Secrets Of A Door To Door Salesman (1973/Network U.K./Region Free/Zero/0/PAL DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: D Film: C
PLEASE NOTE: This DVD set can only be
operated on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region Free/Zero/0/PAL
format software and can be ordered from our friends at Network U.K. at the
website address provided at the end of the review or at finer retailers.
In what
starts out as a sex comedy with much nudity, Director Joseph McGrath (of the
1967 Casino Royale) and Denis Norden
(as Roy Nicholas) wrote the screenplay for Secrets
Of A Door-To-Door Salesman (1973), but McGrath did not direct it. Jonathan Demme (Silence Of The Lambs) directed the opening sequence but not the
film either, so that was left to Wolf Rilla (the original Village Of The Damned) who handles the racier material with comic
flare. Unfortunately, it eventually
becomes like a bad TV sitcom and even a sappy love story, though there is still
plenty of nudity and sex to the extent that it will surprise more conservative
viewers.
The fact
of the matter is, the film is at its best when it has fun with the newly found
freedom over sexuality and knows how to run with it. Unfortunately, it eventually collapses into
something like a Carry On film and
never totally recovers. Still, I like
the cast including Brendan Price as the often nude title character, but not
enough was made of some of the funnier situations making so much a missed
opportunity here. The film is also a
time capsule of a better time in the U.K. and U.S. and the various ladies who
also turn up nude throughout are funny, look good and give entertaining
performances that help save this from its later formula approach. They are enough to make this indie production
worth a look.
The 1.33
X 1 image is a soft matte frame that cuts very nicely into 1.78 X 1 on 16 X 9
widescreen TVs. The image is too soft
throughout, though some shots are purposely diffused (especially when the women
are nude, which is a nice plus here) and color is a highlight that is on the
consistent side. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
is also down a generation or two and you should be careful about switching and
playback volumes. The music of the time,
including the title song, are funny.
There are no extras, but the ad campaign alone must have been very
interesting.
As noted above, you can order this PAL DVD import
exclusively from Network U.K. at:
http://www.networkdvd.net/
or
www.networkdvd.co.uk
- Nicholas Sheffo
