Synopsis
A student radical, wanted for the murder of a police officer, is also being held for rape. In the interrogation room, the woman he attacked refuses to press charges. Neither speaks. The rest of the film is a flashback. Fleeing custody, the man encounters the suicidal woman on a deserted island. He assaults her repeatedly, but also falls in love with her, and she with him. It’s all very tormenting for the two of them. The end.
The entire story, such as it is, takes place virtually w…thout dialogue (unless you watch the English dub, in which case all sorts of voice-over has been added). Much of the running time involves variations on the naked pursuit of the title. Interesting but sometimes wildly out-of-place music plays in the background. It’s all very minimalist and arty, with nice widescreen compositions, but also clumsy (with massive overuse of the zoom) and boring. The dubious matter of its sexual politics is so obvious, it need hardly be pointed out.
Audio
What dialogue there is tends to be plagued by sibilance and distortion. And there is a noticeable degree of static in the background. The music doesn’t sound bad, however. The overall sound is a long way from perfect, but this is one of those movies that rather surprises by its continued existence, so things could be much worse.
Video
For the most part, the movie is in black-and-white, though it shifts into colour for the resolution. The B&W tones are marvellous. The colours are fine, but there is noticeable flicker during those scenes. The grain is variable, but generally minimal, and the image is sharp. The print has suffered some damage (mainly in the form of speckling), but looks pretty good, all things considered. The aspect ratio claims to be 2.35:1 anamorphic, but does not, in fact, appear to be anamorphic.
Special Features
Critics Luke Y. Thompson and Jess Hlubik provide an amusing (and amused) commentary track, correctly pointing out that the film is a fine cure for insomnia. Otherwise, there’s the trailer and a still gallery.
Closing Thoughts
Interesting, boring and offensive simultaneously, this is an odd little piece of preserved exploitation history.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary
- Still Gallery
- Trailer
