“The Beast (aka La Bete)” Blu-Ray (director: Walerian Borowczyk)

Controversial Euro-sleaze!

This classic (and infamous) Euro-sleaze film from 1975 is given a new lease on life with this beautiful new Blu-Ray, adding plenty of bonus features, retrospective info and a crisp, clean video quality that is surprising given the age of the source material. 

Without giving too much away, “The Beast” is an adult re-telling of the “Beauty & The Beast” tale, with some shocking and very mature scenes. Where to begin? A wealthy American heiress is set to marry a reclusive French aristocrat in his crumbling castle when she discovers his past harbors a dark secret. It seems one of his ancestors was attacked in the woods nearby by a strange beast. This scene is relived through fantasy sequences as the heiress finds the sexual nature of the attack, well, titillating, herself. Things get wet and wild, with some extraordinarily explicit fantasy scenes of the woman and beast in flagrante delicto. All the while, the heiress finds ways to pleasure herself before her marriage.

The opening scenes of horses copulating are off-putting and quite disgusting, as director Borowczyk apparently really wanted to outright assault the boundaries of good taste with this film, which falls somewhere between weird horror/fantasy and porno. Despite all the revolting content here, the film is beautifully shot, with colorful visuals of the French castle and grounds. Art film? Surely. Trash film? Without argument. Watchable? Mostly. Erotic? Questionably. Unique? Most definitely. This is a film viewers will remember, undoubtably. But beware, as this one goes pretty far!

Arrow Films

"Satan's Sex Party 1970s Collection" DVD

Old-time proto-porn with dark inclinations...

This "Grindhouse Triple Feature" combines three 1970 adult films onto one disc, but those expecting some hardcore action will likely be disappointed. Filmed quickly in the pre-hardcore porn era, these are all sexploitation, pure and simple, but lacking much besides (what seems like) simulated sex and nudity. For fans of the "au naturel" look (if you get my drift, man), unkept body hair, and crazy swingers' outfits and hairstyles, this is a set for you.

The first film, "Madame Satan", is a shallow "supernatural"-themed quickie. Plot be damned, though. It all begins with a promise of a seance. Then we quickly dispense with that, and head straight into sunny jazz music and bedtime scenes. A hammy, lamb-chopped brute engages in a number of orgy-like frolics, and the men never actually achieve erections. Huh? 

Second film up is "Sex And The Single Vampire", which features John Holmes himself as a solitary (and awkward) vampire whose home is invaded by a group of horny swingers. Holmes himself doesn't really get involved, but he likes to observe, anyway, as all of his once-vacent bedrooms are made much, much warmer.

Finally, the last film here is the short (36-minutes) "Devil's Handmaiden", which is a weird and almost psychedelic vignette featuring a creepy facepainted loon who stalks free-love kids, while arranging sexual liaisons for them, in exchange for their souls. Yes, it's odd and certainly beyond freaky.

A couple of these films suffer a bit from some scratchy prints, but that's not unusual for these long-lost gems of early adult cinema. And though these may not be essential, fans of obscure adult filmmaking will find these fascinating, if not titillating.

Independent Entertainment

"San Francisco Grindhouse Triple Feature" 2xDVD

This selection of marginal 70's-era sexploitation (aka early hardcore porn) doesn't offer much aside from a curious look at the depths and budgetary constraints of the era. Centered around San Francisco (in itself a hotbed of creativity and free-thinking since the sixties), these three films failed to impress me.

First was "Wendy's Naughty Night", directed by Nick Philips (who, oddly, went on to direct horror later in his career). This 1973 skin-flick was hippie hardcore at it's not-so-finest, complete with weirdly whimsical musical soundtrack. This one was a weird tale of damaged, but free-spirited Wendy, who supported an deadbeat artist boyfriend, but loved to frolic in the sack (when not with her therapist reminiscing about her lesbian inclinations). As it is, "Wendy's Naughty Night" is a mess, with flimsy plot, very little dialogue, and awful acting. And the action was nothing to remark about, either. 

"Siv, A Swedish Girl" was also the work of director Philips, and despite a mismatched audio track (bad overdubbing), this 1971 hardcore features a trippy psychedelic jazz soundtrack. Definitely a period piece, "Siv" is forgettable at best, with most of the "action" being mostly nude writhing. Poetic voiceovers are hackneyed, with amateur imagery and silly effects. Other adjectives I'd use to describe "Siv" are haphazard and disjointed. The murder-suicide "climax" is absolutely unexpected (and, I"m sure, off-putting to period moviegoers who simply wanted a good time), and certainly points to director Philips' future in horror, but it doesn't change that this is simply a bad movie.

Attached to the disc with "Siv, A Swedish Girl" are a series of Joe Sarno trailers, which fare much, much better. Seventies gems like "Butterflies", featuring the amazing Marie Forsa, are previewed here. The great sets and cinematography in these trailers make the feature-length films on this set look just heinous!

The third disc in this set, lest we forget, is an afterthought from 1976, directed by Tom Hofmann.This one features the always-entertaining Joey Silvera as a regular joe who, in need of some cash, takes a job as a porno star, much to his girlfriend's chagrin. Well, the girlfriend, played by Linda Wong, decides to "get even" by hanging out with some swinger friends, so you can imagine the obvious here. It's not a noteworthy or particularly memorable film, but the action does get wilder and steamier than the two supposed "marquee" names in this "grindhouse" collection.

All-in-all, some pretty forgettable work, and worthy only as a time capsule of the early-to-mid-seventies scene. 

(After Hours Cinema)

"The Early Films Of John Holmes" 2xDVD

This recently-reissued set of early Holmes hardcore films provides nary a hint of the maniac "Mr. 13-And-A-Half" later became, as he plunged into substance abuse and unstable (and criminal) behavior. On the contrary, Holmes here had only marginal roles in these films, and his reserved behavior was in contrast to what was to come. But that's a tale for another time. We're here to review, so we shall.

This trio of fairly forgettable early-to-mid-70s pornos begins with "S.M.A.S.H.", or alternately titled "How To Get Hung" -- a weird and incongruous cornucopia of hospital-themed escapades. Co-starring supposedly well-known early porn goddess Judy Angel (as a prudish nurse), there are some decent scenes (but very little with our man Holmes). Deserving of mention, though, is the rather shocking sex-change "skit" that stupefies even today. I can't say more, but it is weird and well-done, especially on such a shoestring budget.

Second in this set is "Benny's Bungles", which begins as an affirmation of the era itself...shag carpets, turtlenecks, and polyester. Holmes stars as "Benny" -- a weirdo who collects morbid torture devices. Not that he uses them here, as it's a common 70s era set of wife-swapping orgies and madness (likely fueled by some illegal chemicals). Ho hum. Or is that hoes and hum(mers)?

Third and last in this set is "New Girl In Town", which is a groovy early 70s skin flick with little going for it, really. The initial acting and dialogue is diabolically bad. I did, nonetheless, enjoy a shamefully unidentified raven-haired, large-breasted lass (NOT Judy Angel) in her "performance", though (making up for her shameful "acting"). As well, the soundtrack here is a high point, believe it or not! Less gaudy and intrusive than others of its era, this one includes some moody classical and theatrical sounds, rather than the staple funky stuff. 

Another plus of this "lengthy" (hahah!) collection is a series of similar smut-minded trailers that After Hours Cinema filled disc B with. Nice touch! A couple of these I wouldn't mind seeing. Overall, I'd say a solid set for Holmes fans, or collectors of seventies porn, but others will see as little more than a novelty due to Holmes' legendary size and status. (After Hours Cinema)

"Slutty Stewardesses: Grindhouse Double Feature" DVD

Collecting a nice pair (haha) of mid-70s hardcore films, this set includes the 1975 sleaze-o-rama, "In-Flight Service" (directed by Charles Lamont, aka C. Davis Smith). This is a below-average, shallow, hackneyed, and poorly-edited series of explicit scenes, with little to recommend aside from the requisite furry folks engaging in sleazy, slimy, sexual situations. Even the weirdly creepy electronic soundtrack can't save this one. Print quality is fair, but it doesn't matter, as you won't be watching this more than once, anyway.

Also included is the slightly more interesting "Come With Me My Love", directed by the legendary Doris Wishman in 1976. Adding elements of horror to her porn, Wishman's tale of a jealous ghost who murders a poor lass's lovers is odd and almost surreal. It's ultra low budget, with a poor script and awful "acting", though the weirdly upbeat score helps, as does the presence of art/porn goddess Annie Sprinkle. Again, print quality is marginal and pretty scratchy, but this is a definite hardcore oddity, for sure. (After Hours Cinema)