Is There Sex After Death? (1971) from Tuna

Is There Sex After Death? (1971) is one of those raunchy comedy sketch things with one ridiculous sketch after another, centered on a sex research organization which has a central facility and mobile crisis vans. Notable cast members include Robert Downey Sr, and the Andy Warhol icon Holly Woodlawn. It was written by Buck Henry, best known for Catch 22, The Graduate, and To Die For.

Probably the most inspired scene is the ending one, the heterosexual finals of the world sex championships, with blow-by-blow narration. We also have an X-rated magician who, among other things, pulls 20 scarves from a woman's vagina, and produces a mans wristwatch at the end of the scarves. Then there are the breast enhancement clinic, interviews at a nudist colony, an on-set interview with a porn producer who got his start making VD films in the army, and interviews with the dumbest "men on the street" ever put on film.

NUDITY REPORT

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It features almost non-stop nudity. This was rated X (equivalent to today's NC-17), although the sex is likely all simulated, and the entire thing is intended as a goofy comedy. The cast list was huge, but I was only able to identify 4 of the women. Iris Brooks shows breasts in the breast enhancement clinic, Helen G Ross does a full frontal in the magic act, and Mar Elaine Monty and Stemanie Skura show breasts in the porno sequence. Many of the unknowns, male and female, show everything.

The Critics Vote ...

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The People Vote ...

The meaning of the IMDb score: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence equivalent to about three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, comparable to approximately two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, equivalent to about a two star rating from the critics, or a C- from our system. Films rated below five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film - this score is roughly equivalent to one and a half stars from the critics or a D on our scale. (Possibly even less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. (C+ means it has no crossover appeal, but will be considered excellent by genre fans, while C- indicates that it we found it to be a poor movie although genre addicts find it watchable). D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well. Any film rated C- or better is recommended for fans of that type of film. Any film rated B- or better is recommended for just about anyone. We don't score films below C- that often, because we like movies and we think that most of them have at least a solid niche audience. Now that you know that, you should have serious reservations about any movie below C-.

Based on this description, this is a C.  This is a good example of this genre, which, thank god, seems to no longer be made, and is hence a C.

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