Let's get something out of the way right now: 'The Stud' is garbage and doesn't really pretend to be anything more. It is one of the last in an assembly line of mainstream skin flicks that graced Britain and America during the 1970s, finding its place beside 'Come Play with Me,' the Timothy Lea 'Confessions' series, and the many installments of 'Carry On.' In 1978 and '79, bestselling novelist Jackie Collins took advantage of her success to film two adaptations, 'The Stud' and its sequel 'The Bitch.' Older sister Joan Collins, who dealt closely with Jackie at the time, agreed to play her starring role with backing from producer-husband Ronald Kass and Jackie's late husband Oscar Lerman. The rest, we can say, is history; resulting were two incredibly bad films, but also the prototype for Joan Collins's role of Alexis Carrington on the TV series 'Dynasty.'
Released in a burnt-out period of drugs and debauchery, 'The Stud' was very much of its time and an ideal vehicle for adult cinemas. But unlike its successor 'The Bitch,' this earlier film has a semblance of plot, more dimensional characters, and technical work that is not completely awful. The novel and movie use a theme of obvious appeal to working-class men by portraying a young upstart who is eking his way into the social classes that reign above him. This cardboard plot at least makes 'The Stud' watchable, with loads of nudity and cheap, gratuitous moments to wake you from slumber.
While Collins is first-billed as nightclub owner Fontaine Khaled, it is really Oliver Tobias who holds the larger role, playing waiter-turned-club manager Tony Blake. Blake, who doubles as a gigolo and lover of Fontaine, portrays the working-class man who is looking to break through England's social rigidity. He hobnobs and often sleeps with upper-class clientele, prostituting his body and his dignity in order to get places. Tony is pretty much a toy of Fontaine and her friend Vanessa (Sue Lloyd), two married women who escape boredom through orgies and videotapes of their conquests. Fontaine's current husband Benjamin (Walter Gotell) brings onto the scene Alexandra (Emma Jacobs), his daughter from a previous marriage, and Tony begins to have second thoughts about his way of life.
'The Stud' indeed has the look and feel of a cheap romance novel, but it actually had some things going for it when Jackie Collins began to write its screenplay. While Tony Blake is a disgusting man and can be labeled a pervert for bedding Fontaine's just-legal stepdaughter, there is a small amount of depth in his character and we get to know something about him personally. In an odd way, he represents the working-class Briton (or American for that matter) who wants desperately to live a comfortable life, but is inevitably crushed under the weight of those with larger bank accounts and better heredity. In the end, Blake loses everything, with an ease that working-class men can relate too.
However, Collins (with co-writers Dave Humphries and Christopher Stagg) knew the market she was aiming for and kept things mostly on an airheaded level. There is very little plot and dialogue for the actors to work with, resulting in all-around embarrassment. Tobias and Joan Collins fare decently, as does Emma Jacobs in the stepdaughter's role, but everyone is visibly straining to put life into their material. 'The Stud' is so gutted over its 96-minute running time that director Quentin Masters had to cushion the story with nightclub dancing, even though it offers nothing significant. Masters, who may have been under severe budget constraints, directed this film in ways that are laughable. Scenes supposedly taking place at night are botched by windows leaking daylight and it takes half the film to notice a heart-shaped antenna on Blake's roadster, which would have been valuable in showing Blake for the gaudy, tasteless character he is. The sex scene with Tobias and Jacobs (she's about 19, don't forget) is also cheap and exploitative.
'The Stud' is clearly a low-budget film, with tight locations, bad lighting, and poor sound. The disco soundtrack, hyped to the stratosphere when this film was released, comes out blasting while much of the fluffy conversation is drowned out. The cinematography was actually supplied by Peter Hannan, who won an Academy Award in 2006 for co-developing the 'Hot-Head' remote camera. Not surprisingly, The Stud's visuals are superior to that of 'The Bitch' and generally okay, using the darkened gloss that seems common in British film-making. The costuming is ordinary, but a lasing document on 1970s clothing sense - or lack thereof.
Unlike other British skin flicks that played in cinemas and vanished, 'The Stud' and 'The Bitch' are still topics of discussion; few, if any, actors have tumbled into the depths of soft porn and risen back to stardom like Joan Collins has. Where else, after all, can we see a popular actress like Joan stripping down naked, smoking marijuana, and flinging herself into the thick of a pool orgy? When do we ever hear a popular actress like Joan asking her boyfriend if he's getting an erection? In interviews, Collins admits that 'The Stud' led to her famous Dynasty role, but this is still one film she'd like humanity to forget.
Unfortunately for her, 'The Stud' has made it to DVD, released in the U.S. by Trinity Home Entertainment. As expected for a movie of this caliber, it is presented in fullscreen with decent picture and 2.0 Dolby audio that does nothing to resolve the imbalance between music and spoken words. As if people are buying this for the great narratives! The fact is, Joan is nude and nasty - and people have money to spend.
* out of 4
Roving Reviewer - www.geocities.com/paul_johnr
Released in a burnt-out period of drugs and debauchery, 'The Stud' was very much of its time and an ideal vehicle for adult cinemas. But unlike its successor 'The Bitch,' this earlier film has a semblance of plot, more dimensional characters, and technical work that is not completely awful. The novel and movie use a theme of obvious appeal to working-class men by portraying a young upstart who is eking his way into the social classes that reign above him. This cardboard plot at least makes 'The Stud' watchable, with loads of nudity and cheap, gratuitous moments to wake you from slumber.
While Collins is first-billed as nightclub owner Fontaine Khaled, it is really Oliver Tobias who holds the larger role, playing waiter-turned-club manager Tony Blake. Blake, who doubles as a gigolo and lover of Fontaine, portrays the working-class man who is looking to break through England's social rigidity. He hobnobs and often sleeps with upper-class clientele, prostituting his body and his dignity in order to get places. Tony is pretty much a toy of Fontaine and her friend Vanessa (Sue Lloyd), two married women who escape boredom through orgies and videotapes of their conquests. Fontaine's current husband Benjamin (Walter Gotell) brings onto the scene Alexandra (Emma Jacobs), his daughter from a previous marriage, and Tony begins to have second thoughts about his way of life.
'The Stud' indeed has the look and feel of a cheap romance novel, but it actually had some things going for it when Jackie Collins began to write its screenplay. While Tony Blake is a disgusting man and can be labeled a pervert for bedding Fontaine's just-legal stepdaughter, there is a small amount of depth in his character and we get to know something about him personally. In an odd way, he represents the working-class Briton (or American for that matter) who wants desperately to live a comfortable life, but is inevitably crushed under the weight of those with larger bank accounts and better heredity. In the end, Blake loses everything, with an ease that working-class men can relate too.
However, Collins (with co-writers Dave Humphries and Christopher Stagg) knew the market she was aiming for and kept things mostly on an airheaded level. There is very little plot and dialogue for the actors to work with, resulting in all-around embarrassment. Tobias and Joan Collins fare decently, as does Emma Jacobs in the stepdaughter's role, but everyone is visibly straining to put life into their material. 'The Stud' is so gutted over its 96-minute running time that director Quentin Masters had to cushion the story with nightclub dancing, even though it offers nothing significant. Masters, who may have been under severe budget constraints, directed this film in ways that are laughable. Scenes supposedly taking place at night are botched by windows leaking daylight and it takes half the film to notice a heart-shaped antenna on Blake's roadster, which would have been valuable in showing Blake for the gaudy, tasteless character he is. The sex scene with Tobias and Jacobs (she's about 19, don't forget) is also cheap and exploitative.
'The Stud' is clearly a low-budget film, with tight locations, bad lighting, and poor sound. The disco soundtrack, hyped to the stratosphere when this film was released, comes out blasting while much of the fluffy conversation is drowned out. The cinematography was actually supplied by Peter Hannan, who won an Academy Award in 2006 for co-developing the 'Hot-Head' remote camera. Not surprisingly, The Stud's visuals are superior to that of 'The Bitch' and generally okay, using the darkened gloss that seems common in British film-making. The costuming is ordinary, but a lasing document on 1970s clothing sense - or lack thereof.
Unlike other British skin flicks that played in cinemas and vanished, 'The Stud' and 'The Bitch' are still topics of discussion; few, if any, actors have tumbled into the depths of soft porn and risen back to stardom like Joan Collins has. Where else, after all, can we see a popular actress like Joan stripping down naked, smoking marijuana, and flinging herself into the thick of a pool orgy? When do we ever hear a popular actress like Joan asking her boyfriend if he's getting an erection? In interviews, Collins admits that 'The Stud' led to her famous Dynasty role, but this is still one film she'd like humanity to forget.
Unfortunately for her, 'The Stud' has made it to DVD, released in the U.S. by Trinity Home Entertainment. As expected for a movie of this caliber, it is presented in fullscreen with decent picture and 2.0 Dolby audio that does nothing to resolve the imbalance between music and spoken words. As if people are buying this for the great narratives! The fact is, Joan is nude and nasty - and people have money to spend.
* out of 4
Roving Reviewer - www.geocities.com/paul_johnr