Exploitation Film of the Month

"I'd climb aboard a porcupine if it struck my fancy."

 A new month has finally arrived and James and I wasted no time in heading down to our favourite video store and purchasing this month's flick, Score. There were a lot of choices but this film just couldn't be ignored and with a recommendation from Cinema Sewer (a filthy, independently produced movie magazine written and illustrated by one of the guys at the video store), we knew it would be worth checking out!

Radley Metzger directs 1972's Score (was released in the US in 1974) based off a 1971 off-Broadway play of the same title, written by Jerry Douglas (who also wrote for the film). This piece of "high class erotica" is just one of many directed by Radley Metzger, having directed over 20 of these films between 1961 and 1984. After checking this film out (and seeing a couple of previews on the DVD extras) I definitely want to check out some more of his work.


Score tells the story of a swinging married couple, Elvira (Claire Wilbur who reprises her role from the Broadway production) and Jack (Gerald Grant) who have a sexual appetite for men, couples, telephone repairmen- you name it! Elvira, somewhat bored with their usual hookups, and looking for a bit of a challenge, decides to seduce an innocent younger couple, Betsey (Lynn Lowry of The Crazies, I Drink Your Blood) and Eddie (Calvin Culver gay XXX icon) and make a bet out of it. You see, they have this little game where they find a couple (or individual) that catches their fancy and one of them is challenged to seduce them within a 6-month time limit. It's sort of unclear about what happens when they lose but that isn't really the point.

Elvira is quite the sex pot. She goes out in a trench coat, wearing nothing under it, and parades around the house in a sheer house coat. You can tell that Claire Wilbur knows this character inside and out and everything about her exudes confidence and sexuality. She starts off "operation music box", as the humorously innocent sounding narrator puts it, seducing a telephone repairmen(Carl Parker who has only 4 acting credits, two of which being Radley Metzger films) in front of Betsey while Jack is at work. Poor, naive Betsey is a little shocked by this, thanks to her Catholic upbringing, and tries to feign sickness when her and Eddie are expected to be over for dinner that night.

After she shows up, wearing white lace practically up to her eyeballs, Jack and Elvira start their conquest. They begin by getting the couple to relax with a bit of pot (from their pepper grinder!) and innocent little Betsey, who's never done any drugs, keeps asking "am I stoned yet?". After a bit of "Chopsticks" on the piano from the ladies, and inhibitions lowered, a costume trunk is brought out. Jack reveals how he wishes he had been a sailor, goading Betsey into revealing that she wishes she had been a model and Eddie a cowboy. The two men don possibly the most homoerotic outfits you could pick, Betsey a very minimal black lace number and Elvira comes out in a rather revealing nun outfit, emitting the response of "Jesus Christ" from Betsey.

It's certainly on now as the clock ticks closer and closer to midnight and if they're going to score, they're going to have to do it soon!This leads to splitting up the couples, Elvira with Betsey and Jack with Eddie, and after some heart to hearts (Betsey confesses her marriage issues and suspicions of Eddie's sexuality) and some poppers, it doesn't take long for both of them to score!



It's a simple story with humorous and campy dialogue delivered in the best way that it can be by it's actors, despite being a little stiff at times. It's a bit talky but the pacing is very quick and smooth. Each of them seemed to have a strong sense of who their characters were and played them convincingly. And let's face it, it's a movie about sex and having fun so we're not expecting top notch acting and dialogue here. We also see a subtle degradation of religious views into sexual exploration which leads to the glorious and freeing transformation of Betsey.

The erotic aspects of the film are noticeably uneven. The sex scenes between the two women are never more than a softcore skin flick and camera tricks playing off the mirrors to make it look like the women are touching more than they are. I discovered that this was due to hostility between the two actresses off screen, apparently because of Lynn Lowry making more money. This unfortunately ruins their chemistry and makes their scenes together look a bit silly. The scenes with guys however, are very explicit and quite raw. Little is left to the imagination as we see the men engaging in actual felatio, sitting on the edge between soft and hardcore (no worries, there's no penetration or ejaculation). I think Metzger's exploration in homosexuality and not holding back is commendable and genuinely erotic.

All of this is of course aided by the bright colours and fun camerawork. It's all very tastefully shot and paired with a mixed and amusing soundtrack ranging from strange flute to the somewhat horrible but catchy uncredited song "Where is the Girl" the reoccurs throughout the film and switches to "Where is the Boy" at the end. There are also plenty of gorgeous shots of the village of Bakar, Croatia where the movie was filmed, or as they liked to call it "Leisure City".

Score is a great mix of sex and comedy and has such a delightfully cheery ending. Everything about it is just so upbeat, fun and sexy! Though it may not be for everyone, it is the perfect example of "high class eroticism" and is undeniably enjoyable to watch (It's just too bad the carefree notions of the film didn't foster more safe sex all around as both Grant and Culver died of complications related to HIV/AIDS). I think we made a good pick for this month!