Plot: What’s it about?
In The Notorious Daughter of Fanny Hill, we watch as Kissy Hill (Stacey Walker) services the sexual wishes of many people, including other ladies. She has no limits when it comes to her body and pleasure, so she even has a roll with the Marquis de Sade and loves every second of it, to be sure. Her mother might have been a real sexpot, but Kissy is keeping up the family business with ease, always ready to bare it all and do whatever needed to please her partners. Heck, she’ll bump in the dark with anyone, including those pompous gents with the powdered wigs, just to have a good time. But when all is said and done, what will become of young Kissy and her sexual escapades? In The Head Mistress, we’re taken inside a school for virgins and of course, they’re almost all young and gorgeous. But this peaceful place is soon shattered when a young stud pretends to be deaf and dumb, in order to become the school’s landscaper. He has some big plans for the fresh young ladies that attend, but of course, things don’t just as planned and in truth, who would expect a strange plant to be involved?
If you’re a fan of sexploitation cinema, then you’re in luck, as this release features two David F. Friedman produced nudie beauties. As if the double dose of cinematic bliss was enough, this disc also includes trailers and commentaries from Friedman, what a bargain indeed. The real draw are the film however of course, both fun romps loaded down with naked lovelies, more than enough of the girls by genre standards. I prefer The Notorious Daughter of Fanny Hill, but both were fun to watch and deserve a place in genre fans’ collections, especially in this kind of double value edition. In The Notorious Daughter, Stacey Walker turns in a terrific performance and of course, is a real pleasure to watch. This movie also had some good production values, with proper costumes and set design, as far as films of this nature are concerned. The second half of this double dip, The Headmistress is even more nude madness, with Marsha Jordan (Brand of Shame, Lady Godiva Rides) fulfilling the lead role with ease. This is another superb double feature from Something Weird Video (via Image Entertainment), so fans of the genre need not hesitate, as this is a loaded release and is more than worth the cash.
Video: How does it look?
Both films are presented in full frame transfers, which is an acceptable form in both cases. The Notorious Daughter looks better out of the two, but given the age and nature of these movies, both look better than expected. The Notorious Daughter has a clean source print, vibrant colors, and even contrast, but does have a little shake at times. The shake is not serious by any means however, so it never distracts from the experience much. The Head Mistress is a little dark at times, but still looks good and I doubt fans will be let down. I have to say, both look much better than I ever expected, cleaner and more vivid all around.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio in these films is mono and decent enough, but don’t expect much in terms of dynamic presence. The tracks seem pretty clean and show little age related wear, so there’s not much to complain about. I heard minimal hiss and harshness in either flick, which is good, as some of these older exploitation movies often sound poor. The music, sound effects, and dialogue all seem in order, though limited because of the mono format involved. The basic elements come through well however, which is what counts in the end.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes theatrical trailers for both films, plus audio commentary tracks with David F. Friedman. I was thrilled to find tracks for both films here, as Friedman always offers an informative and entertaining session. These prove to continue the tradition, as Friedman talks about all sorts of topics, including some excellent stories about the exploitation cinema business. I commend Something Weird for their work with commentary tracks and as such, I hope to see more and more of them on future releases. You can also view two Friedman produced shorts, both of which feature Stacey Walker and make very welcome inclusions. A brief piece is also includes in which Something Weird raids Friedman’s vault of pictures, which is cool to watch here. A wealth of bonus trailers, exploitation artwork, and radio spots can be also be found. All in all, a very impressive set of supplements has been included here, to be sure.
