The Sexadelic Collection (1969)

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    American independent filmmaker Radley Metzger was born in New York in 1929. He pioneered stylish erotic films in the sixties and seventies, beginning his career by importing and distributing erotic melodramas from Europe. Most noteibly, he was the American distributor of the popular erotic Scandinavian film, I, a Woman in 1966.

    Making similar films himself seemed to be a natural progression from his role as a distributor and business man. Metzger began shooting films in the sixties, with a particular visual style that transcended the mere titilllation of the erotica. His use of atmospheric locations around Europe gave many of his productions a truly unique look. Such films include Therese and Isabelle (1968), Camille 2000 (1969) and The Lickerish Quartet (1970).

    In the seventies, Metzger was enticed into the world of hardcore porn, when films like Deep Throat (1972) began breaking new ground in the genre. He established a pseudonym, Henry Paris, which he used for many of these films, including The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (1975), Naked Came the Stranger (1975) and The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976).

    Metzger briefly departed the genre in 1978 when he made the fourth film version of the suspense/horror story, The Cat and The Canary, this time working with mainstream actors Edward Fox, Honor Blackman, Wendy Hillier, Carol Lynley and Olivia Hussey.

    Radley Metzger retired from filmmaking in 1984, but recent times have seen a revival of interest in his work. While his movies won't appeal to a wide mainstream audience, many will find enjoyment from these films in more ways than the common erotic themes portrayed.

    The Sexadelic Collection is a small collection of three interesting films by Radley Metzger: Camille 2000, The Lickerish Quartet and Score.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Camille 2000 (1969)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Audio Deleted Scenes Theatrical Trailer Trailer-The Lickerish Quartet
Rating
Year Of Production	1969
Running Time	116:31 (Case: 119)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Radley Metzger
Studio Distributor	Audubon Films Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Daničle Gaubert Nino Castelnuovo Eleonora Rossi Drago Roberto Bisacco Massimo Serato Silvana Venturelli Zachary Adams Dominique Badou Peter Chatel Virginia Rodin Enzo Fiermonte Graziella Galvani Philippe Forquet
Case	PUSH-1 (Opaque)
RPI	?	Music	Piero Piccioni

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.93:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Radley Metzger's Camille 2000 is an adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas fils novel, La Dame aux camelias by screenwriter Michael DeForrest. This literary work was also the basis for the 1936 film, Camille, which starred Greta Garbo. While still loosely based on the same story, Metzger's 1969 version is subtle in erotosim and lavishly elegant.

    Armand (Nino Castelnuovo) lives a self-indulgent lifestyle, totally supported and controlled by his domineering father (Massimo Serato). While visiting Rome, Armand meets and becomes infatuated with Marguerite (Daničle Gaubert). Marguerite enjoys a flirtatous lifestyle and engages in wild parties, while using drugs on an invariable basis.

    Her initial resistance to form a relationship of substance with Armand slowly disintegrates, and they soon begin an intense and loving relationship. Unfortunately, Armand's father wrongly believes she is manipulating his son for his money. He reveals himself to Marguerite when Armand is out one day and confronts her with his beliefs. Margurite is shattered by his accusations. With her spirit totally destroyed, she decides to let Armand go.

    Without telling him of her conversation with his father, she terminates the relationship, leaving Armand perplexed as to the reasons why. They both flirt with other relationships, but secretly still harbour strong feelings for each other. As their jelousy and stubborn attitudes conspire to keep them apart, Marguerite's ever increasing intake of drugs is sending her on a tragic spiral of decline.

    Camille 2000 features stunning art direction by Enrico Sabbatini. The lavish sets and decadent locations enhance the films surreal atmosphere. Also adding to the surreal nature of the film is Metzger's trademark use of reflective surfaces, which provides an extra dimension to Ennio Guarnieri's cinematography.

    Camille 2000 is presented as part of a three disc collection of Radley Metzger films, The Sexadelic Collection.

Video

    The video transfer of Camille 2000 is adequate.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.93:1 and is not 16x9 enhanced. The film's original aspect ratio is 2.35:1.

   Foregrounds and close ups exhibited a reasonable amount of sharpness, although softness was evident in varying scales throughout the film. This is possibly inherent in the source material and not a transfer issue. Blacks were clean and bold, while shadows were generally low in the quality of detail they displayed.

    Colours were consistantly soft and subtle, which is a direct result of the three-strip Technicolor photography used for the film. Colours were generally well rendered and showed no obvious signs of oversaturation.

    MPEG artefacts were well controlled. There were a few issues with aliasing, mainly on window shutters. These instances, although easily noticeable, were not overly problematic. Minor telecine wobbles were also quite common. Film artefacts were the biggest blemish on the this transfer and were most noticeable at the beginning and end of each reel. They consisted of hairs, scratches and marks of varying degrees. Reel change markings were also evident throughout the film, at approximate twenty minute intervals.

    There are no subtitles available on this DVD.

    This is a single sided, single layer disc, so there is no layer change.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio transfer is reasonable.

    There is one audio track on this DVD, English Dolby Digital 2.0 (448Kb/s).

    Dialogue quality is relatively clear and audible throughout the film. The transfer has some spasmodic problems with post audio sync, giving the appearance of a badly dubbed forgien language film. Thankfully though, these problems are not continuous. Although audio sync is never quite spot on, in general terms, it shouldn't be overly annoying to the viewer. The audio transfer also suffers from frequent clicks and pops, occuring mainly around reel changes.

    The music score by Piero Piccioni is an excellent mix of slow and sentimental, through to the vibrant, hip band sound of the sixties. It is an excellent accompaniment to the action on the screen and is a wonderful retro soundtrack.

    The surround channels carried music and dialogue without much in the way of distinct separation.

    The subwoofer came to life in a couple of instances throughout the film. Although a minor player, the subwoofer was used for music and some bass effects, such as the rumbling engine of a sportscar.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    The selection of extras is basic.

    The main menu is themed around the film and features music by Piero Piccioni. All menus are 16x9 enhanced.

Deleted Scenes

• Armand And His Sister (2:26)
• Armand And Gaston Pick Up A Girl In Traffic (1:26)
• Camille And Prudence On The Boat (2:02)
• Fight Scene (1:37)
• Camille And Lover In Front Of Mirrors (3:33)

Theatrical Trailer

    Camille 2000 (2:14)

Umbrella Trailer

    The Lickerish Quartet (2:43)

    There are two R1 versions of Camille 2000 available. The first is a stand alone R1/R2 DVD, which appears to be very similar to the all-region version. The differnce being, the R1/R2 version is presented in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and has a NTSC transfer. The featured audio on this disc is Dolby Digital 1.0 mono.

    The other R1 version is a part of a boxed collection titled, Radley Metzger Collection Vol 1. It is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and is pan and scan. It features Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo audio and a NTSC transfer.

    There are no extras on either of these DVDs.

    I would stick with this all region version, due mainly to the PAL transfer and the included, deleted scenes.

Footnote - 23rd Sept 2007: One of our readers has kindly provided some additional information on the second R1 release. With his permission, I have added his comments below.

I have the First Run disc of CAMILLE 2000 (the second R1 release) and it is 2.35:1 (non-anamorphic) not 1.33:1. I think its the same transfer as the Image Entertainment R1 release. It also features the 4m of deleted scenes and a second still gallery of Enrico Sabbatini's costume designs (actual posed photographs not screengrabs from the film) in addition to a production stills and poster. Film notes are also available on text screens. The static main menu screen is also scored with the music score in stereo. The only thing missing unfortunately is the film's trailer which was present on the Image release.

    Camille 2000 should delight fans of retro cinema of the sixties. The film is subtlely erotic and suitably elegant, with some wonderful production design and art direction. The film is, indeed, a visual feast for lovers of sixties pop culture.

    The video transfer has some problematic issues.

    The audio transfer is reasonably good, despite the sync problems.

    The selection of extras are basic.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Score (1973)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Audio Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Camille 2000, The Lickerish Quartet, Wadd
Rating
Year Of Production	1973
Running Time	94:45 (Case: 89)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Radley Metzger
Studio Distributor	Audubon Films Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Claire Wilbur Calvin Culver Lynn Lowry Gerald Grant Carl Parker
Case	PUSH-1 (Opaque)
RPI	?	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Score is an adaptation of an off-Broadway play by screenwriter Jerry Douglas. The plot is wafer-thin on content, but also lush with pre-AIDS sexual liberation and freedoms. Pioneer director of adult cinema, Radley Metzger, uses his keen sense for creating fasinating visuals to keep the film from becoming one of merely erotic curiosity. By all reports, the stageplay version of Score was very coy compared to Metzger's film, which shows nudity of both sexes liberally and is open about depictings its many sex scenes.

    The plot of Score could not be simpler. Jack (Gerald Grant) and Elvira (Claire Wilbur) are a happily married couple with a passion for swinging. They play a game with each other, in which they earn points for seducing partners of the same sex. Both have their sights set on wooing a young newlywed couple, Betsy (Lynn Lowry) and Eddie (Calvin Culver a.k.a. gay pornstar Casey Donovan). The young couple appear reserved and guarded about their sexuality; this presents the right type of challenge for the uninhibited couple.

    With Jack out for the day, Elvira invites Betsy over to the house. Elvira has secretly set up a visit from the local phone repairman, Mike (Carl Parker), who drops in to repair her deliberately damaged phone line. With the purpose of shocking and hopefully arousing Betsy, Elvira seduces Mike. The seduction and the subsequent sexual act is witnessed by Betsy with a forbidden fasination. The challenge of this bisexual game of seduction intensifies when Elvira and Jack's plan is put into action. Betsy and Eddie arrive for dinner and are inadvertently drawn into the bizzare game.

    Performances are generally camp, with some moments of humourous dialogue. With his inovative use of reflective surfaces, Metzger adds another interesting dimension to the action and the characters.

    For many, Score will remain a confronting film, even though time may have dulled it's ability to shock and possibly alienate an audience.

    Score is presented as part of a three-disc collection of Radley Metzger films called The Sexadelic Collection.

Video

    The video transfer for Score is reasonable.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is not 16x9 enhanced. The original aspect ratio is 1.85:1.

    The video transfer exhibited a moderate amount of sharpness, however it did reveal a distinct softness, especially in mid-ground and background shots. This softness is probably symptomatic of the source material and is much less evident when viewed on a 1.33:1 display. Blacks were quite clean and bold, although I found shadow detail to be inconsistant.

    The colours used in the film are soft and muted, very consistant with similar films of the era. They appear to be well rendered on this DVD and showed no signs of oversaturation.

   MPEG artefacts were well controlled. I found no real issues with aliasing or edge enhancement. Reel change markings were noticeable at approximate twenty minute intervals, with the first occuring at 19:23. The transfer was reasonably clean of film artefacts such as hairs and scratches. Along with minor marks, these were thankfully kept to acceptable levels.

    There are no subtitles available on this DVD.

    This is a single sided, single layer disc. As such, there is no layer change to negotiate.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio transfer is very poor.

    There is one audio track on this DVD, that being English Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s)

    Dialogue quality was ordinary at best. The audio track seems to be very bass-heavy and as a result, much of the dialogue is mumbled. This was a constant source of frustration throughout the film, as certain words and passages were not clearly audible.

    Audio sync was not an issue with the transfer and appeared to be quite good throughout.

    The music score has gone uncreditedm, but sounds like folk-style music, very common with the era and genre.

    The surrounds were not used.

    The subwoofer kicked in during music passages, but it was more of a hindrance than an enhancement to the listening experience.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

   The presented extras are very minimal.

    The menu design is static and basic and is 16x9 enhanced. It features looped audio and is themed around the film.

Theatrical Trailer - Score (3:36)

Trailers

• Camille 2000 (2:14)
• The Lickerish Quartet (2:40)
• Wadd - The Life and Times Of John Holmes (4:01)

    There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.

    There are two R1 versions of Score available. The first is a stand-alone copy of the film, which is very close to this all-region version. This R1 version features the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is actually derived from a PAL transfer. Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 mono.

    The other R1 version is a part of a collection of Metzger films, The Radley Metzger Collection Vol 2. This version of Score features an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, pan and scan, NTSC transfer. Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo.

    None of these R1 versions contain extras.

    The first mentioned R1 version appears to be the winner here, due to it's presentation of the film's in it's original aspect ratio. But it is unclear where this R1 version stands in the aforementioned censorship area. The all-region version does have a longer running time, so the decision is yours.

    Score is a good-natured sex romp that is very thin on actual story. The performances are suitably camp and some of the dialogue is quite humorous.

   The video transfer is reasonable.

   The audio transfer is quite poor.

   The selection of extras are basic.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

The Lickerish Quartet (1970)

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General		Extras
Category	Adult	Main Menu Audio Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Camille 2000, Score
Rating
Year Of Production	1970
Running Time	87:39 (Case: 90)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Radley Metzger
Studio Distributor	Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Silvana Venturelli Frank Wolff Erika Remberg Paolo Turco
Case	PUSH-1 (Opaque)
RPI	?	Music	Stelvio Cipriani

    Radley Metzger's The Lickerish Quartet is a film that requires several viewings to appreicate the many levels of narrative at play. Written by Michael DeForrest and based on a story by him and Radley Metzger, this is a visually striking film. The castle location used for the film is simply superb, setting up the haunting and surreal atmosphere well.

    Three people live in a remote castle so vast, it could easily accommodate hundreds. The husband (Frank Wolff), the wife (Erika Remberg) and the troubled son (Paolo Turco), watch an old black and white pornographic film, projected from a 16mm projector. It is clear the husband and wife get more enjoyment from these films than the son, who finds it all rather disgusting. The three discuss various aspects of the film, including where the producers might find the women to star in them.

    Later that night, the three attend a local carnival and witness a motorcycle stunt act involving a woman (Silvana Venturelli). When this woman removes her helmet, the three are stunned to realise that she is the actress from the pornographic film, only now, she has darker hair. The husband becomes obsessed with luring the woman back to the castle so he can confront her with the film. She finally agrees to go to the castle, assuming it is a party.

    Against the wishes of the son, the husband and wife run the projector with the scratchy porn film. Astonished, they find that the film has changed and the motorcycle woman is no longer the person in the production. She has been replaced by another actress.

    They convince the woman to be their guest in the castle; she accepts. The mysterious woman stays for a couple of days and seduces each member of the family, one by one. Through each seduction, more is unearthed about their characters and also the film's bizzare plot. The pieces of the jigsaw slowly fall into place, with the final pieces revealing a nice twist to this elaborate puzzle.

    Metzger's excellent visual style is in top form again with The Lickerish Quartet. The art direction by Enrico Sabbatini creates a gothic fantasy of sublime beauty. The standout scene involving the woman and the husband in the library is reminisant of something from a Peter Greenaway film, and highlights the wonderful production design.

    The Lickerish Quartet is presented as part of a three disc collection of Radley Metzger films, The Sexadelic Collection.

Video

    The video transfer for The Lickerish Quartet is quite reasonable.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.59:1 and is not 16x9 enhanced. The film's original aspect ratio is 1.85:1.

    Generally speaking, there is an acceptable level of sharpness, although it is not ideal. The softness diplayed in certain scenes may be inherent in the source material rather due to the transfer iteself. Blacks were deep and clean. Shadows held very good detail.

    Colours are consistantly soft and restrained. They are well rendered and display no obvious problems.

    I found no MPEG artefacts. Telecine wobble was evident a couple of times, but was of a minor nature. I found no problems with aliasing. Edge enhancement was occiasionaly present, but it was negligible. Film artefacts were very well controlled, with the most obvious perpetrator being reel change markings. These were evident every twenty minutes or so, beginning at 19:30.

    There are no subtitles on this DVD.

    This is a single sided, single layer disc, so there is no layer change.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio transfer is also very reasonable.

    There is one audio track available on this DVD, that being Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s).

    Dialogue quality was excellent. Speech was clearly understood throughout the film. I believe many scenes may have received some post dubbing, which is quite easy to spot. Generally though, the audio sync is very good. There were a few pops and clicks heard in the audio track, these occurred mainly around reel changes.

    The original music score by Stelvio Cipriani adds enhances the mysterious and twisted mood of the film. The score is substantial enough in quality to be listened to as a stand alone soundtrack.

    The surrounds were not used.

    The subwoofer was very active as music played, and for the limited bass effects in the film.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    The selection of extras is unfortuately limited to a few trailers. The main menu is static and has a very basic theme, based around the film. It features looped audio and is 16x9 enhanced.

Theatrical Trailer

    The Lickerish Quartet (2:42)

Umbrella Trailers

• Camille 2000 (2:15)
• Score (3:36)

    There is a US all-region NTSC version available. This DVD features a letterboxed transfer in the film's original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This disc also features Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio and has no subtitles or extras.

    The Lickerish Quartet is an elaborate puzzle that demands repeated viewings. The locations and production design create a wonderfully surreal nature to this erotically charged gothic fantasy. Of the Radley Metzger films I have seen, this is a personal favourite.

    The video and audio transfers are good.

    The lack of decent extras is dissapointing.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall