Autobiography of a Flea (Mitchell Brothers) Review

Distributor: Mitchell Brothers Film Group Edition Details: Standard DVD MSRP: $39.95 DVD Release Date: August 7, 2002 Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic (1970s Shot on Film), Feature Film, Period Piece Run Time: 93 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1976 Director: Sharon McNight Written by: Sharon McNight (adapted), Anonymous (novel) Director of Photography: Jon Fontana Cast: Jean Jennings, John Holmes (as John C. Holmes), Paul Thomas, Dale Meador, Annette Haven, John Leslie, Joanna Hilden, Mitch Mandell, John Rolling, Michael Dolan, Ken Scudder, John Tate, Maxine McNight, Kristen Huston, Max Mitchell, Jeffery Armstrong, Billy Boyer, Nancy Ford, Gerd Mairandres, Kinta Voices: Warren Pierce Release Specs: Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1 Disc: DVD 5 (SS, SL) Special Features: Photo Gallery, Trailers DVD-ROM Special Features: none

Synopsis:
The Autobiography of a Flea is about how a flea, who has garnered the ability to speak and reason ends up living on a virile young girl, Belle (Jean Jennings) for whom he tells the sexual adventures of.

Video/Audio:
The Autobiography of a Flea is presented in the full screen aspect ratio, 1.33:1. I have no knowledge of the original aspect ratio for the film and the print doesn't indicate one way or the other whether the film has been cropped or not. As for the picture quality for the film itself, for the age of the film, it's very good. There are minimal artifacts throughout the film and the color levels vary. Usually they are correct but occasionally the screen gets tinted green or yellow. There are also a few occasions where the colors are over saturated and cause a haloing around objects.

The available audio track is a 2.0 English mono track, which given the limitations of the film works just well. The track is in decent condition with only minimal problems. There are a few occasions where there are pops in the audio, but they are few and far between. No other language tracks and no subtitle options are available.

Chapters/Time Code:
There are six chapters available from the main menu for The Autobiography of a Flea. They are identified with a video clip from the scenes that the chapter goes to. Given the style and design of the film, these chapters are of basically no use for navigating the film. There is a time code for the feature film, so time searching is available.

Special Features:
Although there are almost no extras, there are more than there were on Mitchell Brothers first DVD release. There is a photo gallery with 20 stills from the film. There are also trailers for Resurrection of Eve, Behind the Green Door, The Autobiography of a Flea, Inside Marilyn Chambers, The Grafenberg Spot, and a showcase of early Mitchell Brothers film classics (Flesh Factory, Wild Campus, Reckless Claudia, Woman of the Night, Rampaging Nurses, Family Affair, Rabin's Revenge, Flesh & Brimstone, Divorcee's Wives, and Sex Odyssey). I don't know if Mitchell Brothers is actually going to be releasing all these films on discs or if they are just here as nostalgia pieces as the trailers are obviously the original ones. The one for the showcase mentions the film being in the theater and the work in progress Sodom & Gomorrah and the one for The Grafenberg Spot mentions Traci Lords (credited as Tracy Lords) name as still being in the film and obviously she has been cut from any current version.

Review:
The Autobiography of a Flea is another classic release from Mitchell Brothers. The story is well done, especially for an adult film. This ends up becoming a problem as I will get into later. Although I have not read the original anonymously written novel, Playboy magazine confirmed back when this film was released that the film faithfully follows the novel. The film has great Victorian era costuming and the sets are excellent.

The cast is good looking and interact well with each other. The acting in the film is rather decent as well. Unfortunately the sex scenes aren't as well done as the rest of the film. One of the biggest problems with the film is that the story often gets in the way of the sex scenes. As a result many of the sex scenes are incredibly short or nonexistent.

As a result, this film probably comes the closest to being the mainstream/adult combo film that has been tried unsuccessfully many times before. This film also illustrates why the mainstream/adult combo film will probably never work. The plot starts getting in the way of the sex and the acting, although it can be decent, is not of the caliber that you get from your standard mainstream film.

Viewers who hate a plot mix with their porn will hate this film, especially since the first sex scene doesn't start until fifteen minutes into the film and the first cum shot doesn't occur until an hour into the film. Many scenes are led up to that never end up occurring, but often that ends up being a good thing as several of them start out as rape scenes that would have ruined the sexual heat of the film. The sex scenes are very short as well. The end result is most of the sex scenes end up being what should be teasers for an upcoming scene. The sexual themes in the film are oral and vaginal sex.

The Money Shot:
The end result is a decent plot-based film that is heavily lacking in the sex department. Viewers who like plot-based adult entertainment, the classics, couples and tame sex should enjoy this film. Viewers who require long sex scenes, nasty sex or hate porn with a plot will want to avoid this title. If you are interested in this film, you might want to contemplate renting it first, as you might be disappointed in it from a sex angle.

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