Sim1Fantasm Review
October 22nd 2006 05:39
Sven and Leon in Bloodspit
Fantasm, Richard Bruce, 1976
Fantasm is a classic film for whole lot of reasons. It’s an Australian film that was self-funded, successful overseas and actually made a lot of money. I’ve never seen better opening credits. The director didn’t use his real name. A large proportion of the shoot was done in America because casting was too difficult in Australia.
Soft porn was all the rage back in the seventies, but by the early eighties was coming to an end. In Australia the Festival Of Light were jumping up and down about tits and pricks cinema, because? Well, who really knows. But hard as they tried, the book-burners couldn’t stop this little gem from getting out and about. And what a gem, great dialogue;
(German accent) A rich, full sex life requires… no demands, the use of fantasy.
Add this to some sharp acting from the more than believable Freudian psychoanalyst (John Bluthal, reputedly adlibbing from cue-cards), stringing along short segments of unbridled seventies music, plasto-chic sets, style-plus clothing and groovy-groovy sex. It’s enough to change your life. Get some hot partner-swapping happening at your next fondue.
Sure, the story is just this male fantasy thing passed off as some bizarre attempt to psychologically investigate female sexual fantasies. Men trying to understand their partner’s sexuality. Maybe in some way bringing men and women closer. It’s not all good but most of it works.
The pants swapping story gets Gretchen Gayle all over Con Covert, who ends up, arse up at the business end of a strap-on. Not for the faint-hearted. Then there’s Mary Gavin and Gene Allen Poe in the mother and son just back from the war bit – sick, sick.
Did I mention sick?
This is an entertaining film. And at the end of the day, that’s what film should be all about. Sure, making porn is bad for the career, but there’s no reason it has to be. Especially when it’s as good as this.
I laughed, I cried, I sighed and I’d never let my mother see it.
But I think you should.
Until next time and happy film-making.
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