I was in the mood for some film noir (my favorite genre) the other night so I dipped back into the Criterion Collection. My general reaction to this was “uh, ok.” It wasn’t as noir as the blurb made it sound. More pulp (as it actually says). For some reason, they added weird children singing. The acting was all a bit over the top, but I guess that was the style. I will say it was probably more shocking or dramatic back in the, but seems a bit dated now.
The setup is pure pulp: A former prostitute (a crackerjack Constance Towers) relocates to a buttoned-down suburb, determined to fit in with mainstream society. But in the strange, hallucinatory territory of writer-director-producer Samuel Fuller, perverse secrets simmer beneath the wholesome surface. Featuring radical visual touches, full-throttle performances, brilliant cinematography by Stanley Cortez, and one bizarrely beautiful musical number, The Naked Kiss is among Fuller’s greatest, boldest entertainments.
I’ll try another one this week. Hopefully without the “bizarre” musical number.