4dtvman

09 May 2012

Very Subtly Erotic

While this is not a real great piece of film making, I found it to beeroticin a very subtle sort of way. First, the whole concept of a movie about40ish and 50ish women hanging out (in more ways than one) at spa is veryexciting to me. Then add the fact that we have established actresses likeSarah Miles and Vanessa Redgrave spending a lot of time lying around intowels and less and you have a very erotic film in my opinion. I reallyhated to see it end. If you find this concept much more sexy that overtsexuality, then you might want to check out this film. It's hard to find,though. I found it in a small independent video store in 1987 and haven'tcome across it since.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

27 April 2012

Has much to say about the hopes, fears, failings and small triumphs of women.

rlcsljo

27 April 2012

A real english treat

I have not noticed a lot of British nudie cutie films make the hop over thepond. I was not expecting many either, given the Brit's public persona asbeing presented as very reserved (Benny Hill not withstanding).What a pleasant surprise to see this film about some rather good lookingolder and a few good looking, but kind of plump, younger women, letting itall hang out while going around a lot in their starkers!The director managed to make the nudity both titillating and non-exploitiveat the same time--This was not too hard considering the caliber of theacting talent involved. And the fact that no men appeared anywhere in thefilm probably made it more of a "lets hide a camera in a women's steam cluband see what they really talk about!". Surprise--it's men! No femininehygiene, breast cancer, yeast infections, or even babies!The one thing about the limeys is that even when they don't do somethingoften, they do it right! Rather old bean, top drawer!

SanDiego

25 April 2012

Could have been sexier, less chatty.

I probably would have never seen this movie if it were not for the factthatI was offered the part of Josie in the stage version. My husband and Isatdown to review the film to help me decide if I would venture into my firstrole with nude scenes. I was partially happy with the film's adaptationandloved the performances. This is a chatty film, perhaps a little too muchlike the stage version, and the sets (though appropriately drab) couldhavebeen spiced up a little. Surprisingly this is not a sexy film at all (notcompletely devoid of charm and cuteness, the women are on the downhillsideof middle age and their personalities only increase their speed down thehill.) I had read some lesbian or bi-sexual overtones into the scriptthatdon't translate well in this film. The director could have had thecharacters more nurturing and gentle with each other in massaging orbathing(unfortunately the film was made in the eighties not the nineties).Influenced by the film, I accepted the stage role. It's the only film Iever saw that influenced me to disrobe in front of family, friends,neighbors, and strangers so that must count for something.

steven-222

25 April 2012

Losey's Sweet Swan Song

I'm a big fan of director Joseph Losey, and over the last year I'vemanaged to watch all his movies. But I came to this one, his last, withvery low expectations. He was in his eighties, after all, and ratingsfor Steaming are low.But...what a delight this movie turned out to be! I found myself slowlybut surely drawn into the special world of camaraderie that developsbetween the characters, and deeply caring about the outcome of thestory. (Can the baths, the special place where they all come together,be saved from demolition?)This is essentially a filmed stage play, yes, but Losey came from atheatrical background (he worked with Brecht way back when), and thismovie never feels stage-bound or claustrophobic. Indeed, toward the endof the film, when an important action takes place "off-stage," thelogic of never leaving the baths becomes manifest; this is a story thatneeds to take place over time but in a single location.Vanessa Redgrave is great as always, and Sarah Miles naked is arevelation, but it's an actress named Patti Love who steals the moviein a dynamite role which she also played in the West End. (She seems tobe the only hold-over from the original stage production.) You will notsoon forget her.Special kudos to the simple but exhilarating electronic music score,which has aged almost as nicely as the women in this movie.