Baring It All

 (1969)

aka Utterly Without Redeeming Social Value

by Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski)

The late Paul Bartel was a seminal figure in the development of independent cinema in America. There were many people testing the waters of independent filmmaking in the 60s and 70s, but most of them were making serious films, and I'm talkin' deadly earnest, conversation-stopping seriousness. Bartel and Robert Downey Sr. were just about the only ones making indie comedies. Between 1972 and 1985 Bartel wrote and/or directed such offbeat, raunchy comedies as Death Race 2000, Eating Raoul, Lust in the Dust, and Scenes From the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills.

Baring it All is kind of a predecessor to that canon of work. Bartel essentially scripted a softcore drive-in film, probably in a very few days, just to provide a loose framework to get people naked on camera. That was pretty standard operating procedure back then. The nudity had to have some context, not only for legal reasons (as reflected by the alternate title, which was taken from legal terminology), but also to provide some entertainment and to differentiate one sex film from another. Because Bartel was an odd duck with a good sense of humor, this film is a bit better than par for the course. Not only was Bartel one of the few in his generation to write independent comedies, but this writing credit establishes him as just about the only guy ever to write comedy stag films!

He chose as his framing device a group therapy session for people with sexual aberrations. Bartel himself plays a psychologist who asks each member of the group to tell the reason why he or she is there. Their stories are then pictured as flashbacks.

There's good news and bad news about watching this film: 

The good news is that you are seeing material that neither you nor anyone else has ever seen, for the most part. The film's IMDb page has no reviews, no comments, and no votes. This film has never been on DVD. To my knowledge, it's never even been on VHS! The footage has some real curiosity value, and some real period flavor. Some of the situations which they found sexy in 1969 are still sorta sexy. There are even a few spread shots here and there, and that was a rarity in 1969, especially in color films.

The bad news is that there's a very good reason why this film has fallen into oblivion. It's filled with non-actors, many of whom are as unattractive as they are untalented. Most of the women in the clips have no other IMDb credits, and some of the situations are so unsexy as to be downright repulsive.

Besides Bartel, the only people in the film who had any kind of career are Liz Torres and a veteran character actor named Don Calfa, who made a career out of playing small roles as spooky-looking low level thugs, and whose distinctive face you would immediately recognize. This was the first film Torres ever made, and the second for Calfa, and they are both still going strong today, 38 years after their appearances in this film. In both cases, Baring it All probably represents the low point on their resumes. Torres played a prostitute, but kept her clothes on in a strange outdoor scene with Bartel himself.

HOME MEDIA

This film has never been available on DVD or even, to my knowledge, on video tape!

 

THE CRITICS AND ACADEMIES

There are no reviews online.

THE PEOPLE

   
n/a IMDB summary (of 10)

THE BOX OFFICE

No information available.

 

NUDITY REPORT

  • A little lesbian action between Carol Saltus and Ann Peterson, with full frontal and rear nudity from each
  • A bath for Ida Hempstead with full-frontal nudity, followed by a quick breast-flash for the delivery guy.
  • A sex scene between some incredibly ugly guy and Jeri Archer, who isn't that hot herself, but bares all
  • Combined action. Some hetero, and some lesbotronics involving a nun. Melanie Thum is the nun, Pam Brazier is the other woman. Brazier shows all, including open leg shots.

Google
 

Our Grade:

If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to read the explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by our definition, a C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a:

C-

It is really not very good at all, but is so rare and offers such a unique view of its period that many will find it interesting. The genre is softcore drive-in movies.