The Radley Metzger Collection: Vol. 1, 2, 3

Radley Metzger Collection: Vol. 1, The (2004)

Director(s):	Radley Metzger
Movie rating:	7/10
DVD rating:	5/10
DVD Release Date:	11/23/2004
Running Time:	316 minutes
Rating:	NR

Disc Details

Distributor:
First Run Features

List Price: $49.95

Running Time: 316 minutes

Special Features:
Widescreen format
Chapter selection
1967 Feature film: Therese and Isabelle
Theatrical trailer
Production stills
Gallery
Biography
Production notes
1969 Feature film: Camille 2000
Deleted scenes
Production stills & photo gallery
Enrico Sabbatini's Costumes of Camille
Radley Metzger Biography & Filmography
Production notes by Nathaniel Thompson
1965 Feature film: The Alley Cats
Alternate nude scenes
Theatrical trailer
Radley Metzger trailer gallery
Production stills
Color stills gallery
Radley Metzger Biography & Filmography
Production notes by Nathaniel Thompson

Video Format:
Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)

Language Tracks:
English (Dolby Digital 2.0)

Subtitles:
None

Closed Captions:
No

Casing:
3-disc Keep Case

Film & Disc Review, Radley Metzger Collection: Vol. 1, The

by Rusty White
reviewed: 2005-06-24

What Russ Meyer was to sexploitation, Radley Metzger was to soft-core art house erotica. The two men emerged during the 1960s as auteurs of lust. While Meyer's in your face, gonzo madness had a Mickey Spillane meets Sam Peckinpah quality, Radley Metzger had finesse and jet-set style. Except for a brief stint in the world of hardcore, Mr. Metzger trained his cameras on the beautiful people in Europe. First Run Features has put out three boxed sets of Mr. Metzger's films. The three sets include a cross section of Metzger's work from the early 1960s through to his last film in 1984.

Volume 1 of the Radley Metzger Collection includes two Black and White films and one in color. All were shot on 35mm in widescreen format.

The 1966 film "The Alley Cats" has some eerie similarities to Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut." A couple on the verge of marriage is having trouble. The rich boyfriend ignores his fiance to the point that she is moved to experiment sexually with other people, including women. He flirtation with lesbianism comes from the "men are pigs" school of thought. The film is one of Metzger's earliest works. While the film's composition is excellent, the script is a bit stale. The humor and fun that marked Metzger's later films is in short supply. The theatrical version is also short on nudity. Metzger filmed some topless scenes, which are included in the DVD's extras, but they aren't in the body of the movie. The film is of interest mainly for comparative purposes.

"Therese and Isabelle" is by far the best film in this volume of the collection. Metzger's film is constructed in flashback. Therese as an adult visits the boarding school where she fell in love with her blond beauty classmate, Isabelle. The film is one of the earliest, non-exploitative examinations of lesbian love. While much of the dialogue is horrendous, the story does build enough erotic tension to keep you engaged. As usual, Metzger's film composition is excellent, though it is hard to tell from this transfer. But more about that later.

"Camille 2000" displays the flare, cinematic style and humor that marked Metzger's best work. Based on the Dumas novel, Metzger tells the tale of a young, sexually adventurous woman who falls for the son of a wealthy count. There is more nudity on display in this film than the others in Volume 1. Decadent Eurorgies that are tame by today's hardcore standard abound. Metzger's stylized set pieces are worth watching just because he was such an excellent visual filmmaker. There is a love making scene in a room of plastic and mirrors that is amazing; amazing in that Metzger captured the images without reflecting the camera crew in the mirrors.

The Disc

One good film, one stylish film and one film that shows you where the director started. Terrible picture and poor sound. Good extras.

Picture Quality: 3/10
The transfers are downright awful. This is a shame, because there is a market for Mr. Metzger's work. The worst of the bunch is "The Alley Cats." There are a multitude of artifacts, scratches, faded images, color noise and worst of all, the frame is not even lined up correctly. In places, most notably the opening credits, a portion of the image is cut off. "Therese and Isabelle" is plagued with a faded picture with terrible delineation. Again, there are many artifacts from the original source material. It seems like no effort was paid toward restoring or cleaning up the images. "Camille 2000" also suffers from artifactitis. Also, the color is faded somewhat. There are halos around the characters at times. I'm not a techie, so I can't say what causes this, but it is distracting.

Sound Quality: 4/10
The sound on "Therese and Isabelle" is not that bad. The voices are rich and soothing, even if the dialogue is just plain bad in many scenes. As for the other two films: yeech! As with many European films from the era, the sound was dubbed in later. The quality of the tracks is very uneven. The volume rises and falls for no apparent reason. Often, the dialogue is just flat and tinny.

Easter Eggs:
No Easter Eggs Found on Disc.

Extra Features: 7/10
All three films include production notes by Nathaniel Thompson. It is an academic and informative look into the career of Mr. Metzger. You can tell that Mr. Thompson is a huge fan as sometimes he attaches more importance to a particular film than it deserves.

"The Alley Cats" includes deleted nude scenes. There are three nice shots of three actresses from the film who you wish had showed more flesh. I guess it was a sign of the times, that the topless scenes were deleted. "Camille 2000" also includes two deleted scenes, which have more to do with character development than anything else. All three disks include photo galleries with toms of pictures.

The Final Word:

I can't really recommend this boxed set. Its not that the movies aren't worth seeing, they are. The problem is that the movies are worthy of restoration.

Radley Metzger Collection: Vol. 2, The (2005)

Director(s):	Radley Metzger
Movie rating:	6/10
DVD rating:	4/10
DVD Release Date:	02/22/2005
Running Time:	262 minutes
Rating:	NR

Disc Details

Distributor:
First Run Features

List Price: $49.99

Running Time: 262 minutes

Special Features:
Widescreen format
Chapter selection
1964 Feature film: The Dirty Girls
Alternate Nude Scenes
Theatrical trailer
Original Advertisements and Photo Gallery
Radley Metzger Biography & Filmography
Production notes by Nathaniel Thompson
1973 Feature film: Score
Theatrical trailer
Original Press Materials
Production stills & photo gallery
Radley Metzger Biography & Filmography
Production notes by Nathaniel Thompson
1973 Feature film: Little Mother
Production stills & photo gallery
Theatrical trailer
Radley Metzger Biography & Filmography
Production notes by Nathaniel Thompson

Video Format:
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Language Tracks:
English (Dolby Digital 1.0) mono

Subtitles:
None

Closed Captions:
No

Casing:
3-disc Keep Case

Film & Disc Review, Radley Metzger Collection: Vol. 2, The

by Rusty White
reviewed: 2005-06-25

Volume 2 of the Radley Metzger Collection includes his first Black and White film and two color films from 1973. All were shot on 35mm in widescreen format.

After co-directing two features, Radley Metzger helmed his first solo film "The Dirty Girls." "The Dirty Girls" doesn't know what kind of film it wants to be. On the one hand, it is a soft-core exploitation film. On the other hand, it leans toward being a cautionary tale. "The Dirty Girls" tells the tale of the night in the life of two prostitutes: one in Paris and one in Munich. Garance is the French whore. We follow her through three kinky encounters. At the end of the night, she will go to sleep, wake up and start all over again. Monique in Munich goes through the motions while waiting for the man she loves to call. However, she might just be waiting for another woman. The film is marred by a bizarre voice over commentary that is intended to make the film seem like a documentary. Whatever the reason, this was Metzger's first effort. The film does include early signs of the style and (on a smaller scale) humor that marked his better films.

"Score" is Metzger's most challenging non-hardcore film. Based on the hit stage play "Score: or No One's Afraid of Virginia Woolf!" What sets this movie apart from his others is the inclusion of Gay sex. True, Metzger had dealt with lesbianism from the very beginning, this time he dealt with bi-sexuality in men. The movie is very funny, well shot and the cast is very attractive. The film was not a hit for Metzger because audiences weren't ready to embrace the subject matter. The film's plot deals a married couple living in an open relationship. They play sexual games, which they score based on what they can accomplish with strangers. The highest points are attained by having sex with someone of the same gender. The couple set their sights on a newlywed couple. The DVD box claims that this is the unrated version. It isn't. They even claim the film's running time is that of the unrated version. It isn't. This is the soft-core version released in US theaters with an R-Rating.

Finally we come to one of Metzger's most ambitious films "Little Mother." It is based on the life of Eva Peron. Metzger had mainstream character actors Ivan Desny and Anton Difring in supporting roles. Metzger's heroine is a power hungry witch who uses sex to put her in the throne of power. "Little Mother" contains a couple of very erotic scenes. The film's best scene involves two lovers teasing each other through a glass shower door.

The Disc

So what that the movies are of interest to fans of the genre. So what that Radley Metzger was a director with style and humor. So what seems to be the attitude of First Run Features. Why else go to the trouble of releasing a three volume set including nine films and not care what the movies look or sound like?

Picture Quality: 5/10
Movies not framed correctly. Films with artifacts from rotten source materials. Visual evidence that one of the movies was partially dubbed from a VHS tape! Delineation problems. While the movies are watchable, who wants to pay nearly $50.00 for DVDs of this quality.

Sound Quality: 4/10
Flat sound. Bad dubbing. Tinny sound. Oh joy!

Easter Eggs:
No Easter Eggs Found on Disc.

Extra Features: 7/10
Film historian Nathaniel Thompson knows his subject. I enjoyed his in depth production notes. The photo galleries are abundant. The advertising materials are interesting. The alternate nude scenes pad things out.

The Final Word:

While I'm glad I have these DVDs (from a historical standpoint), I have not been this disappointed in the quality of a Boxed set collection since I reviewed Rhino's "Walking Tall" collection a few years back.

Radley Metzger Collection: Vol.3, The (2005)

Director(s):	Radley Metzger
Movie rating:	8/10
DVD rating:	7/10
DVD Release Date:	04/26/2005
Running Time:	278 minutes
Rating:	NR

Disc Details

Distributor:
First Run Features

List Price: $49.99

Running Time: 278 minutes

Special Features:
Widescreen format
Chapter selection
1970 Feature film: The Lickerish Quartet
1.85:1 aspect ratio
Theatrical trailer
Production stills & photo gallery
Radley Metzger Biography & Filmography
Production notes by Nathaniel Thompson
1967 Feature film: Carmen Baby
2.35:1 aspect ratio
Theatrical trailer
Production stills & photo gallery
Radley Metzger Biography & Filmography
Production notes by Nathaniel Thompson
1984 Feature film: The Princess and the Call Girl
1.66:1 aspect ratio
Production stills & photo gallery
Audubon trailer gallery
Radley Metzger Biography & Filmography
Production notes by Nathaniel Thompson

Video Format:
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Language Tracks:
English (Dolby Digital 1.00) Mono

Subtitles:
None

Closed Captions:
No

Casing:
3-disc Keep Case

Film & Disc Review, Radley Metzger Collection: Vol.3, The

by Rusty White
reviewed: 2005-06-26

Volume 3 of the Radley Metzger Collection includes his Masterpiece! Along with the wonderfully erotic "The Lickerish Quartet" volume 3 includes Metzger's fun take on the classic "Carmen" and his disappointing final film.

Radley Metzger's "The Lickerish Quartet" is the fusion of art and erotica. A movie that excites, enthralls and engages the mind. Metzger challenges reality and indulges the viewer's fantasies. In some ways, "The Lickerish Quartet" is an interactive film in that what imagination you bring to the viewing will skew your interpretation of what you see. The plot revolves around a decadent European father, mother and son who watch a porn film. They then go to a local carnival and discover that the woman performing as a daredevil motorcycle rider is the same woman in the movie. The family return home with the woman. What happens when they get there is both erotic and thought evoking. Comparisons to Kurosawa's "Rashomon" might seem pretentious to some, but I think it is a valid one. The performances are the best found in any of Metzger's films. The father is played by Canadian actor Frank Wolfe. Shortly after appearing "The Lickerish Quartet," Mr. Wolfe turned in his best performance as the doomed father in the beginning of Sergio Leone's masterpiece "Once Upon a Time in the West." He committed suicide in 1971. Mr. Wolfe and costar Silvana Venturelli appear in Metzger's greatest set piece, a seduction in a library.

Metzger's first color film "Carmen Baby" is a vibrant, funny, sexy version of the classic tale. This is a transition film for Metzger. It aspires to the levels that he would achieve with "The Lickerish Quartet" it doesn't quite make it. What it does do is show that Metzger is a chic, stylish filmmaker.

The one disappointment (except the video and audio quality) with this set is Metzger's final film "The Princess and the Call Girl." Like many of Metzger's films, this one is based a famous source book. The movie was made for The Playboy Channel. The title tells the story. Two friends change places and roles with predictable results.

The Disc

A great film, a very good film and a stinker. The picture and sound quality is much better than the previous entries in this collection, but they are still lacking. Good extras.

Picture Quality: 7/10
There are artifacts and color fading in spots, but the images are sharp for the most part. An improvement over Volumes 1 & 2.

Sound Quality: 7/10
Again, the sound quality is better than the previous boxed sets, but it is still nothing great. Flat at times.

Easter Eggs:
No Easter Eggs Found on Disc.

Extra Features: 7/10
Film historian Nathaniel Thompson knows his subject. I enjoyed his in depth production notes. The photo galleries are abundant.

The Final Word:

This one is worth the sale price. Radley Metzger's "The Lickerish Quartet" is an important film in the history of erotic films. Well worth a look.