Cave Women

"Cave Women," directed by and starring adult film veteran Annette Haven, is a unique blend of erotica and anthropology. It takes us back to the prehistoric era, where we observe the mating rituals of early humans with a comedic twist. With a runtime of just over an hour, this 1979 sexploitation film is a short but curious artifact, offering a glimpse into a very specific niche of 70s cinema.

The film follows anthropologist and archaeologist Annette, who isolates a group of Cro-Magnon men and women on an island to study their sexual habits. Haven, known for her work in front of the camera, steps behind it to direct this quirky feature, offering a tongue-in-cheek take on the scientific exploration of human sexuality.

The cast is filled with adult film stars of the era, including Haven herself, Abigail Clayton, Amber Hunt, Desiree West, and China Leigh. These women bring a certain level of allure to the film, and their scenes together are undoubtedly the highlight. The chemistry between Haven and her co-stars is palpable, and their performances, while not Oscar-worthy, are entertaining and playful.

However, the film falls short in its attempt to blend eroticism and anthropology. The sex scenes, though frequent, lack the intensity and creativity one might expect from a film centered on sexual exploration. John Charles' review aptly describes the issue, noting that Haven "shows little understanding of how to shoot and stage sex scenes for maximum effect." As a result, the erotic charge falls flat, and even the gorgeous cast can't save the scenes from drifting into dullness.

The production values are also indicative of a low-budget feature, with cheesy title cards and easy-listening background music that feels more suited to a romantic dinner than a prehistoric romp. That being said, the film has a certain charm and is likely to induce a few chuckles with its light-hearted approach to a rather unconventional subject matter.

Overall, "Cave Women" is a novelty film that, despite its shortcomings, offers a fun and unique viewing experience. It's a time capsule of an era when sexploitation films pushed boundaries and explored themes that mainstream cinema wouldn't dare touch. While it may not be a masterpiece, it's an entertaining watch, especially for those with an interest in the history of adult cinema.

Offbeat porn from San Francisco's Golden Age credits leading lady Annette Haven as writer/director. Premise is that Haven, an anthropologist, is able to study cave people live. Since this is a porn film, it is not surprising that mostly the cave guys and gals engage in sex. Between segments Haven is pawed and explored by curious grunting cave guys, and the groping gets so out of hand by the finale that an orgy results.

Film probably looked much better in theatrical release than on video, since a great deal of it is fairly long shot. Binoculars might help on anything less than a 52" screen. The camera setups are rather static. The women are uniformly very beautiful (Haven, Tina Orchid, Chris Cassidy, Amber Hunt, Desiree West, Abigail Clayton); the men are serviceable. None of the sex scenes is particularly hot, though Clayton is photographed beautifully (what did you expect?). Pretty brown Desiree West, however, is shot from angles which make her look most uncharacteristically squatty. "Confucius say ... " titles, none funny and most of which had whiskers when I was in grade school, are interspersed during parts of the film to no effect; the orgy finale is barely started when THE END flashes on screen, but hang around, it goes on for another 5 minutes all the same.

Biggest surprise of the film is hearing Haven say "Cro-manyon," correctly but totally unexpected from an American. (Maybe she really is an anthropologist, and her porn career was just research for a dissertation?) Film is a little different, and it's one you wish were better than it actually is, but it's really just loops shot with a static camera, a bit too far away. 3 seems about right for this.