4.5
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Moonlighting Wives
DVD/APPROX. 90 MINS/1966/USA UNRATED
DVD/APPROX. 90 MINS/1966/USA UNRATED
Moonlighting Wives is based on a supposed true story that took place in Long Island, New York, in the early 60's where a bunch of bored, broke
housewives got together to start an office stenography business (yeah I don't know what it means either!) Business was OK, but one of the men
that business owner Joan Rand (Tammy Latour) has been working with, propositions her for a bit more of an, errr… personal service. Upon
completing this "task" Joan finds that she could make shitloads of cash along with the other employees of the business.
From then on, the girls go great guns with the new, up market prostitution/escort ring, and business booms so much that they end up having over
10 bored housewives working for them! However, what goes up must come down. As the family sacrifices & jealousy become too much for a few of
the members, everything comes crashing down around Joan's ears....
Upon the films initial release, this would have been shocking stuff indeed. However today there is nothing shocking about it all, however it doesn't
detract from being a surprisingly enticing movie! Most early 60's exploitation are just plain average, mostly because of the flimsiness of the plot
and execution, but Moonlighting Wives is a rarity in its field in the fact that the story really grabs you and is very coherent. Not to say that
concentration doesn't lapse now and then, but that aside, this would have to be the most engrossing early 60's exploitation flick this side of a HG
Lewis film! OK, so the acting is about on par with most of the "performances" in HG Lewis's immortal Blood Feast, and whoever heard of a
Sexploitation film without any nudity? (To be fair, in the Interview provided with Joe Sarno, apparently all the nudity was cut out by local theatre
owners and is lost.) Still, an excellent film for fans of the time, and is a lot more compelling than some of the other so called "classics" of the era.
(ughhh, Alice In Acidland anyone? I think not.)
Joe Sarno was definitely not new to the film game when he directed Moonlighting Wives in 1966. His first film credit is Nude In Charcoal made in
1961. Between that film and MW he directed an astonishing 14 films in 5 years!!! And you thought Jess Franco was prolific! Moonlighting Wives
marked the first Sarno film to be shot on 35mm film, and also the first color film of his. Between 1961 to his initial retirement (He seems to have
made a comeback lately, just like HG Lewis) in 1985 Sarno made 73 films, mainly in the sexploitation mould, before going hardcore in the late 70's.
Unfortunately though, a lot of his older films have either disappeared or only survive in severely clapped out, barely holding together cinema reels.
Which brings me to the actual DVD transfer. On initial viewing I thought Retro Seduction had done a piss poor job with the transfer, which is
damaged, suffers from Audio drop outs and the like. However included as an extra is a small featurette on the restoration of the film, and now I
really have to eat my words as the original source material was completely fucked! Scratched beyond belief and all the colors had faded so bad
that the film had a pink tinge. I firmly believe that Retro Seduction did the very best that they could considering the source material and really
should be commended for taking a punt and releasing the film as it is, and for preserving such a long lost title.
Other DVD features include a brief interview with director Joe Sarno, a brief look at the Restoration process of Moonlighting Wives, a Secondary
Restoration featurette on other films that Retro Seduction have put out, a Joe Sarno Trailer Vault (Suburban Secrets, Abigail Leslie is Back In
Town, Laura's Toys & Confessions of a Young American Housewife). Also included is a 6 page booklet with Linear Notes and photos.
An interesting look at early 60's Prudish views, Moonlighting Wives would probably be best described as an acquired taste as its more Drama
than Exploitation, and I can see people who are looking for an all out action fest may get slightly bored with it, but those willing to take the film on
face value could find themselves in for a treat.
housewives got together to start an office stenography business (yeah I don't know what it means either!) Business was OK, but one of the men
that business owner Joan Rand (Tammy Latour) has been working with, propositions her for a bit more of an, errr… personal service. Upon
completing this "task" Joan finds that she could make shitloads of cash along with the other employees of the business.
From then on, the girls go great guns with the new, up market prostitution/escort ring, and business booms so much that they end up having over
10 bored housewives working for them! However, what goes up must come down. As the family sacrifices & jealousy become too much for a few of
the members, everything comes crashing down around Joan's ears....
Upon the films initial release, this would have been shocking stuff indeed. However today there is nothing shocking about it all, however it doesn't
detract from being a surprisingly enticing movie! Most early 60's exploitation are just plain average, mostly because of the flimsiness of the plot
and execution, but Moonlighting Wives is a rarity in its field in the fact that the story really grabs you and is very coherent. Not to say that
concentration doesn't lapse now and then, but that aside, this would have to be the most engrossing early 60's exploitation flick this side of a HG
Lewis film! OK, so the acting is about on par with most of the "performances" in HG Lewis's immortal Blood Feast, and whoever heard of a
Sexploitation film without any nudity? (To be fair, in the Interview provided with Joe Sarno, apparently all the nudity was cut out by local theatre
owners and is lost.) Still, an excellent film for fans of the time, and is a lot more compelling than some of the other so called "classics" of the era.
(ughhh, Alice In Acidland anyone? I think not.)
Joe Sarno was definitely not new to the film game when he directed Moonlighting Wives in 1966. His first film credit is Nude In Charcoal made in
1961. Between that film and MW he directed an astonishing 14 films in 5 years!!! And you thought Jess Franco was prolific! Moonlighting Wives
marked the first Sarno film to be shot on 35mm film, and also the first color film of his. Between 1961 to his initial retirement (He seems to have
made a comeback lately, just like HG Lewis) in 1985 Sarno made 73 films, mainly in the sexploitation mould, before going hardcore in the late 70's.
Unfortunately though, a lot of his older films have either disappeared or only survive in severely clapped out, barely holding together cinema reels.
Which brings me to the actual DVD transfer. On initial viewing I thought Retro Seduction had done a piss poor job with the transfer, which is
damaged, suffers from Audio drop outs and the like. However included as an extra is a small featurette on the restoration of the film, and now I
really have to eat my words as the original source material was completely fucked! Scratched beyond belief and all the colors had faded so bad
that the film had a pink tinge. I firmly believe that Retro Seduction did the very best that they could considering the source material and really
should be commended for taking a punt and releasing the film as it is, and for preserving such a long lost title.
Other DVD features include a brief interview with director Joe Sarno, a brief look at the Restoration process of Moonlighting Wives, a Secondary
Restoration featurette on other films that Retro Seduction have put out, a Joe Sarno Trailer Vault (Suburban Secrets, Abigail Leslie is Back In
Town, Laura's Toys & Confessions of a Young American Housewife). Also included is a 6 page booklet with Linear Notes and photos.
An interesting look at early 60's Prudish views, Moonlighting Wives would probably be best described as an acquired taste as its more Drama
than Exploitation, and I can see people who are looking for an all out action fest may get slightly bored with it, but those willing to take the film on
face value could find themselves in for a treat.
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