In a sentence
Women’s top ten sexual fantasies are
erotically and comically acted out and are introduced by a wacky German doctor.
Principals
Director: Richard Bruce
Producer: Anthony I. Ginnane
Cinematography: Vincent Monton
Writer: Ross Dimsey
Cast:
John Holmes, Rene Bond, Uschi Digard
About the film
Fantasm is essentially soft-core
pornography but with a comedic touch.
The tone of the film is established in the opening
credit sequence. A close up of woman’s breast is shown as she rubs her nipple. As
she touches her crotch Professor Notafreud steps into frame and addresses the audience directly. The woman is
surprised by his presence and slinks off (presumably to finish masturbating). It’s
sexy while also being silly.
This film has no story arc. Each fantasy
section stands completely on it’s own. The German Professor acts as the linking
device.
The German professor is one of the
highlights of the film. His dialog is very silly as he enthusiastically shares
his insights into the female mind. He seems to be a kind of parody of Sigmund
Freud, but with better one-liners
All the fantasies have different tones. Some
fantasies are silly: the teacher-student scene, the housewife/dominatrix scene,
and the mother and son scene (where a rubber duckie is put to interesting use
in a bath). Others are darker: the rape fantasy, the blood orgy scene. Some are
quite boring like the strip tease sequence.
There is very little dialog in the sexual
fantasy sequences. Each segment begins with the woman’s voiceover describing
her fantasy, then the action progresses visually. Only the lesbian steam room
scene and the mother and son bathtub scene have dialog.
Perhaps this is why the film doesn’t feel cheesy. Dialog delivered by adult film actors usually feels clunky and forced.
By allowing the fantasies to be almost purely visual we don’t roll our eyes
waiting for the dialog to be finished so we can enjoy the T& A.
Genre: Sex Comedy / Sexploitation
This film has an mix of
slapstick, wacky humour and sexiness mixed together. It fits squarely into the
sexploitation genre.
My personal take
I like this film for its historical value. I
like to see how genre develops and this film shows how sex was first portrayed
in Australian cinema. It is not an amazing film, but it has its moments. It is
important in terms of censorship history in Australian film.
The film felt dated to me, but not in a
negative way. I felt a certain nostalgia for a simpler a time, when sex was
coming out of the dark recesses and being celebrated in an liberated way.
The film can be enjoyed ironically. The 70s
music, the unshaven private parts and the German Professor stereotype are now
unintentionally hilarious. I laughed hysterically at the over the top performance
in the housewife/dominatrix scene because
I watched it with a detached eye.
The commentary track on the DVD is also
noteworthy. Producer Anthony I. Ginnane provides insight for people interested
in Australian film history or aspiring low-budget filmmakers.
Things to watch out for:
- Actress Maria Welton using John Holmes’ penis as a snorkel in an underwater sex scene.
- Richard Franklin directs this picture under the pseudonym Richard Bruce.
Watch this Movie if:
- You want to see the historical development of sex screen
- You like silliness mixed with sexiness
- You wan to see some serious 70s bush
- You want to see porn legend John Holmes’ lengthy screen credentials
Avoid this movie if:
- You want to watch a film with character development
- You get frustrated with soft core pornography
- You are offended by nudity on screen
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