Private Property

I can't say I liked it very much. Stevens, best known for the Bergmanesque Esperanto horror flick "Incubus", certainly has artsy ambitions and gets some impressive shots, but his ambitions tend to extend further than his reach. The film's pacing is not good and his artsy shots often feel fussy and not really appropriate to the material. It's nice to see Warren Oates in such an early role, but it's not a huge part.

You may be shocked at how sordid a 1960 film can be. Condemned & rejected by what small audience it landed, this wasn't made for its era. Even now, it's off-putting, more due to the subject matter than how explicit it is. It's very well shot & edited and the performances are solid. It's now gained more appreciation; audiences have acquired the stomach. The problem is: I don't see the point. Beyond being provocative, I'm not sure what it wants to say & so all it really leaves me with is distaste.

An alternative title for this film could be: 'Two perverts, a sexually frustrated wife and her unobservant husband'. Whatever the title, this is a enthralling film to behold. Corey Allen is fantastically disturbing as a drifter intent on ensuring the realisation of his friend's (Warren Oates) first sexual conquest. The sordid relationship between Allen and Kate Manx is intoxicating. The fact that the film was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency is even more reason to watch it.

A sleazy thriller about the sexually frustrated nature of 50's suburbia. Draped in queer subtext (subtext being generous it's screaming at you). the whole film is dying to explode.

late noir