Reviews

The film was apparently made in Jamaica with some beautiful musical sequences with singing and dancing that complement the simple story. There had to be a good budget to film that and pay top money to the world famous star. It drags in parts, though, with boring unnecessary speeches that over explain the plot, EXCEPT the few exquisite scenes with Nina Mae McKinney: there should have been more closeups of her, her screen presence is hypnotic! You only watch her, even when the other actors are talking you are drawn to her face to see her reactions! A beautiful love theme was under-recorded and is barely audible at times. I suspect some additional minutes of footage were edited out or lost.

Film starts out to be funny, then gets weird, and "Felicity Split" seems to be having trouble focusing her eyes; more like a zombie following directions. I felt sorry for the actress, clearly it seemed she was in a production that consumed her. Lots of of closeups of her rather pretty face, large Betty Boop eyes and defined cheekbones, but her catatonic reactions, silly smiling and staring were barely tolerable. After the first 15 minutes of fun and laughter the audience got quieter. Overall this film is a few notches above standard 16mm loops, in the same class of a similar film titled WET RAINBOW, with another obscure ingénue with one starring credit to her name. This is one of a handful of BETTER BUDGET ADULT FILMS that were very popular in the early 1970's. I noticed that hippie culture and hippie references were COMPLETELY absent from these films; in that sense they were mainstream even though there were huge centerfold ads for the premiere in Screw Magazine (a defunct New York underground newspaper). My opinion.

This film is stolen by bad girl ARLINE JUDGE as "Flo Carnes" (see pun in name: FLOWER MEAT) -- and when she calls Eric Linden "big boy" in her inimitable growling voice, she means business! My favorite scene is when she is putting on lipstick, covers half her face with her purse and all you see are her HUGE BULGING eyes on a really angry Eric while she mutters, "NO? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AT CONEY ISLAND!" to a very naive Mary Kornman who just told her, "Awwwwwww, you can't have him!" This film evokes, presumably, Depression era teen angst. Miss Judge also sings a few saucy lines of "MAKES YOU FORGET YOUR TROUBLES" accompanied by a black jazz band, leaving no doubt as to her meaning. She even "marks" Eric (like a cat) by squirting perfume on him after she sings. Lots of PRE-CODE wardrobe and suggestive dialogue. A MUST SEE.

SUSANNE SIDNEY as "Dolly Crane" - see the pun in the name - steals the movie with her misplaced values (prides herself on teaching new girls how to steal). Would I be going too far to suggest there is a subliminal lesbian sado-masochist message in this campy romp? If ever I saw Freudian images, it was Dolly constantly playing with her knife, throwing it (which opened the credits) and gouging a tree while the "new" girl is ordered to make a date with another's girl boyfriend.

This is an "escape from prison-hospital" film with a bizarre "HANSEL UND GRETEL" sub motif that falls short of greatness, because of too many scenes marred by clichés and bad puns. An audience should not be told when to laugh at dark humor, but be left alone to discover details (which is why some films become cult films with followings). Fans of MAX PERLICH will be astonished by his interpretation of his role and may not immediately recognize him. NATASHA LYONNE and MARIA CELEDONIO bring tour de force qualities to their lead roles. VINCENT GALLO is superb! Without the numerous silly and unnecessary gratuitous scenes left in (or added later), this film could really have been better. If the object had been to make a "schlock" film, it succeeds as that, but some creative genius on this production obviously had something else in mind. Still, this film is very much worthwhile seeing at least once.

Seeing any film by John Waters is an "at-your-own-risk" movie experience -- the story of CINDERELLA is one of several fantasy sequences within the film with "foot" or "shoe" themes. The WILD SOUND takes some adjustment for persons used to lip-synched dialogues. The movie could have been edited down to 77 enjoyable minutes, but I think Mr. Waters was preoccupied with including as much shock/schlock into his footage that he possiby could. IT'S WORTH SEEING AT LEAST ONCE. It is curious that Mr. Waters never made a twisted 'JEAN HARLOW' bio story, considering that Mary Vivian Pearce was a startling look-a-like during her teen years. The film is in black & white, and the opening scenes are astonishing!

MAMIE SMITH has second billing, but her tiny part as a boarding house keeper is a background character with brief scenes. She sings two songs: (1) LORD, LORD; and (2) HARLEM BLUES (a modernized version of her signature song, "CRAZY BLUES" which had been recorded in 1920 and touted as the "first" song recorded by a black woman; not entirely true). She is another show business mystery. Hollywood filmmakers should have employed her (as they did her contemporaries, ETHEL WATERS and HATTIE McDANIEL) in major drama, musical and comedy productions.