Originally posted on 7/22/20
(ORGASMO is part of Severin Films' "Lenzi/Baker 4-Volume Blu-ray Collection" which also includes SO SWEET, SO PERVERSE, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL, and KNIFE OF ICE.)
Carroll Baker has been one of my top ten favorite actresses ever since the moment I realized that her performance in BABY DOLL was one of the best in the entire history of cinema. I find her fascinating to watch.
Needless to say, this greatly increased my enjoyment of Italian director Umberto Lenzi's 1969 giallo thriller ORGASMO (Severin Films), in which she stars as the widow of a deceased billionaire who now secludes herself in a lonely mansion in Italy until a handsome young free spirit named Peter (Lou Castel, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL) suddenly enters her life and teaches her how to live again.
But even without the presence of the divine Carroll (BABY DOLL, GIANT, THE CARPETBAGGERS, HARLOW, CHEYENNE AUTUMN), this edgy exploitation tale would suffice quite nicely as lavish soap-opera trash of the kind that we can wallow in as if guiltily indulging in a Jacqueline Susann novel, with all the colorful ambience with which Italian exploitation cinema of the era can imbue such a story.
Bereft of happiness in her life save that which she derives from her devoted attorney and friend Brian (Tino Carraro, CAT O’ NINE TAILS), Kathryn responds eagerly to the spirited, almost satyr-like Peter, who moves into her mansion after his car breaks down right at her main gate.
The lonely, repressed widow is easy prey to this charming, handsome, and, to her, irresistibly sexy young bohemian who so effortlessly insinuates himself into every aspect of her life and has her yearning for him even as his flippant, presumptuous attitude often infuriates her.
And when his beautiful young "sister" Eva (Colette Descombes, MONIKA) shows up, she's everything that Peter is but with the added guilty attraction of forbidden and maddeningly seductive lesbian desire.
It isn't long before the rich, spoiled, but emotionally vulnerable Kathryn finds herself as addicted to this intoxicating threesome as she is to the pills that Eva keeps giving her ("this will make you stop being tired") or slipping into her drink.
Where the story goes from there is what finally turns ORGASMO into the full-blooded giallo thriller that we've been expecting, complete with sudden violence (Paul and Eva aren't as devoted to "peace and love" as they pretend to be), blackmail, and other shocking developments that I won't go into, especially since the spoiler-y poster art itself is a strong indication of what poor Kathryn is in for.
Writer/director Lenzi (EATEN ALIVE) does some superlative work here (in what would be one of four collaborations with Baker), capturing a genuine mod 60s ambience in the threesome's wild nights of abandon and contrasting it with Kathryn's formerly staid, repressed existence within the walls of her mansion.
It's all deliciously cinematic, combining formal camera shots with a more free-form visual style that lets Lenzi's imagination run free. While the entire cast is fine, Baker in particular is a constant fascination and a joy to watch for a devotee such as myself, thanks in large part to several teasing glimpses of her in the nude.
The Blu-ray from Severin Films is scanned from the internegative of Lenzi’s Director’s Cut for the first time on Blu-ray. Audio is in both English and Italian mono with English subtitles. In addition to a bonus CD of the remastered musical score, the bonus menu is nicely stocked with choice features that are listed below in their entirety.
Lovers of Italian exploitation cinema and especially the wildly unpredictable giallo genre should have a great time delving into this frantic tale of a troubled woman trapped in a big shadowy mansion with frenzied tormentors inside and a mysterious club-footed stranger prowling around outside. ORGASMO gives us all that and Carroll Baker too, and it's freaky fun from start to finish.
Disc Specs for Orgasmo:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: Italian mono on Italian cut, English mono on English cut
Subtitles: Subtitles for Italian audio / SDH for English audio
Region A
Special Features for Orgasmo:
Director’s Cut
Audio Commentary with Film Critic, Author & Academic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
US X Rated Version + SDH subtitles
Audio Commentary with Mondo-Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson & Troy Howarth, Author of ‘So Deadly So Perverse: 50 Years Of Italian Giallo Films’
Giallo Fever: Interview with Director Umberto Lenzi
US Trailer
BONUS CD SOUNDTRACK: Orgasmo Remastered Soundtrack
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