Autumn Born

The only reason this film exist at all is that Dorothy Stratten is in it. Autumn Born has all the finesse of a 70's porn film, but without the sex scenes. Although, I did like the story, An uncle who have his niece kidnapped to brainwash her into signing her fortunes over to him. It is a interesting story, but not fully realized by the writer and by the director of this movie.

In Autumn Born, you get to see plenty of Dorothy Stratten than any other films that she is in. You get to hear her speak with her Canadian accent(she does have a very lovely voice). You get to heard her say "eh" couple of times at the start of the film. You get to see Dorothy in varies states of undress either by another or by herself a lot. What I like about this movie is that you get to see the budding of her acting talent. Now I have seen more than my shares of bad acting in low budget movies, but Dorothy's acting although rough around the edges, still have more room to grow, that is, if she was to allow to develop her skill. It is really a shame that all we get to see of Dorothy Stratten as an actress is in low rent movies like this one.

If you're a fan of the films of Doris Wishman, you have got to check out the first film featuring "Star 80" Dorothy Stratten. It's a torrid tale of a young heiress who's kidnapped and locked in a room until she agrees to give up her fortune. Beatings, torture and really awful acting ensue.

See Dorothy yell at the walls for the awful music to stop! See Dorothy get whipped repeatedly! See Dorothy bond with a wind-up toy mouse! See Dorothy look humiliated as she takes a bath! See Dorothy engage in softcore lesbianism with a woman that looks like Mary Woronov!

Why this film hasn't gotten a cult rep I don't know. Well, here's my shot at trying.

There were apparently a lot of films from around this time, that were heavily influenced by the movie "Story of O," and "Autumn Born" is definitely one of them. A young and beautiful heiress is kidnapped, and taken to a strange "school of discipline," in an effort to torture her into relinquishing her inheritance, which includes control over a family empire, to her corrupt uncle. Dorothy Stratten is so stunningly beautiful that it is sometimes difficult to notice anything else. But "Autumn Born" is actually a bizarre, and atmospheric film, filled with some beautiful and surreal imagery. As someone else mentioned, this is a textbook study on the art of brainwashing, which some will consider very unpleasant subject matter. The heiress, Tara is subject to random whippings, and other sexual humiliation, as well as some real psychological torture. At one point she is raped by her captors, who she later wins over to her side, with her charm and innocence. When she starts to become unhinged, Stratten actually shows some competent acting skills; she is so much better in this film than I thought she would be. She had definite screen presence, and would surely have gone on to make more films, had her life not have been ended so soon. She had that same ethereal and innocent quality as Marilyn Monroe had on camera. "Autumn Born" is surely an odd film, as well as a fascinating late 70's time capsule, made even more interesting by the story around the film and the actress. It is a must-see for fans of cult cinema and erotic films from that period. It was also nice to see that there is actually very little nudity and sex on camera, which means that Miss Stratten wasn't really 'exploited' in the making of it. It is also interesting to note that "Autumn Born" is rated as a better film here, than the more well-known "Galaxina." Recommended, if you can actually find a copy..

Dorothy Stratten is a haughty, self-absorbed girl who spends recklessly and goes to discotheques in the middle of the day. She's going to turn 18 in a few months...at that time she will accede authority in her late father's financial empire, much to the chagrin of her uncle who is currently in-charge. He concedes that the only way to avoid her interference in the family business is to have her drugged and swept-off to a covert and very pricey corrective obedience-training facility overseen by a hatchet-faced lesbian and her deranged lackeys. Gradual disempowerment through physical, sexual, and psychological torment proves successful. The girl's spirit is broken, rendering her a docile and obedient subordinate(with a "thing" for the "ladies"). Surprise! She also gets the family fortune.

Ms. Stratten was a stellar beauty, and that beauty is showcased here in a multitude of ways...we see her helplessly tethered, trussed, and fettered, and donned in a variety of lingerie, corsets, and slinky dresses(when she's not nude, of course). It shouldn't surprise that her presence is the cynosure attraction of AUTUMN BORN, and that the production itself is patternedly frugal. This is not to say it's a BAD picture, just that it's traveling noticeably light in several departments. And, as is often the case with erotic cinema, it's pitched with that recherché, pseudo-European sfumato-softness...an obvious effort to veil the film's sleazy soft-porn bedrock beneath a gauzy layer of feigned Left Bank delicacies and specious artistic intent.

Not too bad of its type, actually, and with Dorothy on board, any old thing becomes watchable(even the otherwise abortive GALAXINA).

4.5/10.

Wow, what a terrible movie! If not for the star of this "movie" nobody would give this story the time of day. Dorothy is very attractive and gives an ok performance of an 18 year old girl being forced to submit. The only problem is that the story drags on with no interesting characters besides Dorothy. Also, the story goes nowhere! The ending is total garbage as the audience is left confused at what is happening. Who wins? What is going to happen? Is this a happy ending? If you are going to make a movie about dominating, show it! The movie teases its audience. Very little nudity for an 80 minute movie. Unless you are a fan of the former Playboy model, this movie is junk.