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Abigail
Leslie is Back in Town
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Review
by
Brian Lindsey
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6
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8 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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SNEAK
PREVIEW
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DVD Release Date: Jan.
24, 2006 |
The
return of a scandalous young woman to a small
seaside community triggers an explosion of lust
and sexual desire
in Joe Sarno's erotically-charged soap opera,
Abigail Leslie is Back in
Town.
Abigail
(Sarah Nicholson) left quiet little Baypoint some
two years earlier after being caught
in bed with a married man. Now she's back and
shameless as ever, rekindling old flames and sparking
new ones. Friends and acquaintances from high
school, the next door neighbor, a handyman —
her appetites are voracious, unapologetic and
completely guilt-free. Former peers who once looked
down their noses at the 'town slut' are inexorably
drawn into Abigail's sensual web, attracted by
her unrepentant hedonism like moths to a flame.
They fast develop a taste for the forbidden fruits
she offers...
Swimming
against the tide of the new permissiveness heralded
by 1972's Deep Throat,
writer-director Joe Sarno (Inga)
persisted in bringing higher quality softcore
films to an ever-diminishing, increasingly jaded
audience. In his filmmaking philosophy, a much
deeper eroticism is to be found in the face
of a woman experiencing orgasm than any gynecological/penetration
shot could ever hope to convey. This concept holds
full sway in Abigail Leslie,
as does Sarno's favorite topic —
the sexual secrets and sinful fantasies of middle
class suburbia, with a strong emphasis on the
female characters. His main vessel for exploring
these themes is Priscilla, played by Rebecca Brooke
(AKA Mary Mendum —
her real name — of
Radley Metzger's The
Image). Priscilla has the most to fear from
Abigail's return. Husband Gordon (Jamie Gillis)
cheated on her with Abigail and she's worried
that hubby will pick up where he left off with
his former mistress. Priscilla's suspicions prove
to be well-founded. With Gordon's renewed infidelity
she begins to examine the unspoken truth of the
platonic friendship she shares with kindhearted
Chester (Eric Edwards), a relationship which either
of them had previously not dared take any further.
At the same time Priscilla finds herself drawn
into Abigail's orbit... Rather than feeling jealousy
and hatred towards her, she surrenders to the
allure of her erstwhile rival's sexually liberated
lifestyle. The two even become lovers.
Brooke
has to carry much of the film's acting load —
Abigail Leslie is
really about the emotionally torn Priscilla and
not the titular character. She's certainly up
to the task. Sarno was indeed lucky to find a
performer who was not just a good actress but
also one who could be uninhibited — enthusiastic
even — in the sex scenes, and who, says assistant
director Peggy Sarno in the DVD's featurette (see
below), had "beautiful breasts" to boot.
It's easy to see why parts were written specifically
with her in mind for subsequent Sarno projects.
Brooke is never less than convincing, in or out
of clothes; without her presence the film would
suffer considerably.
The other
actresses, including Nicholson, may not be conventional
sexploitation bimbos (at least not by today's
standards) but this only adds an element of realism
to the sordid little soap opera. Cast members
hailing from the world of hardcore porn (Gillis,
Edwards, Jennifer Welles) seem grateful for the
opportunity to actually act for once instead
of just fuck. This isn't to say the film is more
talk than action, for while it may start out a
bit slow the second half is practically wall-to-wall
trysting, often involving group activities. (Yes,
that's Sonny Landham —
Indian scout "Billy" from Predator
— as Jennifer
Welles' accommodating boyfriend.) Sarno's 'hard
R' sex scenes are well choreographed/lensed and
genuinely stimulating,
where in another director's hands they'd be clumsy,
silly, or just plain dull. His secret formula?
Even though the majority of his films aren't hardcore,
Sarno always encouraged his actors to really have
sex if they felt like it — and many did.
As a
'70s time capsule with some hot softcore sex sessions
and a strong central performance by the beguiling
Rebecca Brooke, this one's worth checking out.
If you're the kind who insists on bikini waxed
babes and their perfectly symmetrical landing
strips, however, then you'll probably want to
pass.
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Retro-Seduction Cinema's
forthcoming DVD edition marks the first time this
film has ever really been seen by anyone, much
less available on home video. The print (letterboxed
at 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced),
which uses the alternate title spelling "Lesley",
isn't exactly flawless —
there's a bit of minor damage and dirt here and
there — but looks
remarkably good all things considered; the screenshots
accompanying this review should provide ample
testimony to the transfer's sharp image and vivid
colors. The disc's
Dolby mono audio track
does a reasonably effective job of clearly conveying
the dialog and music, not to mention the various
moans and squeaking furniture sounds.
An audio commentary
with Joe Sarno, sexploitation film historian Michael
J. Bowen and E.I. honcho Michael Raso is provided
but sad to say it's pretty much a blown opportunity.
For one thing, Sarno (now in his 80s) doesn't
really remember a whole lot; instead he discusses
his general philosophy of erotic filmmaking. Additionally,
the sound recording for the session is poor, with
all but Sarno quite hard to hear. A 6-minute interview
featurette helps atone for this debacle; in it,
Sarno and wife/AD Peggy touch on the film's shooting
location (in Amityville, New York, just a few
streets over from the infamous "Amityville
Horror House") but mostly concern themselves
with thoughts on the cast, principally Brooke
and Landham. An all-Sarno trailer vault is also
offered — 11 trailers in all, covering 10 films.
These include The
Seduction of Inga, Laura's
Toys, Vampire
Ecstasy (AKA Veil Of Blood),
Misty (1976, sharing
the same locale and much of the cast of Abigail
Leslie), and the DTV feature that marked
Sarno's recent return to the director's chair
after a 20-year absence, Suburban
Secrets. An informative liner notes
booklet, with text by Bowen, recovers the ball
fumbled by the commentary and scores.
1/03/06
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