Jack (1973) (66 minutes running time; original 82 minutes? possibly “the Rambles” scene missing or cut?) The version here is from Quality X, so I’m surprised it’s missing footage!
Director: John Stephens
(here’s the larger file, which I will keep up for awhile – Jack 1.1 gb download – in case anyone wants to download/keep it).
Starring: Dano Martin (Jack), Bob Jones (Henry in the apartment), Leo Link (Lonny in the dream), Bob Benelli (Danny the shoeshine boy), Phil D’Angelo (Glen the lover) and Robert Lamb (Roger in the park)
original music score by The Beautiful People.
OK OK OK – how long has this been in the drafts folder, waiting for me to edit the below review that I forgot to note who wrote it and where it appeared??? grrrrrr – so now, do I leave the entire review, or..
and… I have not actually looked at the film, except enough to get some screen grabs… feedback appreciated, including what’s hot, what’s not in the film.
trivia – partially shot at New York’s legendary Continental Baths; and the second cameraman: A VERY NATURAL THING director, Christopher Larkin.
“Jack is a young Manhattan executive who has the hots for his upstairs neighbor, a man whose attention is concentrated on his wife and child.
oops – I can’t recall where I got this long quote from – if you know, let me know and I can give credit!
Producer-director-writer John Stephens has laid a heavy helping of his own poetry over one of the major sex scenes and, in addition, taped a conversation with two voices and has it competing on the soundtrack with visuals of an obviously different conversation between two actors in a park. Consequently, we hear people talking when no lips are moving, and see lips moving but hear no voices. It’s confusing to say the least – not knowing whether to pay attention to the screen action or try to get the gist of the soundtrack discussion.
The poetry reading completely destroys any eroticism the sex scene might have had because the sentiments being expressed are not conveyed by the screen action. Quite the opposite. The words are sugary romantic, and the sex depicted anything but. Audiences for this type of film do not want a lot of talking during the sex.
Stephens has also recreated the dinner scene from TOM JONES, a bad idea since nothing can ever equal the original. However, there is some interesting photography, particularly of the Central Park Rambles and the Continental Baths.
They did come up with something original though, a scene of Jack masturbating in a bathtub, with the camera poking underwater to catch the action closeup. Terry Charles has done a good tight job of editing the sex but falls short on the outdoor stuff, which is just a beat too slow in following Jack’s progress walking the streets and park.”
