The Tale of the Dean's Wife

source: The Tale of the Dean's Wife

Riding the fading vapor trail of sixties radicalism, this movie represents the last gasp of the underground nudie-cutie/roughie era. Soon grind-house patrons would be up to their raincoats in sleazy hardcore * while the mainstream crowd devoured the new breed of R- rated exploitation films full of nudity and simulated sex. These two new genres eliminated the middle-ground that old-style adult films had occupied since 1959. In a California forest eight college students (including Martha, the nerdy sister of the dean's wife) gather for a meeting and, more importantly, a love-in. After a long segment of discreetly filmed fornicating in the bushes, the students resolve to storm the dean's house and issue a list of demands. Meanwhile, the dean's wife -- bored with her conservative husband -- is getting it on with just about anyone, including a student and her sexy French maid. A decadent professor of erotic studies and his wife arrive at the dean's suburban home for a party. After a drink, the professor eagerly demonstrates his "pleasure through pain" theory on the dean's willing wife. She lays down on the couch and he thrashes her vigorously with his belt. (Late-period nudies sometimes tossed in a bit of "roughie" style S&M.) Her masochistic response has an aphrodisiac effect on the professor's wife and a lesbian sex scene follows. Later, the students slip into the house and spike a vodka bottle with LSD. A wild, psychedelic orgy occupies the remainder of this near-plot less film. Under the influence of the drug, Wendy and her equally nerdy boy friend also get naked and join the festivities. As this is a pre-* sex movie, there is no exposed genitalia -- in fact, the men all keep their underwear on throughout. The most amusing parts of this utterly routine romp are the low-budget acid trip special effects. These are achieved by a distorting fish-eye lens (featuring lots of big * flopping about up close), flickering colored lights on * bodies against a black backdrop, and plenty of rapid in-and-out zooming with the camera. The only charm in this otherwise charmless cast is provided by Samantha Scott as Wendy. Her brief career in underground films includes "The Head Mistress", "Brand of Shame" (both 1968) and even two guest shots on "Bewitched" (1971). Luanne Roberts, a lovely redhead with not much personality, was also in "Trader Hornee" (1970), one of the last of the costume-adventure nudies. Roger Gentry starred in many exploitation films including the notorious roughie western "The Ramrodder" (1969). This, along with scores of other vintage sexploitation and softcore films, is available through Something Weird Video.

Only about an hour long, this movie never comes to life until the last 15 minutes when a gang of youthful swingers dose an Establishment figure with LSD and have an orgy in his house. Then we get all manner of psychedelic 60s effects (wild zooms, colored filters, fish-eye lenses) backed by a some great psych/lounge music. It's worth sitting through the first 45 minutes just for this sequence.