Lickerish Quartet, The Review

Distributor: Cult Epics Edition Details: Standard Streaming Movie Specs: Genres: Classic, Feature Film, Softcore Also known as: Hide and Seek, Erotic Quartet Run Time: 88 minutes Rated: R Release Year: 1970 Director: Radley Metzger Written by: Michael DeForrest (screenplay and story), Radley Metzger (story) Cast: Silvana Vennurelli, Frank Wolff, Erika Remberg, Paolo Turco, Annie Carol Edel, Karl-Otto Alberty Release Specs: Audio: English Mono Subtitles: none Video: Widescreen, 1.78:1 (anamorphic) Video Format: NTSC Format: Streaming Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): N/A Number of discs: N/A

Before he was renown adult film auteur Henry Paris, Radley Metzger was Radley Metzger, the softcore film auteur. Radley Metzger never really changed, the industry and what viewers were looking for changed. After he was pushed into hardcore films, Radley Metzger's name changed; however, his films didn't they just ended up with hardcore sex instead of softcore sex.

A mere four years after The Lickerish Quartet was released Radley Metzger would be releasing the first of his Henry Paris fully hardcore films. However, in 1970, Radley Metzger was careful to ensure that what he shot stayed on the softcore side of the scale. However, The Lickerish Quartet could have just as easily been made as a hardcore film.

The Lickerish Quartet presents the viewer with an erotic, and slightly supernatural, story that revolves around an aristocratic family that lives in an elaborate castle. The patriarch of the family (Frank Wolff) enjoys watching stag films with his wife (Erika Remberg) and son (Paolo Turco). After one such viewing, the family goes to the carnival, where they see a motorcycle stunt woman (Silvana Venturelli), who looks like one of the stars of the stag film they had been viewing earlier that evening.

They invite the woman back to their castle, with plans on giving her a screening of the film. However, upon the screening, the stag film has changed, and the woman's face is no longer visible in the film. The woman ends up spending the night, due to the castle being far from town. The next day, each family member has an erotic experience with the mysterious woman.

As anyone familiar with any of Radley Metzger's films should expect, The Lickerish Quartet looks absolutely beautiful. Radley Metzger and the cinematographer Hans Jura give The Lickerish Quartet an elegant and lavish look with grand shots and extravagant locations.

After viewing the sex scenes in The Lickerish Quartet, it becomes evident to the viewer as to why Radley Metzger became one of the top adult film auteurs in the 1970s. Radley Metzger, along with his actors and actresses, creates beautifully erotic sex scenes in The Lickerish Quartet without a single shot of penetration.

Where The Lickerish Quartet is really interesting is in the tangled view of sex that the film presents to the viewer. In the beginning, while initially watching the stag films, the family offers their commentary on the actors and actresses that are in the film and what would bring one to act in a sexual performance for the camera. However, as the film goes on, each one of the family members shows their interest in anonymous sex, not that different than the cast of the stag films.

The Lickerish Quartet is a visually stunning and masterful film from one of the true kings of erotica, Radley Metzger. The story is enjoyable, and the writer Michael DeForrest leaves some of what happens for the viewer to figure out on their own. The sex scenes are beautiful to watch. The Lickerish Quartet is recommended for fans of erotica.

The edition of The Lickerish Quartet screened is the streaming-only edition available on PinkLabel.TV. Cult Epics has done an excellent job with their streaming-only edition of The Lickerish Quartet. The Lickerish Quartet was shot on 35mm film, and Cult Epics has used a high definition scan from what this reviewer is assuming must have been the original 35mm negative for the film. The film is presented in the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The picture looks beautiful with fine grain present and vibrant, beautiful color. There is less than expected print damage and artifacts present in the film. Frankly, the image looks gorgeous.

The Lickerish Quartet is presented with an English monaural audio track. The dialog is clear and easy to understand at all times. There weren't any noticeable defects with the sound presentation.

Cult Epics hasn't included any extras for their streaming-only edition of The Lickerish Quartet.

The Lickerish Quartet is a lavish and masterful softcore erotic film made shortly before Radley Metzger started making hardcore adult films using the pseudonym Henry Paris. The Lickerish Quartet combines a grand European location with a story that looks at how we perceive sex with a slightly supernatural aspect. The Lickerish Quartet is well worth watching. Cult Epics has done an excellent job with their streaming-only edition of The Lickerish Quartet on PinkLabel.TV with superb audio and video quality.

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