B-movies are interesting because, operating outside of the mainstream codes of Hollywood productions, they are in ways allowed more space to actually show and represent things that Hollywood productions are hesitant to handle. In a Hollywood movie of this era and especially the era before it, sex, violence, and language had to be more alluded to than actually shown, while it was the place of films noir and horror movies to show the real undercurrents of psychotic drama running through society. Fuller, a maker of a handful of noir, knew this, and so in Naked Kiss while taking on the role of women in society, he knew what he had to do.
The first scene of this movie, and its ensuing opening credits, has more sex, violence, and pure explicitness than even many of the Hollywood productions of today.
Anyway, this movie good. As in, real good. As in, this is a pretty important text directly confronting the hypocrisies of America and rampant sexism and sexual dysfunction that boils underneath it. For such a message, Fuller needed to be confrontational, so he takes onto himself the methods of b-movie productions to show what needs to be shown and not just alluded to. The effect is perfect, and the best part is that it's also absurdly entertaining. He even includes a musical number! Albeit... a musical number that will haunt you for the rest of your life.
I'm there. Not everything Fuller has impressed me (didn't much care for The Big Red One, myself), but having recently seen White Dog and now this, Fuller is high on my list of amazing directors that are simply like no other. For me, it's on to Shock Corridor, but for you, if you haven't seen it, do it. Do it now.
--PolarisDiB
The first scene of this movie, and its ensuing opening credits, has more sex, violence, and pure explicitness than even many of the Hollywood productions of today.
Anyway, this movie good. As in, real good. As in, this is a pretty important text directly confronting the hypocrisies of America and rampant sexism and sexual dysfunction that boils underneath it. For such a message, Fuller needed to be confrontational, so he takes onto himself the methods of b-movie productions to show what needs to be shown and not just alluded to. The effect is perfect, and the best part is that it's also absurdly entertaining. He even includes a musical number! Albeit... a musical number that will haunt you for the rest of your life.
I'm there. Not everything Fuller has impressed me (didn't much care for The Big Red One, myself), but having recently seen White Dog and now this, Fuller is high on my list of amazing directors that are simply like no other. For me, it's on to Shock Corridor, but for you, if you haven't seen it, do it. Do it now.
--PolarisDiB