Two American exploitation films are making their hi-def debuts from UK label Network this September, one of them being released on home video for the first time ever! September 3rd: Miss Leslie's Dolls (1973) This movie was thought to be lost, but has been recently found and restored for this release! Stranded in the backwoods during a thunderstorm, a beautiful teacher and her three promiscuous students take refuge at a lonely house owned by the middle-aged Miss Leslie. Miss Leslie, however, is less a mild-mannered spinster and more an axe-wielding, homicidal cross-dresser intent on transferring his spirit into the nubile body of any girl foolish enough to come visiting… Tech Specs • 1080p HD • Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 • Running time: 89 mins • Certificate: 15 • Optional English subs • Region code: ABC • BD Cat: 7958174 & RRP: £14.99 • DVD Cat: 7954886 & RRP: £9.99 • Original release: 1973 September 17th: Who Killed Teddy Bear (1965) A grim police detective embarks on a one-man crusade to track down a depraved sex maniac when a nightclub dancer receives a disturbing series of obscene phone calls. Finding himself getting far too close to the victim for comfort, the hard-boiled cop must track down the unbalanced pervert before he can carry out his sick threats… Special Features • Trailer • Court Martial episode • LSD: Insight or Insanity? • Stills gallery • PDF material Court Martial: The House Where He Lived (1965) Bradford Dillman and Peter Graves star as Captain David Young and Major Frank Whittaker of the Judge Advocate General’s office, in a series set in Europe during, and in the aftermath of, the second World War. This edition guest stars Sal Mineo and Anthony Quayle. Written by S.S. Schweitzer Directed by Peter Maxwell Original ITV Transmission 2 October 1965 LSD: Insight or Insanity (1967) Sal Mineo narrates a short film that outlines the dangers of taking LSD. Done in a typically psychedelic ‘60s style, this film combines men in white coats lecturing on drug abuse and hallucinogenic imagery to create something particularly of its time. Tech Specs • 1080p HD • Aspect ratio: 1.77:1 • Running time: 90 mins. • Certificate: 15 • Optional English subs • Region code: ABC • Cat: 7958054 • RRP: £14.99 • Original release: 1965 These look fantastic, especially Miss Leslie's Dolls! Plus, both releases are region free, so they should work on all blu-ray players. I wonder if any of the US labels have plans for these, or if I should go ahead and order?
Pre-ordered Miss Leslie's Dolls a little while ago and also plan on getting Who Killed Teddy Bear, I hadn't heard of either until they were announced but both sound promising.
I pre-ordered Miss Leslie's Dolls about a month ago. Never heard of it before but I liked the cover art and synopsis.
They are up for pre-order on the UK Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leslies-Dolls-Blu-ray-Salvador-Ugarte/dp/B07CG1R3J4 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Killed-Teddy-Bear-Blu-ray/dp/B07CCFSCPP
about Who Killed Teddy Bear Bluray, from DVD Compare : OVERALL: Blu-ray ALL Only version so far, although do note it is the shorter version of the film. Versions The film exists in three versions. - The uncut 94 minute version. - A ninety-minute version with these edits (courtesy of Ken Anderson's blog write-up on the film): 1) The bodies in the title sequence are optically blurred under the titles, 2) missing a scene with Stritch and Prowse in her apartment is lengthier (including Stritch relaying this information: “I never wore a bra until I was 28. And then for a fast ten minutes. Some quack convinced me it helped firm the muscles. I don’t like being fenced in. It’s a hang-up of mine"), 3) missing a longer version of the flashback of Mineo's seduction by older woman, 4) shortening scenes of Mineo at Times Square porn shops and in front of porno theater, 5) the killer kissing a woman after killing her in an alley, 6) missing a brief scene of Mineo humping his bed in his BVDs, and 7) the final assault is less explicit. - A shorter edit of the film exists, which eliminates the three minute-long sequence in which Sal Mineo is shown exercising in the Hudson Health Club. The sequence begins with a shot of Mineo's torso as he works on a machine, the machine's pistons pounding up and down symbolically. Mineo is then shown swimming in a pool, and afterwards he is approached by Prowse, who compliments him on his physique ('I think everyone should work out. You have a very nice body [....] I don't like it when men let themselves get fat').
DVD Beaver reviews Miss Leslie's Dolls: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews32/miss_leslies_dolls_blu-ray.htm
Another review for Miss Leslie's Dolls: http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/i-m/misslesliedolls73blu.htm I watched the Blu-ray yesterday... and the film is very strange indeed. It is a bad film though, make no mistake about that. It is incredibly low budget, the directing is inept and some of the acting is atrociously bad at times. The first third of the film is just downright boring with nothing but lengthy talking sequences. There is something fun about the film's atmosphere though, perhaps since it only has the one house as a location and just 5 main actors. The included 12-page booklet is mandatory reading, being the only real bonus feature except for a brief stills gallery. Apparently nobody knows who the hell directed the film...even one of the actors! "Joseph G. Prieto" who is credited as the director was either a real guy, or a pseudonym for another guy...but nobody can pin down which is fact, or if they were in fact the same person. The models who played the "dolls" and the woman who dubbed the entire film's voice f0r "Leslie" are also unknown, and not even mentioned in the booklet.
