The Defiance of Good

When watching a film like this I don't expect much, pretty much just filth and maybe bad taste chuckles. The Defiance of Good therefore really wrong footed me by being an ultimately upbeat and pleasurable outing, although to be fair it does spend some time in the gutter. It tells of the unfortunate Cathy (Jean Jennings) who gets busted by her mom on her first time trying cocaine, which proves so traumatic to dear mama that she simply has to send her daughter to a mental asylum for observation. As one might expect, said asylum isn't exactly a place of peace and understanding so young Cathy leaps at the chance to recuperate at the facility of a pleasant seeming Dr Gabriel. She should have paid more attention though, as this Dr. Gabriel happens to be played by Fred "Weasel" Lincoln (its the same stupidity of anyone inviting David Hess to a house party), so things still ain't exactly roses. But in an unconventional way things all wind up on the bright side. The message seems to be a clear one, systems of control as represented by middle class paranoia and medical institutions are a grim and needless restriction upon those that they intend to protect, and only by accepting, even revelling in that which is forbidden can one be truly free. Which is not, it has to be said, a philosophically sound message, but here it works as a means of cutting through some basic absurdities and social ills that are clearly recognisable as such. Plus its always sweet to see a lovely young lady embracing the dark side, gotta love that dark side. Message aside, this is mostly just plain cool stuff. Director Armand Weston shows a real flair for the sinister in scenes involving Cathy and her fellow inmates, scenes of sexual violence (particularly a gang rape) are enhanced by rocking guitar and there's some very funny dialogue including the gem of a post rape exchange "Why didn't you tell the nurse you needed a Tampax?" "Because that's not menstrual blood!". Jean Jennings alternates between convincing and amusingly hammy but makes up for any lapses with sheer beauty, Day Jason is equally easy on the eye as her friend, while Fred Lincoln is a pleasure as unconventional psychiatrist cum sex guru Dr. Gabriel, a wise authoritarian perv who somehow made me think of a high monk from an old school kung fu flick. His chief assistant deserves a mention too, can't act worth a damn but she wields a whip like a goddess. I could have done with a lot more disciplinary action in the second half (no geometry sweeter than welts on a pure young ass) but things move at such a blissful clip that I wasn't too irritated. And the sex is all pretty hot, which counts for a lot. Overall this is well worth a look for genre fans, good sexy and seamy stuff even though it ain't earth shattering or anything.

The Defiance of Good is a "roughie" of the story lead variety...though it's pretty much your basic 'girl goes to correctional institute, but doesn't really get corrected' kind of story. This film is most definitely a cut above most of the roughie stuff that I've seen (though I can't profess to have seen a great deal) as the production values are high for this sort of thing, and the acting isn't terrible either. Naturally, the most important thing about the film is the hardcore action, and there's no shortage of it - the film features rape, S&M, hints of lesbianism and more. To be honest, lead actress Jean Jennings didn't do much for me, though her performance is decent. The film does feature a foreboding atmosphere, and while the sex in many of these films takes up to much of the running time and often has no actual relevance to the plot; here it's mostly used in a way that benefits the film. The film also features a performance from Fred Lincoln - whom fans of The Last House on the Left will recognise, and director Armand Weston went on to direct one of my favourite seventies trash flicks with The Taking of Christina a year after he made this film. I can't say that I'm a massive fan of The Defiance of Good, but it is good for what it is and I'm sure that fans of this stuff will enjoy it.

One of the finest adult movies dealing with the murky subculture of sadomasochism, there has been some debate over its authorship. While credited director Armand Weston was certainly involved, the likes of producer Jason Russell (the most eloquent of the early free sex advocates with wife Tina who appears on the closing scroll as make-up assistant), male lead Fred Lincoln (a highly prolific filmmaker still working today) and even Vinnie Rossi (a modestly talented hack whose finest effort remains 1984's DESIRE) have all claimed responsibility at some point. Armand Weston was that porn rarity, not unlike the legendary Radley Metzger, a man who took his time to develop each project, exhibiting talent and concern at every stage. His most famous work remains the 1978 classic TAKE OFF, a glossy rendition of Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and a film that actually flopped on its initial theatrical run ! Mainstream (well, horror) audiences should owe him a debt of gratitude for an eerie little cult item entitled THE NESTING (1981) starring former femme fatale Gloria Grahame as the spectral madam of a haunted brothel.

Sweet little teenager Cathy Taylor (Jean Jennings, allegedly only 17 at the time and girlfriend of Hollywood character actor Joe Spinell, who was to become the stuff of legend himself as the star of Bill Lustig's MANIAC) has been caught taking her first hit of cocaine with her bad influence best friend Susan (Day Jason, the running gag secretary taking all the facial cum shots in Metzger's PRIVATE AFTERNOONS OF PAMELA MANN) by her strict religious mom, played by Holly Landis who bears a strong resemblance to Mink Stole. Ever the alarmist, with dad ("Roderick Usher") conveniently spineless, she has the girl committed to Eastwood General Hospital's psycho ward for observation. Look for a quick cameo by bisexual superstar Marc Stevens (nicknamed "10 ½" for reasons you won't find illustrated here) as one of the inmates in the very disturbing day room scene. Forbidden any contact with her parents, Cathy's submitted to strip search and group rape, events to which her unsympathetic physician Dr Hirsh (Kevin André, one of porndom's finest character players) remains blissfully ignorant. A visiting medic, the soft spoken Dr Gabriel (Fred Lincoln), offers her the chance to escape this hellhole if both she and her folks will agree to the girl being committed to his private clinic. This is the point where the film changes tone from gritty to Gothic and the S&M element really kicks in as Cathy's immediately told to obey every one of Gabriel's rules, no matter how seemingly arbitrary. Her initial resistance earns her a sound whipping from aptly named Nurse Kane (Brit-accented Heather Ellis, also in TEENAGE STEPMOTHER) who will later force herself on the shackled Cathy, a pivotal sequence where the girl transforms from victim to willing participant in her own submission. Some exquisitely erotic moments ensue with the accent on educating the ignorant about the seductive and highly ritualized nature of S&M rather than literally beating them round the head with a succession of floggings which is just the surface that often precludes people's understanding that this sort of relationship is really about trust and surrender between equal yet role-defined partners.

Arguably the best S&M themed adult films (THE STORY OF JOANNA, THE NAUGHTY VICTORIANS) are those that to a degree plead for an open mind rather than preach to the choir. The displays of "deviance" here play on an entirely different level than those found more commonly in Shaun Costello's Avon quickies which either repulse or rapidly degrade into silliness. Her education nearly complete (right after a show stopping three-way with a hardly recognizable Jamie Gillis and Sonny Landham, a memorable supporting player in Sly Stallone's LOCK UP), Cathy is given the choice of freedom with no possibility of ever returning or to stay on and help indoctrinate a new arrival. While detractors will be quick to blame the girl's decision on a major case of Stockholm Syndrome, it fits right in with the message Weston's trying to convey, with a nasty twist in the tail for good measure.

A mature masterpiece both in form and content, this movie deserves far better than the off-color reputation it has generally acquired over time, frequently and unfairly lumped together with the rest of the '70s roughies. Fans expecting a lot of physical harm inflicted upon its teen heroine will come away rather disappointed as the violence is far more psychological in nature. In this respect, Jennings' performance is nothing short of amazing, her every reaction totally credible. The actress, who would go on to gain notoriety in the Mitchell Brothers classic THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FLEA (1975) and Zebedy Colt's VIRGIN DREAMS (1976), has never received proper credit for running through the whole gamut of emotions the part required with such complete conviction. Surely, few adult film actresses would've been capable enough to pull this off. And this was her debut, no less ! As her mentor (and tormentor), the far more seasoned Lincoln (a fixture since the early days of cinematic carnality, both as director and performer) matches her every step of the way, delivering his most disquieting achievement since playing Weasel in Wes Craven's official (non-adult) directorial debut LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972).

Armand Weston was no stranger to the domination/degradation styled hardcore genre, directing both "The Taking of Christina" and "A Dirty Western" a short time later, but it was with "The Defiance of Good" that he really put kinky sleaze on the map. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give this film is that much of the terror is provided through psychological torture which is far harder to do competently than yet another cliched "whipping of the ass" scene. (Although the nasty stuff is certainly on display as well!) The performances really sell this aspect as well. Highly recomended. The AVN named this several years ago as "One of the greatest currently unavailable adult titles". I'm inclined to agree!

I am not a fan of hardcore porn (sure, they supposedly show "real" sex, but if real sex involved being two inches from Ron Jeremy's fat, hairy bunghole and sweaty, pistoning perineum, I would swear off it for life!). I do really like the pre-hardcore "roughie" films though, not because I'm a potential rapist or sexual sadist, but because they were genuine films with genuine drama made by filmmakers and actors who, while certainly low-budget and low-rent, had a modicum of actual talent. Hardcore films, on the other hand, are usually simply tedious documents of people having sex recorded by whatever visual medium happened to be on hand by people who have no talent whatsoever. There is rarely even the basic suspension of disbelief necessary to feel you are watching a real movie.

The best thing I can say about this film then is that if you took away the hardcore sex, it would be a fairly decent "roughie". And if you took away ALL the sex, you might even be able to pass it off as a 50's nd 60's-sytle "J.D." (juvenile delinquent) film (albeit a very short one). I won't re-hash the plot, but suffice it to say, it does actually HAVE one. It is a somewhat disturbing as other reviewers have said, but I think it would actually be more disturbing if it weren't hardcore porn. The long sex scenes actually interrupt the effectively unsettling atmosphere the film manages to create at times.

According to the generally unreliable IMDb dates, this film was practically released on lead actress Jean Jenning's 18th birthday, so there is some question of whether she was "barely legal" or "barely illegal" when she made it. There is no question that she was involved in "adult" films though years ealier when she was definitely underage and sometimes with her male lead here, Fred Lincoln of "Last House on the Left" fame. (And I find it extremely hypocritical that Lincoln has bad-mouthed "Last House" so much over the years, considering that in that film he only PLAYED a FICTIONAL child molester). Anyway, Jennings looks about 25 here and she was definitely a lot older than I was in 1975, so I'm personally not going to worry about that. She is surprisingly good here as a teenage mental patient, as is Lincoln in a non-sex role as her bent doctor. This is not bad for a hardcore porn film.