Blaze Starr Goes Nudist

Blaze Starr went nudist, all right, and it was a look that really suited this fit, 38-24-37 Burlesque topliner. Starr is a bountiful physical spectacle in this movie, and less the bizarro caricature (and stunningly inept actress) as otherwise similar Wishman compatriot Chesty Morgan (e.g. "Deadly Weapons," "Double Agent 73"). (Unlike Chesty, Starr was sizzling hot, and her ineptness as an actress is balanced by an endearing, even if hopeless, effort to be presentable). If you like campy acting, ridiculous dialog, and shamelessly naked people, this odd and somewhat charming sexploitation film is worth checking out. As a whole, this is probably Wishman's most polished movie, and the overall experience feels more the work of David Friedman ("Blood Feast," "She Freak," etc.), himself a friend of Wishman, than a typical Wishman film. Scenes flow naturally from one to the next, and the camera-work is heads-and-shoulder's above typical Wishman fare. (We're not talking high art, mind you, but at least scenes are framed and in focus). Similarly, Wishman's patent feet shots and bold-faced filler are largely absent. As expected, the story and acting are deplorable, but the film's innocent spirit and camp factor make for quaint sexploitation vintage. If you are curious about Doris Wishman, the "Female Ed Wood," as she is often heralded, "Blaze Starr Goes Nudist" is a solid choice. ---|--- Reviews by Flak Magnet

I never fully realized the pressures of being an actress. The story obviously hit so close to home that Blaze Starr just plays herself. Anyone who feels exhausted and disenchanted with their job or life in general will relate to Blaze's circumstances. The attention paid to the details is astounding. Never has a film stretched the musical montage sequence and make it work so well with the theme. This movie is nearly perfect. The only flaw was that it was too short.

Blaze Starr Goes Nudist (1962)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Doris Wishman made a string of nudist pictures to start her career but on this one she managed to bring in a controversial name. Blaze Starr was a burlesque star who gained headlines after having an affair with Louisiana Governor Earl Kemp Long. Their affair would eventually be turned into a movie with Paul Newman.

This film here has a pretty simple story as Blaze wants to get away from various issues so she skips in to see a movie, which shows a nearby nudist camp. Blaze decides to become a member herself and for a while she keeps it from her fiancé/agent but soon he wants to know what she's doing all the time.

BLAZE STARR GOES NUDIST is a pretty boring picture for a number of reasons but, to be fair, most of these nudist pictures were quite boring. These types of movies were made so that male members could see wall-to-wall nudity and if that's the only thing you're after then there's a lot of it on display here. Thankfully most of the people photographed are good looking so looking them over for 75-minutes isn't a problem.

Of course, the main attraction here is Starr who does eventually take her own clothes off. This was obviously the selling point of the picture so fans certainly won't be disappointed. I would also add that she's really not that bad of a performer. Her performance here certainly isn't Oscar worthy but it's a lot better than you typically see in this type of picture.

With that said, I'd recommend just jumping around to her nude scenes if that's what you're interested in because the rest of the movie is downright lame and boring.

This film is from director Wishman's less interesting early period of nudist camp movies before she totally wigged out later in the 60s. The unintentionally experimental compositions and editing that Wishman later indulged in are rarely in evidence here. One typical Wishman device that is on display here is the repeated technique of focusing on the person being spoken to during dialogue scenes which makes dubbing a lot easier. Blaze is all physical presence, with little personality and way too much make-up. Look for a cameo appearance by Doris as one of Blaze's agents.

To me, this movie is really charming as a period piece. Even though Blaze Starr had been, at the time of this movie, an established stripper of national fame, she could hardly be called a movie star. But she was perfect for this movie. She had the ideal lush 50's body, along with the hair, makeup, and clothes (in the few scenes where she's actually wearing clothes). There are a couple of scenes where she's walking (clothed), and we get the full bombshell treatment: chin up, hips swaying, projecting her boobs out, and on high heels, yet! There's a real innocence to this movie; partly, I think, to get it past the censors of the day. Blaze, and all the other naked bodies in this film move about and act as normal as anybody - except, of course, they ARE naked. Which makes it funny to watch at times. And all the frontal nudity is from the waist area and up. But what is refreshing is that even with all the skin, there's none of the overt sexuality that exists just about everywhere today, where every 15 year old Paris Hilton wannabe wears a t-shirt that says 'Porn Star'. The era that this film was shot in may not have been a simpler time, but it makes me wish I'd been around back then. This is by far Doris Wishman's best work. The film flows from one languid scene to the next, with unimportant plot devices thrown in here and there. And Blaze really does have a great body. Most of the other women in the film are decent looking, but when they're in the same scene with Blaze, they seem pedestrian. I could watch Blaze all day. The DVD version of this movie is crisp and clear, with little or no sign of age; the colors are rich and spectacular, a joy to watch.