SCHLOCK! THE SECRET HISTORY OF AMERICAN MOVIES (2001) ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: Ray Greene
An affectionate, informative look at the evolution of exploitation films from the late '40s through the late '60s, from lurid tracts on the dangers of dope and VD through low-budget horror and sci-fi, "cuties" and "roughies," gore fests, nudist-camp romps and biker flicks. The clips are great, and the witness gallery includes such B-movie legends as Samuel Arkoff, Roger Corman, Harry Novak, David Friedman, Doris Wishman and more. The movie thankfully doesn't take itself too seriously, while providing a fair amount of insight into the social conditions that led to a demand for these kinds of films, and the methods and motives of those who made and marketed them. If you're old enough to remember when movies like "Dragstrip Girl", "Nude On the Moon", "Confessions of a Psycho Cat" and "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein" played at the local drive-in, or if you're just interested in exploitation's golden age, this is worth checking out.
David F. Friedman
(1923-2011)
