Peekarama: Cry For Cindy / Touch Me / Act of Confession Review

Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome Edition Details: Standard DVD Release Specs: Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 2

Vinegar Syndrome has collected three very different films by Anthony Spinelli, from between 1971 until 1976, for this triple feature release. The three films contained in this release couldn't be more different from each other. The oldest film in the set is Touch Me, from 1971, which is a rather light, and likely quickly conceptualized and shot, comedy about a group of people and couples with sexual dysfunction. The middle film Act of Confession, from 1972, is a religious period piece that took more effort to make but didn't have more of a narrative than Touch Me. The final film Cry for Cindy, from 1976, is a complex drama.

This set contains two discs, the first one contains Touch Me and Cry for Cindy. The second disc contains Act of Confession and the only extra that the set contains. The softcore version of Cry for Cindy is also included on this disc. Cry for Cindy alone is worth picking up this set for. You can jump to the review of Act of Confession, Cry for Cindy, or Touch Me or just keep reading to read them all.

Act of Confession is a film that will make practicing Roman Catholics go for Sacrament of Penance after viewing and will give anyone with a religious fetish ultimate pleasure. Not many theaters gave Act of Confession a run when it first came out and after viewing the film not many people will question why. This isn't to say that Act of Confession is a bad film, it is just very unlikely that most theaters wanted to not only run pornography but religious pornography.

Acts of Confession tells the trials of Sister Beatrice (Kim Durey) and her inner fight to overcome her natural urges so she can dedicate her life to the church. As Sister Beatrice weeds a rocky mountain side, she recounts her conflict of faith and acts of sin with other nuns and priests while she contemplates whether she can join the Order of the Hermitage Nuns.

Acts of Confession takes place during the middle ages and Anthony Spinelli has done a great job of finding or creating sets that make the viewer feel like they are watching a film set in that time period. The costuming seems to be dead on too. More care has been taken here with costuming and sets than one generally finds in adult films. The music helps set the mood as well. Spinelli uses a combination of Gregorian chanting and classical music for the score.

As for the sex acts, while they are all softcore in this version, that doesn't mean that they push every boundary today, let alone back when the film came out. There is sex while tied to a cross, priests ejaculating on a paten, and the son of the holiest himself (Rocco Manuel) receiving a blow job.

Acts of Confession is narrated completely by Sister Beatrice, probably a cost saving measure. The film is also beautifully shot. This isn't to say Acts of Confession is perfect. The story gets solved a little too easily at the end of the film. The closing shot is beautiful but as to why Sister Beatrice is weeding a mountain side? However, if viewing the film isn't going to give you a weekend filled with Ave Maria, Acts of Confession is worth a watch.

Vinegar Syndrome has done a great job with their release of Act of Confession. Act of Confession was shot on film and Vinegar Syndrome used the only known 16mm print for their master. This release only contains the softcore version of the film. Rumors state that there was a hardcore version that contained eight additional minutes. Act of Confession is presented in the academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 in 480p. The print is in remarkable shape given its history. The print contains artifacts, print damage, and grain. The image flickers in the very beginning of the film. Colors are reproduced beautifully.

Act of Confession is presented with an English Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio track. The audio track isn't bad. There are instances of dirt in some places along with some crackles and pops in other places. The dialog is clear and can be heard at all times.

Cry for Cindy isn't the type of happy-go-lucky adult film that many viewers are used to. Instead, it is a rather depressing story-driven tale of the transformation of hairdresser Anna Deanovich (Amber Hunt) into Cindy a prostitute. When the film opens, we find Cindy, the prostitute, who is depressed with the way her life has turned out. She is working for her pimp Ben (Jack Wright), who lets her live in a nice house, have a nice car, and plane, but is brutal to her and her boyfriend Dennis (Spender Travis) finds out she is a prostitute and leaves her causing Cindy to commit suicide. From there we jump to her funeral, where the mourners present reminisce about their past with Anna and her descent from being the hairdresser to becoming Cindy the prostitute.

Most of the story is told through flashbacks to different periods of Anna's life. Each mourner's story helps to create a complete story of Anna's life and how she ended up at the point where she wanted to end it. The film opens and ends on a sad note. However, Dean Rogers has written a decent film that supplies some great sex scenes that go well with the plot.

The sex scenes in the film aren't bad. There are some montages of sexual action and some odd editing choices that are used in the sex scenes. The cast does a good job with the scenes, though, giving nice sexual performances throughout the film. Unfortunately, Anthony Spinelli is way too dependent on gynecological close-up shots during the sex scenes. They were far too common back in this period and there are times that the viewer can become unsure of which male is having sex with Hunt at a given moment, especially during the sex montage. Outside of that one issue, the sex scenes are enjoyable.

Spinelli has done a great job of creating an adult film that feels like an actual film and not just people having sex on film. Spinelli has utilized some great locations for the film and has included long non-sexual portions. Even one at a cemetery where Anna is buried in the film. Details like this vastly improved the overall experience of the film. Spinelli also had a good make-up person for the film as well. If you don't mind a depressing story, Cry for Cindy is an excellent film that shouldn't be missed.

Vinegar Syndrome has done a great job with their release of Cry for Cindy. Cry for Cindy was shot on film and Vinegar Syndrome has mastered this release from a 35mm archival print. Cry for Cindy is presented in the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 480p. The print looks nice with beautifully vibrant color. The print contains print damage, artifacts, and grain. Cry for Cindy is given an absolutely beautiful presentation on this release.

Cry for Cindy is presented with an English Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio track. The audio for the film sounds nice with crisp and clear dialog that is understandable at all times.

Vinegar Syndrome has included one extra on the disc that relates to Cry for Cindy. The softcore version of the film is included on the second disc of the release. The softcore version runs for 67 minutes and is presented in the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 with an English Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio track. The softcore version was sourced from a beat up print that wasn't fixed nor color corrected. However, it is great to have the softcore version included on the release.

Touch Me is a low on plot high on sex shot on film quickly produced adult film from Anthony Spinelli. There isn't much to the plot here. A group of sexually dysfunctional people and couples go to a weekend group healing session by Dr. Lloyd Davis (Tom Stevens). Obviously, given that this is an adult film, the therapy involves various sexual couplings.

The various sexual couplings are where most of the film is spent. The film never tries to delve too much into trying to make a plot or any true story out of the material. As far as the couplings go, some are better than others are. One of the couplings does involve Bill Bradford (Ric Lutze) raping Marianne Nelson (Sandy Dempsey).

Touch Me isn't an overly great film or an overly poor film. The sex scenes are okay and the plot is rather pointless. The film attempts to be a comedy and gets some laughs in here and there but doesn't excel at that either. Touch Me is neither a film to seek out nor a film to avoid.

Vinegar Syndrome has done a nice job with their release of Touch Me. Touch Me is presented in the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 480p. Touch Me was shot on film and Vinegar Syndrome mastered this release from a 35mm archival print. The disc contains print damage, artifacts, and grain; all of which are to be expected for a film this old. The colors look beautiful.

Touch Me is presented with an English Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio track. The audio track has no apparent issues and sounds good. All of the dialog is clear and easy to understand.

Vinegar Syndrome has done a nice job with their triple feature release with Cry for Cindy, Touch Me, and Act of Confession. Cry for Cindy is strong enough to warrant its own release and since they have included the softcore version of the film as well, this release is worth picking up alone just for that title. Touch Me isn't as strong a title nor is Act for Confession. However, since all three are Anthony Spinelli titles it is nice they have all been collected into one set.

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