Violenta posesión

When I was sixteen, this movie was released. I saw it opening night. I was not disappointed either. Well I saw it again the other day and it really is not that bad. Chris Sarandon had just been Oscar-nominated for "Dog Day Afternoon" and I wanted to see all his movies, and I was interested in seeing the Hemingway sisters. Anne Bancroft adds a lot as a laywer on the case. Perry King is also aboard. Its not a great movie by any means and the subject matter is obviously objectionable, but this movie is not without value.

First, I *have* seen this movie. It's not a great movie (most movies aren't), but it seems to me that those making negative comments "protest too much". They were clever enough to avoid openly making a charge of "Political Correctness", but I strongly suspect that the real reason for the most negative comments is that those making them are livid that that *nasty* girl (an early "feminazi, no doubt) *dared* to take it upon herself to exact retribution, a retribution that was illegal, to be sure, but which was quite just as far as I'm concerned. No doubt there are plenty of people who are quite unpleased with the idea that a mere woman might hold a male (and a white male at that) accountable for his actions in such a drastic way.

"Lipstick" focuses on Chris (Margaux Hemingway), a Los Angeles model working for a lipstick company, who ends up being brutalized and raped in her apartment by her little sister's deranged music teacher/avant-garde composer (Chris Sarandon). After a feisty attorney (Anne Bancroft) fails to get a conviction, Chris is later forced to take matters into her own hands.

Decried as one of the worst films of the '70s, "Lipstick" has been condemned as everything from exploitative trash to a shameless vehicle for the Hemingway sisters. I'm going to play the devil's advocate here and say that, while, yes, the film does edge into the territory of the exploitation film (think 1973's "Thriller"), and yes, a lot of the legal jargon is dumbed down and the script set-up is at times completely arbitrary, this is not nearly as terrible a film as many would lead you to believe.

Lamont Johnson, who previously directed the superb Patty Duke thriller "You'll Like My Mother" in 1972, is behind the camera here, and the film is very stylishly shot. 1970s Los Angeles colors every frame, and the camera work is flashy and slick. Pacing is a bit of an issue here, as the film does have a bizarre narrative trajectory-it rises and falls, rises and falls, and the conclusion is a bit abrupt, which is indicative of the script needing some work. Margaux Hemingway and little sister Mariel play on screen siblings very nicely, both demonstrating considerably acting capability. Sarandon is at times a bit overacting here, but is reprehensible enough. Anne Bancroft plays the no- nonsense attorney perfectly, while Perry King appears briefly in a relatively pointless role as Hemingway's boyfriend/photographer.

The film's second-to-last scene is the real dynamite here, and the reason it's remembered above anything else, although it again is a bit awkwardly paced, and seems to arrive too late to the party. Overall though, "Lipstick" is not as awful of a film as so many have painted it to be. It's no masterpiece, but it is a mildly thrilling, entertaining revenge film, and Margaux Hemingway and Bancroft's performances lend it some serious backbone. 7/10.

This was the debut film for both Mariel and Margaux Hemingway. It was probably this film where Woody Allen saw Mariel for the first time, before casting her 3 years later as his girlfriend in 'Manhattan' (1979). I would love to hear the story about how THIS became the script that introduced the ladies to Hollywood.

The shots of Los Angeles are great, the Hemingway girls are beautiful, and the film is intense throughout.

RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 1/1; Casting - 1/1; Directing - 1/1; Story - 1/1; Writing/Screenplay - 1/1;

Total Base Score = 5

Modifiers (+ or -): Standout Performances: 1 ( Mariel Hemingway );

Total RealReview Rating: 6

Not bad as otherwise suggested, this is an interesting exploitation film that served as the film debut of Margaux Hemmingway. Unfortunately, little sis Mariel totally steals the show from poor, pretty Margaux. Chris Sarandon is competent as the psycho rapist, as is the always great Anne Bancroft, but Perry King, then a pretty big star, has a worthless role as Margaux's boyfriend. Worth a look.