Roxanna

DVD released: August 6, 2002
Approximate running time: 1970 - 52 Minutes, 2002 – 36 Minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.33.1 Fullscreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono
DVD Release: Seduction Cinema
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: $19.98

Reviewed by:
Ian Jane on August 12, 2002

Quick links: [video] [audio] [extras] [overall]
The Film
1970

Pre-dating Deep Throat by a couple of years, Roxanna is classic softcore in the freaky 70s tradition and unlike most ‘modern’ pornography; it’s void of any hardcore scenes. But while most of the films of this genre and from this decade are basically just fluff, Roxanna stands out with it’s genuinely unsettling tale of a (possibly) drug addicted girl who finds more than she expected with her first lesbian encounter.

She becomes so enthralled with her experience that when her lover (played by Uschi Digart of two of the Ilsa movies as well as Black Gestapo) leaves her, she finds herself needing to fill the void that’s been left. She does this by basically taking her sexual experiences to more and more outrageous extremes. Encounters with a strange man, a domineering transsexual (who doesn’t appear to be anything more than all women, but I digress), thigh high boot foot fetish action, and even candle fellatio all end up on Roxanna’s carnal menu.

The film ends as it started, with scenes of Roxanna, naked and screaming to herself, tearing out her hair, and evidently locked in a white room that looks very much like it’s supposed to represent an institution. She’s there because her sexual appetite has gained her nothing, and because of this, she tries to take her own life.

This is one of the most unusual films of this nature that I’ve ever seen. There is no dialogue ever during the movie, only narration; done in a strange ‘jivish’ beat style, over top of one of the best 70s scores I’ve heard. The movie is filmed from bizarre angles that only go to accentuate the genuine weirdness that permeates every part of this film. Roxanna is basically an artsy porno with morals.

Movie: 3/5

2002

This digital video production is really a remake in name only, though it does play around with essentially the same basic concept as the 1970 film.

Seduction Cinema favorite Misty Mundae (Playmate of the Apes, Mummy Raider) plays the lead this time, and while she certainly looks the tragic character, the remake just doesn’t have the same sense of foreboding dread that oozes out of the first in spades.

This time, Roxanna becomes involved in a threesome suggested by her boyfriend. A coked-up Roxanna hops into bed with a girl he brings home, while he watches. What he doesn’t realize though is that she enjoys herself so much that he’ll never be able to satisfy her again. She treads down the path of self-destruction with reckless abandon, snorting and screwing anything she can get her hands on, driving both herself and her boyfriend mad, in her quest for the ultimate physical high.

While the plot differs in this version, so does the structure of the film. Here the characters have dialogue and interact with each other vocally throughout the movie. There are also different characters in the film, the boyfriend in particular, and the drug angle is played up while the fetish angle is played down.

Ultimately, while it’s an interesting and different take on the theme, it just doesn’t have the same dirty appeal of its predecessor and doesn’t do anything to really set itself above an average shot on video softcore film.

Movie: 1.5/5

 



Video 3/5
Both films are fullframe at 1.33.1. The original version has spots and grain through most of it, but it works with the picture rather than against it. It’s very watch able, and the freakish color schemes come through nicely. It’s a little dark in spots, but overall, it’s not bad. The 2002 remake, which was shot on digital video, looks as good as most digital productions and because it’s a recent endeavor, it looks pretty decent, if not a little soft.


Audio 2/5
1970

Apparently the original negative for the first version of the film was severely damaged and the audio for the film had to be totally re-scored and re-narrated using a transcription from the original. There is hiss evident throughout the production and the audio track is pretty basic. However, special note has to go to the films score, which is excellent. Even though it isn’t the original soundtrack to the film, it fits in perfectly with the movie and totally helps to make the movie as bizarre and swanky as it is. It would have been interesting if Seduction Cinema had included the original track, even if it was damaged, just to compare the two, but the track that they have provided really does bring the movie up a notch on the ratings scale.

2002

The audio here is of pretty much the same quality. A lot of the same music is used in this version, but for some reason, it just doesn’t feel as ‘right’ as it does in the original. Dialogue is pretty easy to understand and the track more or less serves the movie well. This is a low budget softcore film after all, and it would be unrealistic to expect a great surround track from something like this. Unfortunately, the hiss that was evident in the first version is also evident here.


Extras 3.5/5
In addition to the two feature films, Seduction Cinema has included a shot on video short entitled Despair, directed by Mark Baranowski. It’s a 35-minute piece about a married couple and their last day together before they both commit suicide. Baranowski and his wife, Ryli Morgan, co-star in this odd piece that ends up as a rather confusing and depressing work.

There is also a commentary for the 2002 version of Roxanna, with director Ted Crestview and actresses Misty Mundae and Darian Craine. Unfortunately, Mundae and Craine don’t get to say much, as Crestview seems to want to hog the spotlight for the duration of the track, but at least it’s mildly interesting. I can’t say that I’ll listen to the track a second time, but it was worth listening to once for sure.

Up next is a great, albeit too short, interview with ‘42nd Street Pete,’ a self proclaimed expert on 70s porno movies. Pete takes us on a short trip through time back to the era where grindhouse cinemas were common. It’s an interesting jaunt, and Pete seems to be very fond of the material he discusses, but unfortunately, it’s too short, coming in at just under 7 minutes. He does provide some interesting facts about Nick Phillips and the theaters where his work played, just not enough of them.

Finally, Seduction Cinema has included a wealth of trailers for Mummy Raider, Playmate of the Apes, Erotic Vampire in Paris, Inga, The Seduction of Inga, The Possession of Nurse Sherri, Master’s Plaything, Female Animal, Naughty Stewardesses, 2069: A Sex Odyssey, The Sexy 6th Sense, Vampire Obsession and The Erotic Mirror.

 

 


Overall 4/5
The original version of Roxanna is definitely worth a look for those with an interest in the sleazy cinema of the 70s, and it stands out as a genuinely weird piece of work that despite it’s content is not without artistic merit.

The remake is rather bland, but I’m sure Miss Mundae’s fans will find much to like about it if only for her presence in front of the camera.

 To order this disc, check out www.xploitedcinema.com


Film Rating DVD Rating
Directors: Nick Phillips, Ted W. Crestview
Films:

Writer: Nick Phillips, Ted W. Crestview
Video:

Released: 1970, 2002
Audio:

Cast: Uschi Digart, Misty Mundae, Darian Caine, Katie Jordon, Louise Thompson
Extras:

Overall:

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