World of Obscenity (1966)
Cut-n-paste pseudo-documentary about the history of censorship in cinema and the changing mores of the '60s, comprised mostly of footage from the films of Joseph Mawra (who also directed this under the pseudonym of "Carlo Scappine"). Likely the only way to catch footage from Mawra's lost MME. OLGA'S MASSAGE PARLOR.
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Reviews
It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
First of all, this is an American film, not an adapted version of an Italian "Mondo" film. It's a less tedious version of Barry Mahon's CENSORED, except that while that film had phony scenes all shot for the film (and all of which looked the same!), this one uses footage from various z-grade early 60s exploitation/sleaze films (such as the Olga white slavery and bondage series) and some sleazy Euro films with nudity. Basically, there is a narration about the history of censorship in film and the evolving tastes of the public, and this lecture is illustrated by all kinds of oddball clips. The true 60s sleaze-film fanatic could probably identify most of the sources--I recognized maybe 1/4 of the footage. Some of the sequences--like the cowboy film and the swashbuckling film excerpts--were so poorly done and with such a small cast that I wondered if they were original footage shot FOR this film, although I doubt it. If you like to see full-bodied women cavorting in their underwear, or being unconvincingly subjected to mild bondage and kinkiness, you'll get a rise out of the film. If you are looking for weird, reality-based Mondo footage, you should go elsewhere. I find myself digging this video out once or twice a year, so evidently it does work on ME on some primal level. There is an Ed Wood connection with this film too, but you'll have to see it for yourself to see what it is--I won't give it away.