Young Lady Chatterley

I went out and bought this movie on DVD and was very very pleased to my senses to see that this copy is the original, uncut, unedited, copy that used to come on Cinemax and Showtime Late Night. It contains 2 movie trailers, a scrapbook of photos from the movie, and a Biography on Harlee McBride. The print still looks fresh but it still needs some more work for future releases. There a few scratches in the film that could use a digital erasing and the sound could use a Dolby Digital 5.1 upgrade. But untill then go out and buy this copy because it is still hot and sexy after 24 years.

Unlike Lady Chatterley's Lover, Young Lady Chatterley doesn't pretend to be a high-class literary adaptation. Barring the short scenes taken from the book (when Cynthia is reading the found diary of the original Lady) the whole film is just an excuse to show the tom-boyish but attractive Harlee McBride in various soft-core sex scenes.

The funny thing is, the movie is pretty good. Unlike most of the cliched junk churned out for the made-for-video market, YLC had to survive as a theatrical release (being the dawn of the VCR age, it wasn't a given that a movie would be released on home video, but a rarity.) So, YLC- like Emmanuelle before it- has a quality rarely seen in the late-nite cable soft-core porn market. The cinematography is good, if a bit aged, and the actors and actresses actually *act*; it may not be as good as a normal Hollywood production, but it's definitely better than most in the "erotica" genre.

An interesting thing about YLC is the fact that the scenes from Lady Chatterley's Lover are brand new; they aren't from the Sylvia Kristel movie, but were shot specifically for YLC, with a new actor and actress. (I honestly would have preferred to see a LCL with these people; I find Sylvia Kristel and Nicholas Clay to make one unappealing couple.)

Unfortunately, for today's market, I'm afraid that YLC is "too lame"- it's very tame by modern standards and could probably be released with an "R". A shame, because this movie has more class and a better cast than most anything now.

I have enjoyed a few of the European soft-core movies, like _Boarding School_ with Natasha Kinski. They manage to be sexy without the whole "we have to make sex dirty, vulgar, and immature" thing that all too many American soft-core movies have. _Porky's_, anybody? Well, this movie is American, and it manages to have that same vibe I've enjoyed from our friends across the Pond. The story actually exists, and while it isn't one of those multi-faceted stretch-the-brain plot lines, it is a plot line. The sex is more playful than vulgar, and sometimes it's even sweet. Yeah, I said sweet.

I gave it eight stars instead of seven, because another reviewer took a star away for the bathtub scene between Cynthia and Jeanette. I happen to LIKE that scene, so I put a star back for it. I love the way Jeanette sees right through Cynthia's attempt to be a snob and resolves the problem through pleasure. That Jeanette just radiates sexual heat.

It was such a pleasant break from the heavy and siliconised soft porn that you get to see on the cable these days. It has the right blend of a decent storyline, ok acting and right amount of nudity. What I liked best about the film was Lady Chatterly, you could relate her to a real life character. Her innocence in the beginning and then her transformation into the hot and over-sexed Lady looks so real. The sex scenes are beautiful and not pretentious like the porn films these days, no excessive moaning and groaning. The buildup in the story to the orgy scene in the climax is very good. I recommend this movie to everybody who's sick of the meaningless and tasteless platter of softcore films availabe these days. Fall in love with Lady Chatterly!

This first entry into the Chatterly "franchise" (??) is entertaining enough. Mildly amusing in spots, with attractive people wandering around and having lots of soft-porn sex. It seems curiously old-fashioned compared to much late-night cable fare, but it's just light-hearted enough to be enjoyable.