University of Virginia Library

CINEMA

A Really Poor Porno Film

By Paul Chaplin
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

It was a disappointed group of
film-goers who emerged from the
first screening of "The Lickerish
Quartet" yesterday. Once again, it
was a case of another skin flick that
didn't deliver the goods. The
audience was extremely tense,
patiently waiting for
something...anything to happen.
The most response came when one
patron yelled out a lone from
"M*A*S*H."

The film's main claim to fame is
that it is supposedly a serious skin
flick. All this really boils down to is
an introductory quote from Italian
dramatist Pirandello's "Six
Characters In Search of an
Author," which should warn us
that we're getting into serious stuff.
Sure, like having William Buckley
interviewed on "Laugh-In" is
serious stuff.

The story deals with a family
that thinks this girl is the actress
they saw in a quickie "home"
movie. They're never really certain,
but that doesn't stop anyone from
getting sexually involved with the
girl. All this mystical hocus-pocus
takes an hour to develop before
there's any real action on the
screen.

The cast (what can I really say?)
consists of Silvana Venturelli, Erika
Remberg, Frank Wolff, and Paolo
Turco. Miss Venturelli has an
exciting scene with Miss Remberg,
which prompted the audience
response ("She's a moaner!"). My
sympathies go to the males, for
their parts are totally ridiculous,
and acted with some strained
degree of seriousness.

That "The Lickerish Quartet" is
made by Radley Metzger, famed for
"Terese and Isabelle" and "Camille
2000", will be lamented by
devotees of skins flicks, as much as
Russ Myer's switch to 20th Century
Fox Studios. For a skin director to
go serious or commercial is for him
to lose touch with the humor and
absurdity of these types of film.

Then again, maybe the whole
concept of a serious skin flick is a
hoax to get the New York Times to
review the film, which Vincent
Canby did. In any event, "The
Lickerish Quartet" is a poor serious
movie, but an even worse skin flick.

(Now at the Cinema)