The Love Merchant

Joe Sarno was the Douglas Sirk of sexploitation. Through the 60s Sarno made a string of sexy melodramas dealing with the new sexual liberation. These films are not for everyone because they are usually about 80% dialogue with only a minimum of spice to sell the film to exhibitors. The plot of this film is closely related to the more recent INDECENT PROPOSAL about a rich guy paying for the company of his object of lust. But the best parts of this flick are the go-go girls dancing in what looks like a birdcage made out of string and a small gang of leather-jacketed chain-wielding bikers straight out of Brando's THE WILD ONE.

This is just another lurid, 60s exploitation B film. Bad acting, a cheesy plot, and seedy locales, are what this film is all about. Virtually all of the characters are sex and money obsessed, with the morals of jackals.

Society was in the embryonic stages of the sexual revolution, when this film was made. The sex scenes are so raw and explicit though, that it seems more like a mid-70s, than mid-60s film. It must've been quite jarring, for audiences to see the graphic sexuality presented in this movie. Barely watchable, the only thing this movie has going for it, is cool jazz background music. Otherwise, this film is a hoot, if you like absurdly amusing, sleazy 60s B films.

Sarno is sometimes considered the skin-flick counterpart to Bergman (or, during his occult period, to Lewton), but if you dub this one into German, you'll swear it's an early Fassbinder melodrama. Set in the Greenwich Village art and go-go dance club milieu, it concerns a pretty, staid middle class woman who sleeps with a wealthy philanderer to save her alcoholic husband's business. The catalyst for the liaison is an ambitious, chain-wielding biker, whose oleaginous hanger-on character is reminiscent of Sydney Falco in "Sweet Smell of Success". As in the oeuvre of Fassbinder (and his mentor Sirk), the emphasis is on power-plays between the classes, personal exploitation and betrayal, and crossing one's own and society's barriers. As usual, the acting carries conviction and the plotting is riveting, but unfortunately, the quality is betrayed by the technical limitations -- sub-minimal sets, static dialogue scenes, and disastrous sound (re-)recording. There's some benign nudity and necking, but nothing graphic in the least; still the atmosphere is sleazy, cynical and at times stylized. And there's one stunning moment of pure cinema in the pivotal scene, which could have come from Pabst. Worth a look for aficionados of the subterranean strain of psychological truth in 60s exploitation.

Writer & director Joseph W. Sarno, a specialist in soft core melodramas, comes up with a pretty good one this time. It gives us the requisite sex and flesh while also offering a meditation on the whole idea of loneliness, and how people try to cope with it. One such lonely person is filthy rich Kendall Harvey III (Judson Todd), who is always hooking up with a new hot young thing. Scummy biker "Click" (Louis Waldon) is able to find employment working for Harvey, procuring babes for his boss' enjoyment. Trouble arises when Harvey fixates on one woman he can't have, the married Peggy Johns (Patricia McNair). But he finds a way to be with her: when her husband Roger (George Wolfe), an advertising man, loses an important account, he promises to help Roger land a big new account IF Peggy will spend 48 hours with him.

If that sounds familiar, it's because this plot device prefigures "Indecent Proposal" by over a quarter century. It may be done in a much less lavish, non-Hollywood fashion, but it's still compelling in its own right. The acting from most cast members concerned really is pretty good, especially from McNair and Todd. Waldon amuses as the "love merchant" of the title, as does Patti Paget as Harvey's loyal secretary, a budding lesbian. Also making appearances are sexploitation film favorites Peggy Steffans (a.k.a. Cleo Nova) and June Roberts. The filmmaking and photography are pretty slick for this sort of fare, and it does help that we can sympathize with some of the characters - even Harvey, to a degree.

There's a fair bit of go-go dancing / padding to add to the entertainment, as well as a good and funky jazz score by Richard Cove.

If you like low budget sleaze, but appreciate it even more if it has an actual story and a theme to it, this is definitely one to check out.

Eight out of 10.

The Love Merchant (1966)

** (out of 4)

Millionaire Kendall Harvey III (Judson Todd) pretty much enjoys women's company for a night and then pays them to help out whatever they might be suffering through. He offers this to Peggy (Patricia McNair) but she refuses his offer because she very much loves her husband. However, when the husband's business fails the wife thinks about offering herself to Kendall.

THE LOVE MERCHANT has gained some popularity over the last couple decades because of the similar plot it has with the Robert Redford-Demi Moore film INDECENT PROPOSAL. I might get kicked out of the sexploitation club for saying this but I preferred the glossier more sexual Hollywood film. I know, I know. With that said, I honestly don't believe the filmmakers of that film saw this one but either way, lets talk about this movie.

For the most part Joseph W. Sarno does a good job in his directing duties as he once again makes a very good looking picture and I think he also manages to get some fine performances from his cast. I thought the film did a good job at taking a look at lust and what it could cause from two different view points. The millionaire's lust leads to loneliness. The wife's lust leads to more drama. Both Todd and McNair are good in their roles.

Where the film goes wrong is the fact that it's extremely slow at times and this leaves the 79-minute running time to drag. I also thought the story could have been played up a little bit more as it's a bit too laid back for it own good. Fans of Sarno will certainly want to check it out but others will probably prefer his later work.