Cult Epics presents

Vintage Erotica anno 1960 (2007)

"This DVD shows a variety of amateur footage of sexual interaction between couples, groups, lesbians, hipsters, and mods, offering a stimulating visual experience."- back cover blurb

Director: Nico B.

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (graphic sex)
Run Time: 01h:34m:22s
Release Date: 2007-09-25
Genre: cult

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

 

DVD Review

Cult Epics has attempted something perversely noble within the realm of vintage porn by releasing individual decade-centric titles, each consisting of a series of assorted European shorts ostensibly made during that particular decade. This entry looks at the 1960s, and while I have no way of knowing when any of the 12 films used here were made, I'm operating under the assumption it was the 60s, if hair styles (both above and below the waist) are any indication. There's no stab at legitimizing the history of erotica, instead it's just hardcore sex short after hardcore sex short.

The quality is a little sketchy, as the black-and-white films here look a little tattered and torn, but the actions are still quite clear and visible. You name the combination of bodies and it's likely represented here—single, double, triple, quadruple—and there's even one that blurs the edge of good taste by implying a bit of creepy three-way incest and another that features three folks you just wouldn't want to ever see naked, let alone performing on one another. That last one is salvaged by the sudden appearance of a remarkably assembled young woman who I can only hope earned combat pay for her work.

There isn't much to particularly analyze or critique for Vintage Erotica anno 1960. It's a collection of hardcore Euro sex loops that show sex, sex and more sex, back in the days when free love didn't have all the deadly baggage it has today. The allure for fans of ye olde porn is the target here, and at the risk of sounding like a dirty old man, there is a curiously exciting quality to this collection. There is no audio for any of the segments, instead Cult Epics has included what is referred to as a "psychedelic soundtrack", which is hyperbole for distracting, overly peppy music that sometimes sounds like it was lifted from a Benny Hill soundtrack.

If you're wondering what kind of crazy sex that people in the 1960s had, this will more than answer your questions. Everyone looks like they're having fun, so who am I to argue.

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

 

Image Transfer

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

Image Transfer Review: It may tough to completely fault Cult Epics for the transfer of these vintage French sex loops, but none of the 12 black-and-white films excerpted here look marginally good. Grain, specks, lines and other detritus are the order of the day, and though it's never a problem to tell what's being inserted where, the prints are awful, and the transfer does nothing to make the experience any more enjoyable.

Image Transfer Grade: C-
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	n/a	no

Audio Transfer Review: The only audio is the cover-proclaimed "psychedelic soundtrack", an assortment of odd instrumental passages that rarely fit the onscreen couplings. No hiss or crackle, and the 2.0 stereo mix is clean sounding, even if it's just plain weird.

Audio Transfer Grade: B- 

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 12 cues and remote access
1 Featurette(s)
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. Photo Gallery

Extras Review: The extras are minimal, and sort of violate the whole concept. A bonus 1940's short (09m:39s) is about 20 years in the wrong direction from the featured decade, while the enjoyable Photo Gallery is the only place that features the kind of 1960s vibe expressed by the cover art.

The disc is cut into 12 chapters, one per "film".

Extras Grade: B-
 

Final Comments

Here's a definite niche market title, the latest entry in Cult Epics decade-by-decade collection of vintage erotica, aka hardcore pornography. A series of twelve 1960s-era European sex loops are strung together in succession, offering a mix of attractive and not-so attractive participants performing various acts upon one another.

It is what it is, and though it does get occasionally a little bizarre, this will certainly appeal to those with a penchant for graphic, old school porn, just like Grandpa used to watch.

Rich Rosell 2007-10-10