularly original but there's enough interesting people involved and enough oddball charm to the movie that it's certainly worthwhile.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The 1.33.1 fullframe transfer on this disc, taken from a rare 35mm print, is fantastic save for the combing issues that show up when the disc isn't flagged for progressive scan (a common problem with EI titles). Aside from that, however, things do look very good. Contrast is dead on and detail is strong. Aside from a few specks here and there the image is quite clean and free of any major print damage. The color in the insert scenes is a little funky looking but that's probably due to the elements more than the transfer. Otherwise, there's not much to complain about here at all.
The Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack is clean, clear and free of any hiss or distortion and the narration is always easy top follow and understand. There are no alternate audio options provided nor are there any optional subtitles but the one track that is here gets the job done nicely.
Here's where this disc really shines! On the first disc, in addition to the feature, there are a whole gaggle of bonus scenes, presented in Eastman color. The real icing on the cake, however, are the TV commercials that feature the late, great Audrey Campbell. But wait! That's not all! Retro-Seduction Cinema has included a second disc in the set entitled Naughty Nudes '65. Thrill to these old black and white 8mm softcore stag films, presented here in all their grimy, grainly glory. Also included on this disc is a collection of trailers.
Both discs contain animated menus and chapter stops. Inside the keepcase is a selection of interesting liner notes from Michael Bowen that detail the history of the film and which provide some welcome information on the people who made it. The keepcase fits inside a slipcase that features alternate cover artwork.
The Final Word:
The movie is more interesting as a curiosity item than as an actual narrative but it does have a few interesting moments and the presence of Audrey Campbell definitely gives it some historical value. Retro-Seduction Cinema have definitely gone the extra mile on this release, however, as they've stacked it with interesting and enjoyable extras and really done a solid job on the presentation.