THE STARLETS

THE STARLETS

A two-disc offering that pairs 1977's THE STARLETS with its unofficial "sequel" CHASTITY AND THE STARLETS.

First up: THE STARLETS.

Two ladies, one blonde and the other brunette, walk down a Hollywood sidewalk one afternoon discussing their dreams of one day becoming stars. They spy their friend Norma Jean (based on anyone iconic, perhaps?) passing on a bicycle and remark on how well she's been doing for herself since joining the prestigious Starlets Club. They predict that some day soon Norma Jean will be a star.

What follows over the next 85 minutes is essentially the story of how Norma Jean achieves that stardom. It begins with her enjoying a nude photo shoot, then cuts to her soaking in a bubble bath and recording a message for her friend Virginia. In the message, she tells her friend how happy she's been since joining the exclusive Starlets Club.

Which leads us nicely into our first glimpse of the Club itself, as newcomer Poppy is introduced to the fold by aging hostess Kitty. In short, the Starlets Club is a high-class brothel ran by Kitty, where aspiring actresses satisfy the lusts of horny producers and their friends.

Poppy is introduced to Norma Jean and her hot friends Molly, Linda, Claudia and Marianne. Kitty retires for the night and reminds the girls of their strict 10pm curfew. They sit and share dreams of stardom over a glass of wine, but before long a handful of men join the girls and the inevitable sex ensues.

A full twenty minutes of hardcore action follows, offering plenty of typically 1970s-style hairy bushes, unashamedly pasty flesh and distinctly natural breasts. Poppy watches at first, then retires to her bedroom to play with herself. Her fondling is interrupted by the arrival of the Club's resident doctor (played by the immortal John Leslie, FEMMES DE SADE; INSATIABLE etc) who's been summoned to give her a "medical". I'm sure you can imagine what that entails.

The following day, Norma Jean visits a casting director she's been put in touch with through the Club. He sits in his office watching hardcore footage of a threesome, but soon wants the real thing when Norma Jean arrives on his lap. They get jiggy, with the casting director cumming no less than three times. Marianne - who's there to accompany Norma Jean - enjoys an impromptu lesbian session with the casting director's receptionist.

Next it's back to the Starlets Club for more skin action, which only stops briefly when Norma Jean remembers to record another cassette telling Virginia how great her life continues to be.

More sex ensues as Marianne and Norma Jean set off separately to meet with respective producers and casting directors. And, although there's virtually no plot up to this point, it all does kind of fall into place when Norma Jean finally lands the nude film role of Nympharella - and hosts a party to celebrate her newfound fame.

Taken as a satire on the dubious "casting couch" method of getting ahead in Hollywood, THE STARLETS CLUB takes a potentially sad and offensive story (what could be more desperate and degrading than being used by middle-aged perverts to further your career?) and plays it for comedy. I was half-expecting director David Summers to pull the rug from under my feet at the end of the film, and deliver a last-minute nasty pay-off that taught Norma Jean a sobering lesson for her wanton ways (a'la the highly recommended TO BE TWENTY), but … no. There is no moral to be learned here. Except, perhaps, that the more promiscuous you are, the happier and more successful you'll become …

The jokes don't always work and some may find the chirpy musical score distracting, but the cast are clearly having a ball with their banal script and are enthusiastic when it comes to the fucking. Of the cast, the women are very much given their chance to shine much more than their male counterparts, with only Leslie delivering a memorable performance on the latter's behalf. He as paradoxically smug and geeky as ever - it's hard not to grin along with the lazy-eyed bozo, despite him being a genuinely slimy creature.

The sex scenes are not only performed with verve, they're also all lengthy and are surprisingly well shot with stylish coloured lighting and ambitious camera angles. Some primitive special effects are thrown in for good measure too (most money shots are greeted with cut-aways to fireworks exploding; the last five minutes are weirdly psychedelic, suggesting Summers could have had potential to branch out and explore his experimentalism further had he had the inclination).

The film was originally marketed as being the first "4D" movie (3D, plus a fourth dimension - the ability to arouse it's viewer …). To this end, the film - presented here thankfully in 2D - features some images clearly intended to leap out of the screen (the aforementioned fireworks; a few cum shots aimed at the lens).

All in all, THE STARLETS is not a classic but it is fun and has a few memorable scenes.

The film is presented uncut in it's original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and looks very good for it's age. Minor speckling and vertical lines are evident, but grain is minimal and detail is strong. It's one of the best transfers this range has so far produced.

The English mono audio is equally good, offering a complaint-free playback.

Although there's no scene-selection menu, the main feature can be remote-accessed via 14 chapters.

The only extras on disc 1 are trailers for 22 titles, including THE STARLETS.

Disc 2 offers CHASTITY AND THE STARLETS, a cheap shot-on-video curio from 1986 which opens with Amber Lynn (COLOR ME AMBER) lying on a bed in the Starlets Club, telling us about how she's going to introduce us to some of the girls who graduated from the club. She produces a videocassette and pops it into a handily positioned VCR.

Lynn narrates lazily as we run through a succession of clips from 1970s porno films including THE ZODIAC RAPIST and, of course, THE STARLETS.

What seems to be a mere collection of scenes from other films, with Lynn occasionally getting licked out by a random bloke in-between, actually does develop into something resembling a storyline as we meet teenaged Chastity - who is blighted with a supernatural chastity belt that she cannot remove. The devil-faced attire was fitted onto her by a mysterious hooded figure known only as The Guardian (William Margold, MAD COWGIRL).

Chastity must embark on a surreal "Wizard Of Oz" type odyssey to find out how to remove the belt, which leads her and her family (including Mr Leslie reprising the role of a doctor) to a confrontation with the Guardian. Once he establishes what Chastity has learned during her journey - which includes learning how to satisfy her boyfriend with her mouth - the Guardian gives Chastity her freedom, allowing her to finally enjoy sex.

It's utter tosh, but some of the women are hot (Tami Lee Curtis, Joanna Storm) and the sex scenes are better than anything the generic Vivid studio shit out onto DVD. Also, it has to be said, if you have to sit through a film that has the audacity to allude to THE WIZARD OF OZ, then this is much more fun than David Lynch's soulless WILD AT HEART.

The film is again presented uncut in 1.33:1. The video transfer is very good, offering bright and sharp images with only very infrequent screen judders or lines on screen.

The English mono is, again, problem-free. No hiss or drop-out to spoil that dated 80's electronic score!

As with THE STARLETS, there is no scene-selection menu available for CHASTITY but the film can be remote accessed via 15 chapters.

The only extras on disc 2 are trailers for a further 14 titles, including A TOUCH OF GENIE and BIBI CONFESSIONS OF SWEET SIXTEEN.

Also forming part of this package is a nice 8-page booklet boasting informative liner notes by the elusive After Hours Collector, along with interviews with Summers and Margold.

The raincoat brigade should enjoy this double dose of good old-fashioned sleaze.

Review by Stuart Willis


 
Released by After Hours Cinema
Region 1 - NTSC
Not Rated
Extras :
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