Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Of Its Time., March 14, 2006
Difficult to know what to rate this film. Next to bonafide classics such as "Casablanca", it would score one star but as a camp classic it would score five stars like "Valley Of The Dolls". The film captures the the hedonistic lifestyle of silly, privileged, amoral Londoners in the 1970s and their interaction via a nightclub called "Hobo" owned by the Joan Collins character (at her glamorous peek) and her husband. The characters could be given more dimension as they are quite two dimensional. The disco soundtrack is more than adequate and the erotic sequences are quite acceptable. Film vacillates between being corny, flashy, cheeky and humorous. Worth checking out as a document of its time, the film is entertaining and enjoyable.
|
|
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Trashterpiece!, January 4, 2009
This 1978 gem revived Joan Collins' career when she needed it most. Made for $600,000 the film grossed over $20,000,000 worldwide, landing Collins on the front pages of newspapers across the globe. It is an epic trashterpiece, a guilty pleasure that is so bad it's fabulous.
Collins headlines the picture as Fontaine Khaled, the bored and sexually voracious wife of an Arab millionaire, who spends her nights cavorting at her London nightclub, Hobo. There she employs 'The Stud', Tony Blake, played by the dashing Oliver Tobias, who services Fontaine's every whim both on and off the dance floor.
The screenplay, written by Jackie Collins from her own source novel published a decade earlier, moves at a brisk pace. Sets, lighting, costumes and music are all pitch perfect, acting as a time capsule for late 1970's London. Collins' performance as the oversexed socialite is tart and entertaining as Collins reaches her cinematic zenith as film's bitch supreme. Collins is at her best when Fontaine is at her worst. Tobias gives a good performance as the anti-hero in this film, never quite garnering the audience's sympathy. The supporting performances are also fine, 'The Stud' is a well cast film of mostly British movie veterans. Produced by Ron Kass and Oscar Lerman, the respective husbands of Joan and Jackie, it's evident that this film is a family affair.
Overall, the film is naughty fun. A bit of psychedelic nudity, some truly hilarious dialog and a story with the depth of a wading pool that is totally unapologetic. Highly recommended for any fan of either Collins sister and for those interested in a bit of unpretentious fun.
|
|
|
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
"You're nothing but a working class bum in Gucci shoes!", October 20, 2006
The Stud (1978), which was followed a year later by the film The B*tch (1979), both feature Joan Collins (Empire of the Ants, "Dynasty") and were both based off books written by Joan's sister, famed trash/sleaze novelist Jackie Collins, who was once quoted as saying "I live my life like a cool bachelor. I have a man for all seasons"...that's super. Directed by Quentin Masters (A Dangerous Summer), the film features Oliver Tobias (King Arthur, the Young Warlord). Also appearing is Sue Lloyd (The Ipcress File), Emma Jacobs (Lifeforce), Mark Burns (House of the Living Dead), Doug Fisher (Man About the House), and Walter Gotell (The Guns of Navarone, The Boys from Brazil), probably best for his reoccurring role as Russian General Anatol Gogol in such James Bond features as The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), and For Your Eyes Only (1981).
Oliver Tobias plays Tony Blake, a one-time waiter now manager of London's hottest nightclub The Hobo. As the film begins we find ourselves in Tony's apartment, looking at a wall festooned with signed portrait photographs of women, all of whom Tony's had relations with in the past (apparently, along with being a nightclub manager, Tony's also a full time gigolo). After a long, slow pan, just so we get an idea of just how many women Tony's been with, we see Tony in bed with another woman, one he apparently picked up at the club and whose name he doesn't know...oh that Tony...anyway, later that evening Tony arrives at the club only to get a phone call from the club's owner, Fontaine Khaled (Collins), the wife of a rich industrialist Ben Khaled (Gotell). Apparently the old man financed the club in an effort to give his wife something to do while he's off on business, which is quite frequently. Anyway, seems Fontaine, who groomed Tony from a lowly waiter into what he is today, keeps him on a short leash, often calling him forth to service her as needed (and believe me, she needs it a lot). Tony, chaffing under Fontaine's oppressive sexual yoke, has plans of his own, ones that include opening his own club, that is if he can get the financing. A bunch of rather unmemorable events occurs to which we learn Fontaine is growing tired of her boy toy, and is planning on letting her friend have her way with him before cutting Tony loose, presumably to take on another protégé. Things get complicated as Fontaine's husband makes the scene with his comely teenage daughter, Fontaine's stepdaughter, Alexandria (Jacobs), neither of who seem to like each other very much as Alexandria believes Fontaine a money grubbing sleaze (she's right), and Fontaine despises children on principle. Anyway, Tony, who quickly takes a shine to Alexandria, ends up snogging her, after which Fontaine lures Tony to Paris under the guise of opening a new club, ultimately taking him to a libidinous wingding where's he's drugged and taken advantage of by Fontaine's friend. Things eventually come to a head once old Ben discovers his wife's dalliances (on videotape no less), and both Fontaine and Tony suffer karmic repercussions.
It may sound like there's a lot going on in this film, but in reality the story drags miserably at times as an awful lot of attention is given to fluff elements (disco dancing, Tony's skeevy friends, etc.), most of which seems to be there only to pad out the running time. One thing the film does have in spades is sleaze...you know, nothing says class like posting pictures of one's boudoir conquests on the wall near the bed, in plain view for all future conquests to see (if you look hard enough you'll see one of the photos is of Jackie Collins herself, which seems oddly suitable). I think at some point we, the audience, were supposed to feel some empathy for Tony the feathered hair boy toy, given his objectified treatment from his lecherous boss, but I found it difficult to muster any sympathies given the fact he was just as slimy as those whom he associated. And let's not forget the fact he, who looked to be in his early thirties, shagged his employer's teenage daughter (I think she was meant to be sixteen, but she looked to be about twenty). As sleazy as Tony seemed, he wasn't much competition for Collin's character. Seriously, in terms being morally polluted, Fontaine was pretty much in a class of her own as most everything took a backseat to her orgiastic indulgences. I think my favorite bit comes as a result of her calling Tony over to her posh digs for some action, and the pair get it on in the elevator, one equipped with a closed circuit camera. Subsequently her and her skeevy girlfriend watch the tape a number of times as the girlfriend is the one interested in getting it on with Tony, a request Fontaine is willing to facilitate given the fact she's since grown tired of Tony, and is already sizing up suitable replacements. Thing is, Fontaine leaves the videotape lying about, and it's eventually found by not only her stepdaughter, but also her husband. Smooth move, Ex-Lax...if you dig on the nekkidness, it's plentiful here, mostly in the form of female topless shots (Mrs. Collins seemed not too shy about showing off her wares). One aspect of the film I really liked was the inclusion of popular music of the time. There's a plethora of recognizable pop songs played throughout the numerous disco sequences, which helped pass the time a little. As far as the rest, well, the writing and direction were lacking, the performances suitable, but given the oily, lurid trashiness of material in general, I suppose it's not really fair to be overly critical. If you revel in soap operatic sediment involving the lifestyles of the rich and infinitely sleazy, then this film may be right up you alley. I actually found the follow up to this film slightly more enjoyable, mainly due to the fact it was more focused on Ms. Collins' character, and the pacing was a bit better.
The picture on this DVD release, presented in fullscreen, looks decent enough I suppose, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 audio does come through well, both equal in quality to a new VHS tape. The interactive menus (all two of them) look cheap, and there aren't any extras included. There are about eight chapter stops, for what it's worth. If you're truly interested in owning this film on DVD, I'd recommend picking up the DVD set that includes this film and the follow up which I mentioned earlier.
Cookieman108
By the way, if you're interested cinematic sludge of this variety, I'd recommend checking out another film called The Lonely Lady (1983), starring Pia Zadora, and based on a novel by Harold Robbins. In terms of guilty, seedy, sordid pleasures, it ranks up there with Showgirls (1995). It's not out on DVD yet, but it should be...
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
DVD ~ John Ratzenberger Joan Collins; Michael Colby; Kenneth Haigh
DVD ~ Joan Collins; Maurizio Merli; Franco Ressel; Werner Pochath; Annarita Grapputo; Alexander Trojan
DVD ~ Sybil Danning
DVD ~ Joan Collins
DVD ~ Morgan Fairchild
the Internet Movie Database, which is visited by millions of movie and tv lovers each month.
