Pleasure Island (Alpha Blue) Review

Distributor: Alpha Blue Archives Edition Details: Standard DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic, Feature Film, Pirates Run Time: 57 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1975 Director: Joe Serkes (as Dan Wright) Written by: Joe Serkes (as Karl Furer) Cast: Ted Kesey, Jo Ambriz, Gordon Freed (as Ed Stark), Christine De Shaffer (as Mona Jenks), Sue Dunn, Linda John, Jesse Adams 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

Pleasure Island is a an adult pirate themed film that was obviously quickly thrown together without much interest in making a good film. The plot, such as it is, has the pirate crew of Captain Hipps leading the captured crew of the Fuckeau to a hideout. Not that there is much plot at all to be found in this film. The film mostly goes from sex scene to sex scene without any real reason or care. The little bit of plot present is mostly given through narration at the beginning of the film and a break from the sex in the middle of the film. There is a compulsory sword fight that takes place, complete with exciting sword fight music, but an orgy going on takes even center stage with the sounds of the sword fight mostly in the background of the sex.

Not much work went into the creation of Pleasure Island. The film starts with our ragtag group of pirates and captives running across a beach. Then they go through a yard of a southern California or Florida looking house. Then the rest of the action takes place in their hideout, which looks like a gardening shed of some sort or possibly a pool cabana. But, there is a second hideout, in what looks like a basement that they go to next where Captain Hipps actually is. This is definitely not an adult film for anyone who wants a coherent story or any effort put into it.

Unfortunately, the sex scenes don't fare any better than the narrative does. The sex scenes are poorly shot, with gynecological close-ups constituting much of the footage. The opening sex scene is split with an orgy scene in the middle of it. An orgy scene takes place with the editing jumping haphazardly from one coupling, to another, to another. The end result is none end up coming across as well done, nor that interesting. And due to how they were shot, must are just a jumble of unidentifiable people having sex. The film is horribly framed cutting off necessary parts of the image at times. After the first sex scene then concludes another poorly shot orgy concludes the film.

Cliched 70s porno music runs rampantly through the film. The costumes look like someone went and raided a costume shop, grabbing whatever was available, and passed out to the cast what they ended up coming back with. Sadly, this film fails at every aspect.

Pleasure Island is presented in the full screen aspect ratio of approximately 1.33:1. The master appears to have been a video with some tracking issues and glitches in the video. The picture also sports artifacts, print damage, and debris. The picture is on the dark side, with details in dark areas murky. The picture shows a lack of definition. Colors appear to be off as well with fleshtones more peach than natural.

Pleasure Island is presented with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 monaural track. The dialog can be hard to hear at times. It is at a lower level than the music is which causes issues.

Alpha Blue Archives hasn't included any extras on this release.

Pleasure Island is a poorly done one day wonder that fails at the sex and the story leaving the viewer wondering what the producers were thinking when they put this into the cinemas. Alpha Blue Archives has done a poor job with the release using a video master.

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