Review: LUST FOR FREEDOM (1987)

LUST FOR FREEDOM
Director: Eric Louzil
Produced by Troma Films
92 Minutes
1987
2014 Vinegar Syndrome Release



Typically, when I think of Troma, I think of Mutants, Sgt. Kabukiman, Monsters, low-brow comedy and frankly, movies that I don't typically want to watch. Troma always seemed to make absurd movies, simply to make absurd movies. Although I can appreciate many of their efforts, to me, getting comedy, sci-fi, horror, etc. to work in the context of a single film is an extremely difficult task for a filmmaker.

You've never seen anything like THIS before.

Lust For Freedom isn't what Troma is known for but it is still a hybrid film. It's a mixture of a Revenge movie and a Women's Prison flick. I have seen many negative reviews of this film and I think this is why. It isn't typical Troma, and it doesn't quite scratch that Revenge flick feel or the Women in Prison movie nerve.

I think it's a pretty great movie. There's no winking at the camera that is present in many Troma productions. Everything is played straight and the characterizations of the cast come straight out of exploitation stereotypes. The big scarred up Evil Indian. The wiener dude with the crossbow, The evil doctor and his. . . cowboy assistant. . . you know, the usual.

The plot centers on Gillian Kaites. The film opens with narration by Gillian.. She and her boyfriend are cops partaking in a sting operation. He is killed and she just wants to escape her life. Gillian is pulled over near the Mexico-California border by Sheriff Coale. Coale takes her in for questioning about a hitchhiker she picked up. But little does she know she will be framed for drug possession, imprisoned indefinitely, and be up for sale in the flesh trade.

The driving character trait of Gillian is guilt. She feels that when she was an undercover cop, "Cops were dying all over the place and all I could do was act like a woman" (Yes, this is an actual line of narration in the movie). Throughout most of the film she is a powerless, victim to the corrupt correctional system. In the end, Gillian is challenged by the oppression. Her life sucks, but she becomes the advocate for the women with something to live for.

In between her feeling sorry for herself and the realization that she can no longer sit idly by while her fellow women are tortured, lots of sweet stuff happens. Wrestling matches to the death, torture, karate fights, lesbian sex, again, the usual.

There is a very clouded and confusing feminist undertone to the film. Gillian herself is the catalyst to thwart the evil male sex trade. Even though she was once a very strong, skilled, Police officer at one point, she was not willing to stand up when her fellow females were being raped, tortured, traded, and shot with crossbows. She wakes up to the fact that these men are evil and essentially starts the prison of fire and kills a bunch of dudes with an AK-47. It rules.

Not sure why so many reviews of the film are negative. Not sure what people were expecting. It's a fun exploitation film. Just by it's very nature it's not for everyone. If you're into trashy low budget movies. . . that do not feature monsters or mutants or poor attempts at comedy; but feature plenty of sweet 80's babes, big evil rapist Indians, pseudo male hating revenge,  and greasy crossbow dudes. This one's for you.

GRIM REAPER

"COME WITH ME! I WILL TAKE YOU DOWN TO THE VERY DEPTHS OF YOUR SOUL!"

One of the most important and wonderful things about this film is the inclusion of Grim Reaper on the soundtrack. Apparently they were Troma fans and offered some of their music to be used in Lust For Freedom. . . Including their song, Lust For Freedom.

The easiest way to describe Grim Reaper is as a more melodic version of Iron Maiden with arguably a more talented (and much more hideous looking) lead singer. Not to mention, much worse song structure and musical talent displayed. Regardless, Grim Reaper still kicks ass. Very much a sign of the times. If you like 1980s metal, you'll like Grim Reaper.

This video features many clips from Lust For Freedom

Two of their tracks are featured Rock You To Hell and Lust For Freedom are both prominently featured in the film. And by prominently featured I mean PROMINENTLY. Rock You To Hell is played at least seven times. Lust For Freedom is played at least four (I sort of stopped counting). . . It's truly incredible how well these songs work within the context of the film, and when they play, you know something gnarly is going to happen.

THE DISC

First and foremost, the disc packaging is wonderful. The art looks like it was re-purposed art assets from a UK VHS release of the film. The assets are recolored and placed in a very 1980s styled layout. There are no logos or names on the front it's just a full cover of art, which looks fantastic. It's an overt attempt at looking "80's" but for this film, that style really works.

The UK Video release cover

The video quality is pretty good overall. Vinegar Syndrome's releases (of the 5 or so that I have seen) typically look quite good. Lust For Freedom in particular is a film that I am sure that the original film assets were likely not well cared for. The video quality is the best it can be. Purchase this disc (or any Vinegar Syndrome release really) with confidence.  They don't just push out any old garbage transfer.

As for features, there are a few. There is an interview with Troma's own Lloyd Kaufman. . . and he has a band aid on his head. . . the interview is insightful and interesting. He gives an overview of the production and how the project became a Troma Production and discusses the business end of the project.

Headwound and Mace Windu

There is also a Director's commentary on the disc. For the most part it's alright. There's a lot of hemming and hawwing that was annoying early on. Overall, it's worth a listen and typically movies of this ilk do not receive a commentary, so I can't really complain too much.

Overall, this is a fantastic package and well worth your time. I think it's important to support companies that take time pride in preservation of genre films and the benefits of physical media. Especially as we trudge further into the Digital Age. Vinegar Syndrome is doing great work and deserve a lot of credit.

- M. Johnston

Vinegar Syndrome - Lust for Freedom (NSFW)

Lust for Freedom on Amazon

Review: THE DEVILS

Directed by Ken Russell
1971
111 mins.  Color.

17th Century France sucked.  Cardinal Richelieu, the plague, lice, religious wars...  Sounds like Detroit.  And, like Detroit, sometimes Priests need to use dead alligators in a sword fight.

Ken Russell is perhaps best known in the States for his surrealist experimentations of the late 1970s and 1980s.  Films like Altered States and Lair of the White Worm are brilliant and flawed, and widely available.  Available, but largely treated like exploitation trash.  You can generally find them for a dollar on VHS at Goodwill or your neighborhood record store.  There should be better releases of these extremely interesting films.

Russell's fascinating 1971 film is what many call his masterwork.  However, shadowed by the deep controversy, it saw little to no distribution.  Officially Rated X by the British Film Institute, it was distributed by Warner Brothers in the United States.  The controversial nature of the film has always left them at a loss, and they have been afraid of it since the beginning.  It was originally released shredded beyond recognition, with multiple scenes completely removed.

The controversy of the film really lies amongst the intersection between sex and religion.  Likewise, WB feared criticism of the church would be terrible for ticket sales and might create picket lines.

The film begins with this title card

Historical Fact.

There is generally nothing that bothers me more than stuff like this.  "Based on a True Story" is such rubbish.  Offering the idea that what you are seeing took place is preposterous.  Embellishments, score and drama are what make great film, not historical fact.  Yet, in this circumstance, it provides for a sort of grounding because what you are about to see is so over the top, it works as a reminder of the true absurdity of the mixing of power, religion and politics.

The film concerns Father Grundier, excellently played by Oliver Reed, a womanizer priest who has been made steward of a fortified town that is strategic to Cardinal Richelieu and the King's plans to remake the kingdom without protestants.  At the same time Sister Jeanne, a tortured physical performance by Vanessa Redgrave, has fantasies of being with Grundier.  When she learns of his secret marriage to another woman and refusal to be her confessor, she accuses him of witchcraft.  Seeing the situation as politically expedient, Richelieu sends an exorcist and they begin a charade of witch-hunting and debauchery.

Period pieces, when done properly, have the ability to step outside of our own time and see contemporary situations more clearly.  The Devils, from set design to acting to script, is truly impressive in this regard.  The sets seem almost futuristic, which is both off-putting and extremely smart.  It takes away the stuffiness of the "period" and makes the film seem almost timeless.

The Goods:
I have been looking for a good copy of the film for awhile.  The options are limited.  The VHS is heavily edited and expensive and the Region 2 DVD is also a bit pricey.  So, I ended up with the Euro Cult release, which is unedited.  There are two very interesting documentaries on the DVD.  However, the quality of the transfer is quite poor, but that is a bit unavoidable as there are no elements good enough to make an HD transfer.  So, this may be the best we ever get...

Set Yourself Up:

• This is an early 1970s art piece, so put yourself in that head-space.  Some of the score is a bit wild and some of the performances are over the top.
• I had an egg sandwich and coffee in a cold basement while watching it.  That seemed to fit pretty well.

- J. Moret

Review: DEADLINE (1984)

Directed by Mario Azzopardi
1984
90 mins.  Color.
Paragon Video Production VHS  (seemingly a bootleg copy...)

Steven Lessey is a horror writer who is very concerned with not looking like an ass.  He's entirely physically and emotionally absent.  His semi-adorable daughter is concerned that he works too much.  His wife hates his guts.  His son wears a bow tie.

Steven is a pseudo-creep, as presumably all people fascinated with the macabre are...  He's a stand-in Stephen King or Clive Barker.  While talking with his daughter, he imagines a woman showering and then being flooded with blood from the faucet.  And, his most recent film is about an evil goat that psychically uses a giant farm machine to tear a man to pieces.  And, it is even cooler than it sounds.

When Steven goes to discuss his book in a college class he's questioned about the socially degenerative nature of creating horror novels and images.  The idea of being socially responsible and using horror as commentary plagues him.  While this conversation happens, images of Lessey's horror flash in and out: a young brother and sister strap their grandmother to a bed and start her on fire and a nun pulls a severed arm out of the ground.

Steven is suffocating in horror schlock.  He's wrapped up in conversations about art against gore and smut against real inspiration.  The problem is that he's deeply tied to the money and the contracts.

Nazi punks, cocaine, hangings and madness continue.

evil goat.

EVALUATION
Deadline is truly one of the more cerebral and interesting horror films I've seen in a long time.  My original expectations of the film were of a very easy, schlocky mess.  I am so pleasantly surprised to see that instead it is an insightful, difficult film.  The closest thing I can compare it to is perhaps the first forty-five minutes of John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness.

As is so often the case, the marketing for the whole film is absolutely off-base.  The cover is a bloody hand on a type-writer, hoping to bring in the gore crowd.  But, that gets it all wrong.  This is a slow-paced pseudo-intellectual piece.  Likewise, the description makes the assumption that Steven's descent into madness is about his writing.  It is all just so misleading.

As things fall apart and get incredibly dark near the end of the film, the themes and characters become more and more complex.  In the end, its up to the audience to bring it together and make sense of it, leaving this particular audience member extremely satisfied.

SET YOURSELF UP

• If you can, watch this one in a big old drafty house
• Set expectations at: SERIOUS

-J. Moret

CANDYMAN

This week, Matt and John discuss the once-heralded, now somewhat-ignored 1992 film, CANDYMAN.  Historical context, Tony Todd with a hook and alligators in the New York City subways make this one a pleasure to talk about.

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Check out this episode!

PSYCHO KICKBOXER: THE DARK ANGEL

This week, Matt and John discuss the much heralded kickboxing art-piece, PSYCHO KICKBOXER.  We feel it's worth discussing because there is fighting, good music, and head explosions.

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Check out this episode!