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Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: September 29th, 2020.
Director: Gary Graver (as Robert McCallum)
Cast: Veronica Hart, Jesie St. James, Robert Kerman, Eric Edwards, Georgina Spelvin, Arcadia Lake, Tigr
Year: 1981
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Indecent Exposure - Movie Review:
When a movie opens, after the opening credits roll at least, with Robert Kerman mugging for the camera and yelling gout with the goofiest fake Italian accent ever the immortal words 'MOMMA MIA!' you know you're in for a good time. And a good time is exactly what you get with Gary Graver's 1981 XXX comedy picture, Indecent Exposure, wherein Mr. Kerman plays a character named Tony Ross who has a nice gig going for himself as a fashion photographer known in the business as Antonio Rossini. Or something to that effect. The point is, he's pretending to be an exotic Italian rather than Tony from the block because it impresses the ladies and gets him laid a lot.
Tony's best pal ever is Ted Perlies (Eric Edwards), a nice guy who has been married forever and living a traditional, conservative life. Now that his wife has divorced him, however, Tony figures the time is right to take Ted on the road with his assistant, June (Jesie St. James) and his rather put upon lady friend, Lilah (Veronica Hart). Tony's got a series of gigs lined up around the country, so the four of them hit the road with their camera gear in tow to stop off at a few locations so that he can shoot a series of different women from different walks of live. First they hit up a health food store run by a woman named Karma Lane (Arcadia Lake) who, as luck would have it, gets along just fine with Ted. Their next stop is a dance school where the teacher is shot with four students prancing about behind her. When the teacher leaves, the boys get down with the four dancers, because why not! This type of thing goes on for a while as June starts to wonder if she's developing feelings for Ted or not and Lilah becomes increasingly fed up with Tony's inability to keep it in his pants when she isn't around. Things take a genuinely weird an unexpected turn, however, when they make their final stop at a massive mansion owned by the lovely and alluring Ariel Devane (Georgina Spelvin)…
Shot and directed by Graver (who, surprisingly enough, worked with none other than Orson Welles on The Other Side Of The Wind), Indecent Exposure is a blast. It moves quickly, staging its eight different sex scenes quite nicely and with an eye for composition, while keeping the emphasis on the comedic throughout. There are a few doses of drama thrown in here just to give the characters a bit of depth - never a bad thing - but the goal of the film is to give the audience a good time and that's exactly what it does. The script might not be super deep but it's good enough and clever enough to keep viewers engaged, and as the story plays out we find ourselves genuinely wanting to know who is going to wind up with who and the end of the movie, and why!
Production values are solid across the board. The movie has a solid score and nice camerawork. The costuming is quite good, though clearly very much a product of its early eighties origins (Eric Edwards wears a lot of brown in this movie for some reason), and the film is quite colorful and cheery looking throughout, making good use of some nice locations.
As to the cast? It's hard to complain, really. Edwards and Kerman make a great team here, plowing their way through various ladies in various locations, but it's Kerman who really steals it. Breaking in and out of that aforementioned bad Italian accent as called for in order to keep up the ruse, he's seriously funny here. The guy could act and had a real knack for comedy. Edwards is no slouch here either, but Kerman just has a more interesting and quirky character to play with and, as such, he stands out more. The ladies shape up nicely too (pun intended). Veronica Hart's hair is unusually massive but she's her typically elegant and beautiful self, handling the material well and creating a character that's more than just another pretty face. Ms. St. James is just as good. Always a decent performer, this is better than average work for her. Supporting efforts from Arcadia Lake and especially Georgina Spelvin, who brings a little something special to every oddball character she plays, is certainly appreciated.
Indecent Exposure - Blu-ray Review:
Indecent Exposure comes to Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome framed at 1.85.1 in AVC encoded 1080p high definition taking up 24GBS of space on a 25GB disc looking damned near perfect, restored in 2k from its original 35mm negative. There is a tiny bit of print damage here and there but the emphasis there is on tiny, just a few white specks now and then. Otherwise the image is nice and clean. It shows great detail throughout, nice depth and texture too. No problems with any noticeable compression artifacts to complain about, and the image is free of noise reduction or edge enhancement problems. It looks fantastic!
The 24-bit DTS-HD Mono track is fine. It's properly balanced and the dialogue is clean, clear and balanced. There are no problems with any hiss or distortion and the score used in the film sounds pretty solid as well. Optional subtitles are provided in English only.
The only real extra on the disc is a theatrical trailer. Menus and chapter selection are also included. We do get some nice reversible cover sleeve art, however, and the first 2,000 units purchased directly from Vinegar Syndrome get a very nice limited edition, embossed slip cover designed by Earl Kessler Jr.. As this is a combo pack release, a DVD version of the two movies taken from the same restorations is also included.
Indecent Exposure - The Final Word:
Indecent Exposure is pretty great, a thoroughly entertaining slice of scintillating sex cinema that's nicely directed, well-paced and at times genuinely funny. A strong cast helps a lot here, with Kerman really stealing the show more often than not. Vinegar Syndrome's Blu-ray release is light on extras but it does offer up this classic in excellent condition and is an easy recommendation for anyone with an interest in the golden ago of American porno films.
Click on the images below for full sized Indecent Exposure Blu-ray screen caps!
