Can anyone comment on the merits of this movie? I haven't been able to find any reviews of the film but understand it is quite well regarded. I'd also be interested to know if anyone has the disk and can comment on the quality.
I've seen it years ago, so details are a bit hazy...
It's not a bad movie, but it is one of those rough sex themed movies typical for the mid-late 70's East Coast: not very upbeat at all. Here's my notes on it:
BAnthony takes a shower and dreams of her wedding night (softcore) credits Oct 1, 1974, 11:00 PM: RCaine and EEdwards hold up a gasstation, and RCaine stabs the attendant (DanielFitzgerald). Meanwhile BAnthony and fiance went to diner and a movie. She's saving herself for their marriage next sunday. RCaine and EEdwards pick up hookers THall[f] and CJLaing in a bar. But RCaine is extremely rough so EEdwards gets him to wait for him in the bar, while he screws both girls Next day they decide to crash at the first place that looks empty. That night BAnthony is waiting for her fiancee (JackThompson) outside the moviehouse she works at. When he sees her RCaine decides to kidnap her. Back at the hideout he brutally rapes her. Her fiancee does't understand why Bree stood him up, and finally he goes to the bar, where THall picks him up and they screw. RCaine goes out for booze, and after cleaning her up and untying her, EEdwards makes love to BAnthony. They talk, and since she says she can now not face her family anymore, EEdwards proposes she comes along to Florida with them RCaine is not convinced that is a good idea at all. He tells her they share _everything_, so she fucks both together. Next day RCaine stil isn't convinced, but when she tells her parents are away he agrees to take the money in her house. They have her go in alone to see if no one is home. She gets dad's (JimGordon) shotgun and shoots both of them.
Ok, I watched it. Peter's content description is quite accurate. The sound is good, the picture quality is also good, but the night scenes are a bit dark and the colours of them bleak (allthough that could have been the same on the VHS). If you like classic features and are not put off by the strong theme and things like 29 minutes of storyline before the first hardcore scene you probably will enjoy it, if you are a hardcore gonzo fan, stay away from it. Personally I liked it, but then again Terri Hall is in it and that's good enough for me
The problem is that the Alpha Blue release suffers from two very jarring cuts. At one point, Ms hall is bound in a room full of mirrors, being whipped for an infidelity that, as far as the viewer knows, never happened. Shortly afterwards, she begins a scene felating Jamie Gillis and, by means of a very blatant cut, suddenly appears, now wearing golden headgear, fellating two other men! It really is a missed opportunity. I'd never seen this before, and thus can't be sure what's missing, but found the film to be totally compromised. I even wondered if some scenes are in the wrong order, but this could just be an effect of the cuts.
There is also considerable print damage throughout :0/
I have both the Alpha Blue old VHS copy and the new DVD. I can tell you that the VHS is 83 min and the DVD is 71 min. Therev are noticable cuts lots of print damage, and it appears to me a real in the wrong order. Although all of the major action is there some of it occurs in the wrong order, and some of Jamies scenes writing his memoirs are missing.
Wristdeep is referring to the Story of Joanna disk.
Incidentally, and apologies for taking and keeping this thread off topic, I contacted Alpha Blue Archives about the problems with this disk a week or so ago. Apparently there will be a second presssing, this time featuring a genuinely uncut version of the film.
I had contacted Alpha Blue Archives too but they said they aren't going to replicate it again until they run out of stock. So until the cut ones have all sold they won't be pressing the uncut ones.
Flash, if that's true, I think it's very disappointing. The current disk is blatantly cut despite prominent claims to the contrary. As if that weren't bad enough, it now seems clear that the reels were run in the wrong order. This is an appalling state of affairs!
I'm obviously pleased that a corrected version will be made available and have been advised that an exchange will be possible. Nonetheless, Alpha Blue are well aware of these problems and have publicly acknowledged their error. As such, I think it would be mercenary, even disrespectful, of them to continue selling such a fundamentally flawed product.
It,s been my experience to, with companies like Blue Underground, and Synapse, that when they release a flawed disc they would offer the new pressing to those who got the bad one for the cost of shipping the old one back to them. That's customer service at work.
Actually real good customerservice would be replacing the disk and paying for the shipping, so it doesn't cost the customer anything. After all, it wasn't their fault.
And yes, there are companies who do that, I won't mention names though
Having read this thread, I went back and checked my 1st generation VHS copies (both 25 years old)--The Taking of Christina and The Story of Joanna are both almost identical in length: 83.30 or thereabouts. So any copy that is not at least this long can be assumed to be cut.
However, the abrupt jump cuts sdc noticed in SOJ should not be assumed to be edits from the original--my copy has the same jump edits in it. I am guessing that the original print contained these edits, and that they do not reflect the censor's shears, but simply shoddy postproduction editing of the orginal footage. Welcome to 1970's porn.
Audrey Madison Interview
Posted - Oct 6 2004 : 3:59AM
