Plot: What’s it about?
Candy Christian (Ewa Aulin) is a gorgeous young high school girl, but she seeks wisdom and knowledge far beyond her years. She is pretty innocent in the ways of the world, but she wants to discover adventure, romance, and of course, the true meaning of life. As she travels around the lands, Candy finds herself involved in all sorts of things, from the military to strange artists to mystical folks to insane doctors to hilarious gardeners and more. Her adventures become outrageous and outlandish, with her in the middle of some wacky antics, including some sexual escapades. As she meets and greets various interesting people, she learns to shed her clothes and let her mind loose, which means she has more fun than she can handle, or at least almost that much. But even as she makes her way across the world and has all these wild adventures, will Candy ever discover the truths she seeks?
Her name is Candy…and everyone wants a taste. It all starts with this excellent catch phrase, then turns into a sexual satire, loaded with famous faces. This is the kind of movie where you wonder what the filmmakers were on, as it is so strange and confusing, but very pretty to look at. As a visual feast, Candy works very well, thanks to a nice production design effort and of course, the presence of Ewa Aulin. I know Aulin is vapid and little more than visual stimuli, but her innocent eyes add much to the character, as does her luscious body though. In addition to Aulin, you can see such faces as Marlon Brando, James Coburn, Ringo Starr, Richard Burton, as well as a wealth of other well known folks. The film offers little in terms of storyline or narrative, but it does have a lot of stuff to look at and some good humor, especially in the cameo driven sequences. I admit that this is one vapid picture in most respects, but it is a lot of fun to watch and I suspect it will be a success on home video now. This was one hard movie to see prior to this new release, so I recommend all those interested take a look, while fans can finally add this one to their collections.
All the humorous cameos and smaller parts aside, this film is fueled by Candy herself, as played by the young Ewa Aulin. Although she lacks substance as a performer, she has the youthful innocence and stunning good looks needed, so her turn is more than acceptable. I am unsure how much of her vapid persona is acting, but she seems to have the perfect attitude in this role, one of carefree passion and desires. Her vacant stare and floating personality are right at home within Candy, which ensures the character is just as written, perhaps even better to be honest. Aulin wasn’t in many movies after this, but even if she would have been, she’d always be Candy to me. Other films with Aulin include Two Times Two, Death Smiles On A Murderer, This Kind of Love, and When Love Is Lust. The cast of Candy also includes Richard Burton (Bluebeard, Cleopatra), James Coburn (Affliction, Hudson Hawk), John Huston (Casino Royale, Chinatown), Ringo Starr (The Beatles), Marlon Brando (Apocalypse Now, On The Waterfront), Walter Matthau (Grumpy Old Men, The Grass Harp), and famed boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.
Video: How does it look?
Candy is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This looks much better than I expected, but the image still shows some problems, though not serious ones. The main issue is the thin layer of grain present in most scenes, but I wasn’t distracted much by this, as the grain is not heavy in the least. The colors look good, much less dated than I had figured and flesh tones seem natural also. I was pleased with the contrast also, which is solid and well balanced, with a few exceptions. The grain does get intense in a handful of spots, but this is still a good transfer, much better than I ever expected.
Audio: How does it sound?
I would have loved a full surround remix for this release, but the included mono option is more than up to the task. The groovy soundtrack is well presented, but seems limited when you think about how rich a surround option would allow. But the music is clean and well mixed here, as are the sound effects, which wouldn’t shake the speakers under any circumstances. The dialogue is crisper than I expected and sound good, with no distortion in the least. In terms of basic mono mixes, this one is more than up to snuff, no real complaints in the end.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, two radio ads, the film’s theatrical trailer, and a selection of still photos.
