(Ray Greene, 2001).
A documentary about US exploitation films from the 50s and 60s. Has the usual fringe-film-doc dilemma, in that it, quite naturally, focuses heavily on the exploiteers who were willing to be interviewed. This of course means that it can study its subjects – Roger Corman, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Harry Novak, &c – in quite some depth, but it also means that it ignores a lot of key figures and films. Which is only to be expected; no one documentary can encompass all exploitation cinema. The film also has a tendency to go on the defensive about the artistic significance of some films, which hurts its credibility.
Overall though, it’s an enjoyable and informative documentary about one of the key eras of exploitation film. I wish it had been an hour longer so it could’ve covered the 70s and 80s, but you can’t get everything. Good documentary, highly recommended. (Also, Maila Nurmi looks good for 80, as you’d expect from a woman who used to call herself “Vampira”.)
