Fanny Hill

It would be interesting to know how this film came to be made. Valentine Palmer's previous work was as a bit-part actor in British TV series such as Dixon of Dock Green and Minder, yet here he is as producer, writer, director and actor. The rest of the cast also seem to have done little of note so the whole production has "Low Budget" writ large. It has a stagy appearance with limited interior and exterior shots.

The strangest aspect of the film is that there is no dialogue. The story is told by a female narrator who is supposed to be Fanny reading from her writings. The film follows the book to a certain degree with the main events and characters all there as Fanny rises through the social ranks but there is the feeling that not much has taken place. Cheryl Dempsey in the title role is a natural delight to watch and lifts the film a notch or two. Whether or not you have seen any of the Fanny Hill films, reading the book to get the true taste is in my opinion a must. This is probably the least worthy of the three Fanny Hill films that I have seen, but that will not stop me watching it again, so 4 stars.

Please do also see my review for the earlier version of this movie staring Lisa Foster as Fanny Hill. The background to my interest in the Fanny Hill movies is because of the book by John Cleland which I recently read, followed by watching the movie starring Lisa Foster, and now this version with Cheryl Dempsey. This is a very different version, or interpretation of an excellent book. In this version, Cheryl Dempsey provides the narration for the whole movie, well, actually, I don't know if it is actually her voice, but we hear no other actors' voice. It is very well done, considering the book itself was written in narration format, the narrator being Fanny Hill. It is well filmed, and has some very beautiful scenery and sets. The acting is average, but Cheryl clearly stood out, she is actually rather good, with out without her clothes.

This Cheryl Dempsey version is somewhat different from the Lisa Foster version. While this version is bright, cheery and colorful, the Lisa Foster version is darker and, dare I say it, more sinister. The nudity is mild in comparison to the earlier version, and although Cheryl Dempsey takes her clothes off quite often, she is not as frequently fully nude as Lisa Foster in the earlier version. They are both very good and beautiful actresses.

Both movies, though different, are clearly enjoyable, and I have rated both 10 out of 10.

I'm very surprised this film hasn't been noticed more. It's quite an entertaining erotic story, with excellent production values and wonderful English locations. It's a curiousity in that it features absolutely no dialogue, with the entire storyline being narrated by "Fanny" herself in a slight Northern English accent.

The writing is often quite amusing, with highly descriptive depictions of what's going on in, both in front of you and in Fanny's mind.

And what's going on in front of you is mostly Cheryl Dempsey removing her clothes to show her perfect and natural body. The standard rags to riches plot provides many opportunities for Fanny to bed her way up the social ladder.

For many of the cast, this film seems to be their only cinematic effort, but I'm surprised Ms Dempsey hasn't been snapped up for something else. Maybe she has no voice. Or perhaps everyone used pseudonyms for this unusual effort.

The sex scenes are pretty tame by much of today's standards, but there is nudity aplenty for those interested in this sort of thing.

If you watch a lot of cable late-night, this might suit you since it's very much in the U.S. soft-porn vein. The entire film is told through voice-over narration.

It's extremely cheesy, and while the costumes and scenery are adequate and appropriate, it's hard to get past the "video" feel of the film. There's no one of note in it. The lead actress is very pretty and everyone in the film looks "natural" and sans plastic surgery.

The actor who plays "Mr. Norbert" is also the director and producer.

Read the book, consider the time it was written it. It's infinitely more entertaining and edifying.