Tropic of Desire

Bob Chinn has cited this as the best film he ever directed and I concur. Right from the classic opening scene spotlighting print model Kitty Shayne (in undoubtedly her best feature role), TROPIC OF DESIRE is a porn film that actually plays like a real movie.

To be more precise it reminded me of the best of live TV back from the 1950s when John Frankenheimer, Arthur Penn and Sidney Lumet were in their pre-movie prime. Like those old kinescope classics, DESIRE is claustrophobic, set in a whorehouse near Honolulu in 1945 near the end of WW II, but has the hot-house intensity of those studio-bound acting showcases. And the acting is of high-quality, starting from madam played by Georgina Spelvin to her girls including Jesie St. James and Susan Nero.

There is a sensitive "first timer" soldier sequence featuring Eric Stein, who gets the bonus of a second time around with newcomer to the house, played by Dorothy LeMay. Starr Wood is also impressive, and the male actors do a good job, if a bit sentimentalized (notably Ken Scudder, usually more macho than his "pining for Rita" role here).

Very well photographed, TROPIC OF DESIRE benefits from a nonstop soundtrack of fabulous 1940s era jazz tunes -the selection is among the best compilation I've ever heard in a porn film. They set the atmosphere and also contribute to the arousing sex scenes.

Kudos to Chinn and his oddly unsung classic, a gem amidst his hit-or-miss roster of so many Johnny Wadd programmers.