The Alley Cats

Starring:Anne Arthur, Sabrina Koch, Karin Field, Charlie Hickman, Harald Baerow, Uta Levka
Director: Radley Metzger
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

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Therese and Isabelle
Radley Metzger's most acclaimed film is a melancholy tale of a woman wandering through the landscape of her memory to relive the joys and sorrows of the first love of her adolescence. We flash back on the young Therese (Essy Persson), who has grown up as the only person in her single mother's life, but due to her mother's abrupt marriage she has now been banished from the family home to a finishing school. Feeling abandoned, Therese becomes friends with the vivacious and lively Isabelle (Anna Gaël), but their relationship grows past friendship to love, and together they taste the forbidden fruit of sex. Based on the autobiographical novel Le Batarde by Violette Leduc, Metzger's handsome black-and-white film (elegantly shot by Hans Jura) is constructed as a prismatic set of flashbacks, constructed not in chronological order but rather along thematic lines, intercut with the adult Therese revisiting the ghosts of her past in the now-deserted school. The tasteful restraint of the first half gives way to discreet sexual explorations and finally nudity, which may be troubling to some viewers in light of the age of the characters (who are played by adults), but Metzger never exploits the situation. The poignant scenes have a tenderness and raw emotion that captures the mix of excitement, fear, and confusion of adolescence, and ultimately the film becomes about the tragedy of loss that continues to haunt the adult Therese.

Camille 2000
Radley Metzger's erotic take on Alexandre Dumas fils' tragedy The Lady of the Camellias is a hedonistic journey into decadence among the chic world of upper-crust Rome. Marguerite (Danièle Gaubert) lives off the gifts and good graces of an elderly sugar-daddy count, treating love as a game and sex as a pastime (she is "discriminating but not particular," in the words of one rival). Sweet-faced innocent Armand (Nino Castelnuovo), a young bachelor newly arrived in Rome, courts the comely beauty and wins her heart, and together they live a fairy-tale romance--until his father intervenes and Marguerite (already conveniently dying of one of those afflictions that strikes gorgeous young women who flirt out of their class) selflessly leaves Armand to his greater fate and sinks into a haze of drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous abandonment. Metzger's romantic tragedy is a fleshy delight--the camera lovingly caresses every voluptuous curve of Gaubert's face and body--with a surprisingly restrained display of nudity. Lushly photographing in seductive color in the elegant mansions of Rome, Metzger cranks up the kink in one scene, a party set in a prison turned pleasure house where dates are chained together and couples retire to a cell for privacy, but balances the erotic decadence with tasteful restraint. The art direction and cinematography are so rich that, apart from the magnetic Miss Gaubert, the characters are constantly in danger of being overwhelmed by their surroundings. But little matter--if the tragedy is less than devastating, the realization is delightfully tactile and alive.

The Alley Cats
The success of Radley Metzger's smooth, stylish erotic bonbon The Dirty Girls inspired him to try something a little more ambitious. The Alley Cats is the simple story of Leslie (petite, big-eyed brunette Anna Arthur), a frustrated young woman in the European jet set ignored by her fiancé, Logan. When she discovers he's in the middle of an affair with her best friend, Leslie decides to have a few dalliances of her own. To her surprise, she falls for a beautiful, seductive socialite and is suddenly confronted with a choice she never expected to face. Daring in its time, it feels rather dated today, as the decadent display of sexual freedom collapses in a conclusion grounded in conventional attitudes. But until then it's a lusty yet sleek look at swinging '60s Europe shot on gorgeous locations and in chic, elegantly furnished apartments in cool, crisp black-and-white widescreen, enlivened by a funky rock and jazz-influenced score. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Three erotic Radley Metzger classics in one box set : THERESE & ISABELLE, CAMILLE 2000, THE ALLEY CATS

Customer Reviews:

Should be PG.......2005-09-15

I read the reviews before buying this DVD and they gave me a completly different type of movie than what I saw. I have seen more nudity and adult mateial in a PG rated movie. You cost me badly, now I don't know what I will do with them, because I will never watch them again. Thanks for nothing.

The Films Are Classics, The Transfers Are Marginal.......2005-05-04

Own these films individually on DVD from Image Entertainment. Nice to have them in boxed sets like this though I must let Metzger fans know that the transfers from First Run are not as good as the Image versions. Where the Image versions are color saturated and sharp, the First Run transfers have murky, faded out color and soft pictures.

Still, for the price, these boxed sets aren't a bad buy.

Average customer rating:

The best Metzger I've seen
Cut! Cut! Cut!
This movie was severely edited. It crippled the film

The Alley Cats
Starring: Anne Arthur , Sabrina Koch , Karin Field , Charlie Hickman , and Harald Baerow
Director: Radley Metzger
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00000JWWS
Release Date: 1999-12-07

Amazon.com

The success of Radley Metzger's smooth, stylish erotic bonbon The Dirty Girls inspired him to try something a little more ambitious. The Alley Cats is the simple story of Leslie (petite, big-eyed brunette Anna Arthur), a frustrated young woman in the European jet set ignored by her fiancé, Logan. When she discovers he's in the middle of an affair with her best friend, Leslie decides to have a few dalliances of her own. To her surprise, she falls for a beautiful, seductive socialite and is suddenly confronted with a choice she never expected to face. Daring in its time, it feels rather dated today, as the decadent display of sexual freedom collapses in a conclusion grounded in conventional attitudes. But until then it's a lusty yet sleek look at swinging '60s Europe shot on gorgeous locations and in chic, elegantly furnished apartments in cool, crisp black-and-white widescreen, enlivened by a funky rock and jazz-influenced score. --Sean Axmaker

Description

The swinging sixties like you've never seen them...When Leslie, a member of Europe's wealthy, young, swinging set, feels ignored by her cheating fiance, Logan, she decides to do some swinging herself. Her first lover, the suave, debonair Christian, pleases her greatly, but is soon called away on business. Frustrated, Leslie responds to the advances of a beautiful lesbian socialite. Now she must choose between fiance Logan and her awakening lesbian feelings.

Customer Reviews:

The best Metzger I've seen.......2005-04-08

First of all, in response to one of the other reviews here, I don't see what's wrong with the wide-screen at all. I mean, they could've done pan and scan or some such thing, but why should they??

Secondly, I got the impression that the said cuts were probably made by censors back in the 60's, or the actual production or distribution company (in the 60's) for whom Metzger was working. The trailer included on the DVD does include some extra shots and stills, but we are talking about a trailer here... they were probably trying to cheat people into going to see the film by using a little bit of the juicier material which had been cut from the actual film. There are a couple of (very brief) censored nude shots included in the special features on the DVD (unfortunately none of these feature the alluring brunette Anne Arthur). The film would be a little bit more enticing with these shots edited back in, but it wouldn't make a tremendous difference...

Anyway, I quite enjoyed the film -- much more than Therese and Isabelle, which seems to be trying very hard to be the "serious" art film which it is not (I actually bought a copy of Therese and Isabelle, watched it twice, then threw it away because I thought it was so flat and pretentious...). The Alley Cats is a lot more sassy, and doesn't try to take itself seriously at all. Anne Arthur is extremely alluring too, much more than the vapid blondes who play the "seductresses" in the film. It is all PG13 type material with the nude scenes having been removed, but it's a naughty and fun film nonetheless.

Cut! Cut! Cut!.......2000-04-17

Don't bother with this! The movie had been cut to pieces in the transfer. The trailer at the end shows you how much is missing.

This movie was severely edited. It crippled the film.......1999-11-11

This movie which I had seen originally in 1995 was ahead of its time. It was sensual, erotic and far surpassed what we have today. The copy or remake was a complete disappointment as the erotic scenes were eliminated and the wide screen idea was a disaster. The trailer(still scenes) at the end of the movie would have you believe this vhs could have been remade using the original movie with full screen. I would suggest it be redone unedited and with full screen. Truly, the copy I have is a complete disappointment

Average customer rating:

Alley Cats
Starring: Anne Arthur , Karen Field , and Sabrina Koch
Director: Radley Metzger
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000CCD1XO
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Description

The swinging Sixties have never looked so sexy, fun and erotic as in Radley Metzger's second solo feature The Alley Cats! When Leslie, a member of Europe's wealthy swinging set, feels ignored by her fiancee Logan (who is in the midst of a tempestuous affair with Leslie's friend Agnes) she decides to do some swinging herself. Her first lover, the suave, debonair Christian, pleases her greatly, but is soon called away on business. Frustrated, Leslie responds to the advances of Irena, a beautiful lesbian socialite. Soon she must choose between her fiancee Logan and her awakened lesbian feelings. This newly remastered video, presented in widescreen Ultrascope, features a scintillating, jazzy lounge music soundtrack and the original theatrical trailer.

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