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1965 - 62m.

I have been trying to start this review for days but I don't know what to say about this movie because it was entirely uneventful. These are the worst movies to write about because they are so boring that I feel like I am wasting my time by writing a review and then wasting your time for having to read it. The rescue of lost films from obscurity is something I believe in and totally support but sometimes I wonder why a movie like this would be given such special treatment by Retro Seduction Cinema when I am sure that there are many other movies in the sexploitation genre that are much more worthy. This movie is essentially a stag reel with no plot, no personality, and no point other than to titillate an audience who would need to be quite desperate for titillation. The movies of exploitation pioneers Dave Friedman and Harry Novak all had a personality and a distinct stamp on them. This movie is like the boring Uncle whose only interest is collecting milk bottles. Imagine Orgy of the Dead in black and white and without Criswell and you get the idea.

Fans of the genre will classify this movie as a "nudie cutie". We open with an ominous voice telling us the story of Lynn, a suburban housewife who leads a secret life as a call girl so that she can support her expensive shopping habit. This quickly leads into the first sexy scene where some dude with a really big head asks to be whipped by Lynn. She complies and we are then introduced to the agency that Lynn works for which is essentially a front where people (mainly men) pay money to take pictures or videos of models in various states of undress. One can assume that this will lead to other things similar to a rub and tug or escort agency. We are then presented with a variety of scenes showing the men photographing the model. These are long sequences that take up over half of the running time. Among other things, we see a pair of girls posing together in glamour poses and then a big-boobed blonde seductively eating an ice cream cone.

After the modeling agency footage, the movie attempts to give us some semblance of a plot by focusing on an awkward businessman who clearly has feelings for the woman he is paying for. She apparently does too and they leave the agency to go to a room where she can bathe and he can watch. This somewhat unbelievable relationship seems like a strange thing to focus on as a plot point and does not work at all. Separately, we are shown a sex party that involves Lynn's husband, a belly dancer, and some mild lesbianism. If you think this sounds at all interesting, don't be fooled because it's not. The only segment that has any style is the final sex scene involving Lynn and a guy in a coffin but this is hardly enough to recommend.

The Sexplioiters is being marketed as a lost classic from Al Ruban who went on to work with John Cassavetes as a cinematographer and producer. Given that I had never heard of Ruban before this DVD came out, I don't quite understand why this is being used as the main selling point other than complete desperation. Some of the girls you may recognize from other exploitation movies including Gigi Darlene (Bad Girls Go to Hell), Jackie Miller (Olga's House of Shame), and June Roberts (The Sin Syndicate). I would have marketed the film based on the presence of these girls rather than an obscure crew member. Overall, this movie is a minor blip in the genre and can be avoided unless you are a completist of this type of flick. (Josh Pasnak, 5/22/09)

Directed By: Al C. Ruban.
Written By: Not Credited.

Starring: Terri Steele, Jackie Miller, Gigi Darlene, June Roberts.


DVD INFORMATION
Retro Seduction Cinema - November 13, 2007

Picture Ratio: Full Frame.

Picture Quality: The black and white image shows its age but looks pretty good for such an obscure film. The quality varies from scene to scene.

Extras: First up, we get a commentary from Chuck Smith who appears in the film as the camera-toting perv with two girls. He also shot part of the flick and has a long history in the sexploitation genre. Smith paints a good picture of what it was like to be involved in the New York underground film scene and also touches on a number of people he worked with including Doris Wishman. This commentary is moderated by film historian Michael Bowen. We also get some trailers and a booklet with some information on the film and filmmakers compiled by Bowen.

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