Fathom (1967)
7/10
screen goddess
15 January 2017
I am often dismayed when a movie starts with a title sequence showing a drab black background and then those white lettering that seems to last for hours. This one kicks off with a glorious establishing shot of its leading lady, instantly telling everybody that they are watching (arguably, but quite likely) the most beautiful girl in the world (at that time, at least) by showing us her lightly- clad body lying prone as she is busying herself... hammering that thing into the ground? Why??? Do I care??? Those long, long legs... barefoot... nice slinky hands, cute feet... the face that must have meant EVERYTHING to men's dreams back then...

As RavenGlamDVDCollector, I have obtained several of her movies, most notable is HANNIE CAULDER, which isn't a good movie, not by a long shot really, but there are some highly memorable scenes in which she is just perfect, and MYRA BRECKENRIDGE, which is very unusual, with a shaky premise, and is mostly claptrap. But it featured the trailer* of this one, with that self-same leggy scene as its opening shot as well, and I took one look and quickly couldn't really care less about MYRA BRECKENRIDGE, had to, had to have FATHOM.

I could of course quickly judge that FATHOM is equally far, far away from being a good movie. But Raquel's built-for- bikini figure makes up for any other on-screen shortcomings. Would I watch a 1967 movie with an unlikely plot had some serious actress of that time been featured? No of course not. But Raquel's got the kind of curves that are in considerable danger of becoming extinct. Nowadays girls with this kind of figure are invariably only surgically- "enhanced" and that is oh-so-creepy with the scars and everything to prove it. Raquel back then is representative of not only the phenomenon that she was, but of a whole bygone era, a time when purity still meant something, when there was more pride taken in one's person, instead of the sacrileges nowadays committed so flippantly without thought.

*trailer has the very best glam shots in it, makes a fine little capsule, I had my doubts whether the movie could surpass it (of course that leggy scene at the beginning is far extended in the opening titles of the flick)

So, I don't even pretend to care about this movie's story-line, hell, it's a mess that gets worse every second it meanders in its lopsided way, hoo boy... but all-natural Raquel is a feast for the eyes. And there is a lot of her on show, plenty of times...

Guys, I don't have to say anymore, do I?
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