Whore

In the first scene we find our heroine trying to pick up johns in a tunnel, and immediately realize she's the stupidest whore in the oldest profession. In the next scene, and consequently all following scenes, she's whining to the camera about how she doesn't mind giving head, except when she has to give head. The end.

Much of the script has the characters speaking to the camera, but it doesn't seem to emulate documentary realism. In fact, it's pretty hokey and crude, the acting is purposely hammy, and popular myths are almost parodically rendered as cinema verite. Still, I admire Whore's raw emotion, and it adheres to the viewpoint of an unsophisticated protagonist quite perfectly. Put it this way: So long as you don't take it too seriously, it's a moving and rewarding film.

Russells heavyhanded portrait of a jaded hooker was supposed to be an antidote to the syruppy shit that HW pumped out on the subject, but he still can't refrain from giving the lady a few endearing traits and at least a spark of hope for something better. Critics at the time complained that the movie was tasteless and dispiriting. I maintain that it is not tasteless and dispiriting enough.

Based on a play, the hooker's story here feels fleshed out & honest (& probably more representative than Maggie Gyllenhall's always shrewd hooker in The Deuce). It's too unpleasant to be popular, but what surely kept it from getting any critical acclaim is the lead's performance. Always overdoing it, Russell seems to have told his lead to channel Elvira to show she's uneducated. His comedy attempts are also too cartoonish. Despite these problems, I was fully invested in the character by the end.

Lead actress does the monologue well. Parts of this work but it's very inert and the comedy is huge drag.

This sort of feels like it has the stench of a terrible movie on it. And I guess because of it's brashness, it at least gets to be unintentionally hilarious at times. And, also because of its brashness, it feels like such a direct film on prostitution -- not only is it not glamorous, but it engenders vulgarity in both its pros and tricks (similar to the similarly mis-maligned Showgirls). Theresa Russell's over-enunciations make her sound like a bratty kid -- which I guess is what she is.

Não é segredo que Ken Russell é um dos meus cineastas favoritos e provavelmente essa foi a última obra-prima de sua carreira, feito como resposta à bobajada de Pretty Woman, é um tragicomédia que consegue equilibrar com maestria a narração bem humorada com o horror que tem por trás dela. Além de tudo é o papel da vida da Theresa Russell. WEBRip no MakingOff.

Theresa Russell is very sexy--and frightening--but the whole thing is excessive and unrestrained.

hard out here for a ho

Theresa Russell is fantastic in this

"Irma La Douce" it ain't--thank god! Excellent piece of work. Theresa Russell is perhaps a bit too complex and intelligent an actress to be strictly believable as the essentially simple-minded titular lead, and the efforts tend--no doubt with Ken Russell's encouragement--to be too over-the-top. But when it comes to suggesting vulnerability, she's amazing--she achieves several truly great moments.