Lialeh (1974)
*** (out of 4)
Arlo (Lawrence Pertillar) is trying to put on an erotic number on the New York City stage but just can't find the right actress. That all changes when Lialeh (Jennifer Leigh) comes in.
You never quite know what you're in for whenever you watch a film that you have zero information on and I must say that LIALEH was quite an eye-opener to say the least. I'm honestly not sure why the film isn't better known because it's pretty much an insane little picture that packs a lot into its short 71-minute running time. Writer/Director Barron Bercovichy would only have this credit to his name and the same is true for the two leads. Today the film's main claim to fame are the songs and music by Bernard Purdie.
There's quite a bit going on in this film and it's just downright bonkers at times. This includes a crazy white chick who wants to bang Arlo and he gives her some meat alright but not what she was expected. Out of nowhere comes a scene inside a church where a preacher hurts his penis but thankfully two ladies are there to help. You've got Arlo and Lialeh doing some phone sex, which is overheard by two female operators who immediately can't take it and have some lesbian sex. You've got a loser who went to bang a chick only to discover she had a dick. Then, we come to the ending, which I won't reveal anything about.
Technically speaking the film isn't all that well-made and there's no logical plot going on. The film seems to have been made on the fly with things just being made up and thrown in as they went along. I thought the two leads were decent for what they were asked to do but there's no question that it's the title track as well as the music that really steals the picture. LIALEH is pretty much a crazy little picture that takes you on bizarre place after another. This was advertised as the first black XXX musical ever made and that alone is cool but it doesn't prepare you for what's actually in the film.
*** (out of 4)
Arlo (Lawrence Pertillar) is trying to put on an erotic number on the New York City stage but just can't find the right actress. That all changes when Lialeh (Jennifer Leigh) comes in.
You never quite know what you're in for whenever you watch a film that you have zero information on and I must say that LIALEH was quite an eye-opener to say the least. I'm honestly not sure why the film isn't better known because it's pretty much an insane little picture that packs a lot into its short 71-minute running time. Writer/Director Barron Bercovichy would only have this credit to his name and the same is true for the two leads. Today the film's main claim to fame are the songs and music by Bernard Purdie.
There's quite a bit going on in this film and it's just downright bonkers at times. This includes a crazy white chick who wants to bang Arlo and he gives her some meat alright but not what she was expected. Out of nowhere comes a scene inside a church where a preacher hurts his penis but thankfully two ladies are there to help. You've got Arlo and Lialeh doing some phone sex, which is overheard by two female operators who immediately can't take it and have some lesbian sex. You've got a loser who went to bang a chick only to discover she had a dick. Then, we come to the ending, which I won't reveal anything about.
Technically speaking the film isn't all that well-made and there's no logical plot going on. The film seems to have been made on the fly with things just being made up and thrown in as they went along. I thought the two leads were decent for what they were asked to do but there's no question that it's the title track as well as the music that really steals the picture. LIALEH is pretty much a crazy little picture that takes you on bizarre place after another. This was advertised as the first black XXX musical ever made and that alone is cool but it doesn't prepare you for what's actually in the film.