D V D s


enjoyed w ith WOMEN FOR SALE (a dubbed and drastically abbreviated version of the Ger­ man production THE YOUNG TIGERS OF HONG KONG). Es­ caping from a prison work de­ tail in Mexico with the help of gangster Moreno (Kent Taylor), long-time miscreant Sandra Tate (pom star Georgina Spelvin) is put on the syndicate’s payroll, partnered with Mor­ eno’s right-hand woman, Erica (SHAFT'S BIG SCORE s Rosa­lind Miles), and assigned to eliminate an elderly target. The pair involve prostitute Donna (Susan Mclver), telling her that it is a simple blackmail caper, but when the man dies, Donna gets scared and heads for Mexico. Sandra and Erica set out in pursuit, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake, while Donna finds herself the unwill­ ing guest of an old lech (veteran Western star Robert Livingston), who wants her to deflower his retarded son, Ben (Addison Randall, Livingston’s actual son). Donna escapes, but is pursued through the desert by the hitwomen, leading to a cli­ max not unlike the wrap-up used in SATAN’S SADISTS. With the exception of SA­


DISTS, I SPIT ON YOUR CORPSE is often sighted as Adamson’s most cold-blooded film, thanks primarily to a sequence where Sandra seduces Ben and shoots him in the head just as he is cli­ maxing. While the shock value of that bit, and some other ma­ terial, has attenuated over the years, the use of a supposedly retarded individual in such material has actually made the pro d u ctio n seem much more p o l i t ic a l ly in c o r re c t . Spelvin performs con mucho gusto and handles the action requirements of the part more


convincingly than many of the mainstream actresses doing this sort of picture in the ’70s. There are slow patches here and there, but the movie does not drag like some o f the d irec to r ’s work and there is some decent action and eroti­ cism on display. I SPIT ON YOUR CORPSE is also one of Adamson’s more technically pol­ ished efforts from this time, which is ironic considering that it was rushed through production and hit theaters only 60 days af­ ter shooting commenced! The best looking of the five


transfers, the image is suffi­ ciently colorful and detailed, and the mild cropping rarely has an adverse effect on Gary Graver’s cinematography. The sound is okay. Shot in the Cali­ fornia desert in oppressive heat, the movie had more than its share of behind-the-scenes in­ cidents, giving Sherman plenty to talk about in his commen­ tary. A few of the choicer bits: Mclver’s refusal to do one of her nude scenes led the other actresses on the picture to threaten a walkout; a barrage of petty lawsuits ensued over things like one actor’s billing and an insurance scam; and how bad planning resulted in an entirely different (but superior) ending than the one scripted. Sherman also speaks glowingly about the pleasure of working with Livingston (an actor he had admired from childhood), and points out a very inconspicuous cameo by Regina Carrol, in which we are given a glimpse of her legs but not her face. The Adamson DVDs were


compressed by DVD Audio+ Video International. Troma also offers each film on VHS for $14.95 (SP mode) or $9.95 (EP mode). —John Charles


BLACK NARCISSUS


1947, Criterion #BLA210, DD/C/+, $39.95, 100m 5s, DVD-1 Michael Powell and Emeric


Pressburger’s distinguished film, BLACK NARCISSUS, based on Rumer Godden’s 1939 novel, is about the powerful effects of scenery and elevation on five fe­ male missionaries who travel to Mopu, a fictional place located high in the Himalayas. At Mopu Palace—known to the locals as the “House of Women” because it was used by an old potentate as his harem—the Sisters intend to set up a chapel, school, and dispensary for the local inhabit­ ants. Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) is named the Sister Supe­ rior of St. Faith (as the Palace at Mopu is re-named), and with her she takes four colleagues: Sister Briony (Judith Furse), Sister Philippa (Flora Robson), Sister Honey (Jenny Laird), and the emotionally unstable Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron, who would later appear in Hammer’s 1971 TWINS OF EVIL). At Mopu Pal­ ace they meet Angu Ayah (May Hallet), the elderly caretaker who hears voices in the wind, and Mr. Dean (David Farrar), the British agent to the old general (Esmond Knight, the film d irec to r in Michael Powell’s PEEPING TOM). The cynical Mr. Dean predicts that the nuns will fail in their mission, and sure enough, soon after their arrival repressed memories and desires—aspects of their previous lives—inexplica­ bly begin to emerge, the alien location of St. Faith apparently responsible. The Palace most severely affects Sister Ruth, who develops—with virtually no en­ couragement—a strongly sexual attraction to Mr. Dean (he seems to be vaguely attracted, on his part, to Sister Clodagh). Sister


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