Autumn Born

All the acting is poor. The plot is weak. The film is merely a vehicle to display Dorothy Stratten's body. On that count, well done. But, even that is not enough to maintain an interest to the end.

The only reason this film exist at all is that Dorothy Stratten is in it. Autumn Born has all the finesse of a 70's porn film, but without the sex scenes. Although, I did like the story, An uncle who have his niece kidnapped to brainwash her into signing her fortunes over to him. It is a interesting story, but not fully realized by the writer and by the director of this movie.

In Autumn Born, you get to see plenty of Dorothy Stratten than any other films that she is in. You get to hear her speak with her Canadian accent(she does have a very lovely voice). You get to heard her say "eh" couple of times at the start of the film. You get to see Dorothy in varies states of undress either by another or by herself a lot. What I like about this movie is that you get to see the budding of her acting talent. Now I have seen more than my shares of bad acting in low budget movies, but Dorothy's acting although rough around the edges, still have more room to grow, that is, if she was to allow to develop her skill. It is really a shame that all we get to see of Dorothy Stratten as an actress is in low rent movies like this one.

Many elements of this movie went into Bob Fosse's film. He watched this movie and took a lot of its music, other things like that for his film. There are many campy elements that Fosse picked up on that have made this a cult movie. Dorothy driving a (I think) Rolls is a beautiful shot, you wish you were blonde and rich in 1979. Dorothy's talking style is similar to many of us girls when people have accused us of talking wooden or stilted when it is our natural speaking voice, which makes a girl feel better that we talk as good as an actress. When she tells the other girl "you're a really nice person" my friend said, she says it just like you and then I knew it wasn't really wooden.

The other actors are quite interesting in their delivery, and there is a weird little music that plays over the intercom. Dorothy yelling, stop playing that bloody music is a high point and makes you feel comfortable, if you grew up hearing people yell bloody fool and things like that.

She looks her stunning self in every scene. The end is quite clear, the uncle is trapped and they will all live in the mansion with the uncle in the little room.

The best campy line is the woman saying, when Dorothy is about to paint her toes, Oh no, I detest that rustic shade! All the elements make it a bizarre, high camp movie. But for soome reason easygoing, tolerant people can barely sit through it once.

Wow, what a terrible movie! If not for the star of this "movie" nobody would give this story the time of day. Dorothy is very attractive and gives an ok performance of an 18 year old girl being forced to submit. The only problem is that the story drags on with no interesting characters besides Dorothy. Also, the story goes nowhere! The ending is total garbage as the audience is left confused at what is happening. Who wins? What is going to happen? Is this a happy ending? If you are going to make a movie about dominating, show it! The movie teases its audience. Very little nudity for an 80 minute movie. Unless you are a fan of the former Playboy model, this movie is junk.

Dorothy Stratten is a haughty, self-absorbed girl who spends recklessly and goes to discotheques in the middle of the day. She's going to turn 18 in a few months...at that time she will accede authority in her late father's financial empire, much to the chagrin of her uncle who is currently in-charge. He concedes that the only way to avoid her interference in the family business is to have her drugged and swept-off to a covert and very pricey corrective obedience-training facility overseen by a hatchet-faced lesbian and her deranged lackeys. Gradual disempowerment through physical, sexual, and psychological torment proves successful. The girl's spirit is broken, rendering her a docile and obedient subordinate(with a "thing" for the "ladies"). Surprise! She also gets the family fortune.

Ms. Stratten was a stellar beauty, and that beauty is showcased here in a multitude of ways...we see her helplessly tethered, trussed, and fettered, and donned in a variety of lingerie, corsets, and slinky dresses(when she's not nude, of course). It shouldn't surprise that her presence is the cynosure attraction of AUTUMN BORN, and that the production itself is patternedly frugal. This is not to say it's a BAD picture, just that it's traveling noticeably light in several departments. And, as is often the case with erotic cinema, it's pitched with that recherché, pseudo-European sfumato-softness...an obvious effort to veil the film's sleazy soft-porn bedrock beneath a gauzy layer of feigned Left Bank delicacies and specious artistic intent.

Not too bad of its type, actually, and with Dorothy on board, any old thing becomes watchable(even the otherwise abortive GALAXINA).

4.5/10.