Seduction Cinema presents

Pleasures of a Woman (1972/2002)

"On the contrary, everyone thought she was man crazy. Darling, sweet Martine, my new friend. Now we had something in common."- Lynn Rogers (Lynn Harris)

Stars: Uschi Digart, Lynn Harris, Darien Caine, Julian Wells
Other Stars: Tina Davis, Syn DeVil
Director: Nick Phillips, Ted W. Crestview

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nudity, drug use, strong sexual content)
Run Time: 01h:35m:45s
Release Date: 2002-12-31
Genre: late night

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
C+	C-	B+	B-	C-

 

DVD Review

Seduction delivers another in its Retro-Seduction line of Nick Phillips double features, with both the 1972 original and 2002 remake of Pleasures of a Woman. Phillips (aka Steve Millard), a prolific grindhouse director, had his own style, steering away from the violence prominent in the sleaze films of his day, and delivering shorter, more focused works, often in the fetishist realm. Like Roxanna, another title in the Retro-Seduction line, Pleasures of a Woman is pretty obscure, and again stars the amply endowed German sex siren, Uschi Digart.

Pleasures of a Woman (1972) 59m:32s

Lynn Rogers (Lynn Harris), a nineteen-year-old college student, returns to San Francisco for the funeral of her late uncle, where she meets his last wife, Martine (Digart), a woman who had an unpopular reputation, at least amongst the other female family members. Martine invites Lynn to stay with her until the service, and Lynn soon finds herself getting to like the older woman, especially when she discovers her aunt's attraction to women, and realizes they share a common interest. Knowing that she is about to be seduced, Lynn decides to play a bit with the event, turning to an old lover, Mark, whom she knew from school, to let off some energy, while eagerly anticipating her aunt's advances. When the two finally do hook up after plying themselves with liquor, they enter into a forbidden world of lust, leather, and carnal pleasures.

The styling follows that of Roxanna, where there is no sync sound and only a narrative voice over describing Lynn's thoughts as she succumbs to her sensual desires. The dialogue script is pretty corny, which matches perfectly with the discordant jazz themes that accompany the film. Phillips' obsession with fetishism shines, displaying encounters with shoes, thigh-high leather boots and vinyl wear, while frollicking in the stylish 1970s interiors of yellow shag, lime green bed coverings and spaghetti-influenced plastic lamps. The depravity theme also returns, as Lynn becomes a pill popper by the end of the film, suffering horrible hallucinations as a result.

Pleasures of a Woman (2002) 36m:13s

Ted W. Crestview was commissioned to reinvent a number of Phillips' films using the stable of Seduction actresses, and here, Darien Caine takes on the central role. The remake lifts all the essential elements—getting off on spiked heels, drugs and the aunt/niece connection&38212while relegating the expanded plot (which gives more background on the uncle) to the opening and closing, leaving ample time for the standard sex scenes expected from a Seduction film. Darian Caine handles the role of the young girl, with Julian Wells playing Auntie. Syn DeVil shows up as the third party girl, who initially makes Darian's character jealous, before hopping in the sack with her. Dialogue is kept to a minimum so as not to interfere with the "entertainment." Not nearly as interesting as the 1970 version, but at least they tried to adhere to the basic premise of the original.

Rating for Style: C+
Rating for Substance: C-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: The 1972 version looks pretty good overall. Grain looks natural, color is well saturated (highlighting the funky 1970s color schemes), and solid blacks, though a bit dark in places, a somewhat lacking in shadow detail. There is a moderate amount of of print damage, such as scratches and dust, mostly around reel changes, and a couple of more major blemishes.

Well lit, and shot on video, the 2002 version is clean as expected, similar to other Seduction works. Colors are good, the image is crisp. It doesn't have the depth of film, but contains no print defects.

Image Transfer Grade: B+
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: The audio quality of the 1972 version shows its age, with a good deal of popping and hiss, and some distortion in places. The jazzy porn music often sounds hollow or over ambient, and the narrative voiceover is a bit over saturated at times.

The remake features typical location recording, with fairly abrupt cuts, especially noticeable in background noise. the music in this one sounds fine, with a full presence.

Audio Transfer Grade: B- 

Disc Extras

Static menu with music
1 Original Trailer(s)
9 Other Trailer(s) featuring Roxanna, Lustful Addiction, Female Animal, Inga, Seduction of Inga, Play-Mate of the Apes, Witchbabe: Erotic Witch III, Misty Mundae Mummy Raider, Gladiator Eroticvs
Weblink/DVD-ROM Material
Packaging: generic plastic keepcase
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. Interview with 42nd Street Pete
2. Essays on the films

Extras Review: The principal on disc extra is a 06m:20s interview with vintage sex film expert, 42 Street Pete, who explains the uniqueness of Nick Phillips' work in relation to other films of the era. Pete also contributes a pair of essays in the enclosed 8-page booklet, which also includes director Ted W. Crestview's thoughts on his remake.

A trailer for the 1972 film is included, along with promos for other Seduction releases, divided into a "retro" section containing Roxanna, Lustful Addiction, Female Animal, Inga, andSeduction of Inga, and a spoofs category with Play-Mate of the Apes, Witchbabe: Erotic Witch III, Misty Mundae Mummy Raider and Gladiator Eroticvs.

URLs to Seduction Cinema, Misty Mundae and Darian Caine websites are listed, as is a special offer for an Alternative Cinema magazine subscription.

Extras Grade: C-
 

Final Comments

Uschi Digart fills the screen as a hot-blooded aunt making moves on her willing niece in Nick Phillips' twisted erotic tale of the Pleasures of a Woman, and Seduction Cinema adds a modern remake. The San Francisco settings and 1970s stylings hold some historical interest, and while there is some semblance of a story, and what could mildly pass as character development, these are pretty much your basic girl sex spectacles, in both vintage and contemporary flavors. Seduction's transfers are respectable, and the extras at least give some perspective on an otherwise forgotten film from the days of pre-home video grindhouse.

Jeff Ulmer 2003-05-28