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Released by: BFI
Released on: 5/25/2009
Director: Norman Cohen, Arnold L. Miller
Cast: N/A
Year: 1964
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The Movie:
When Mondo Cane struck box office gold, it only stood to reason that there'd be knock offs but few people likely anticipated just how many Mondo films would be unleashed upon the world in the wake of that originator. While the bulk of the knock offs came from Italy, the trend was worldwide and the United States churned out their fare share of cash-in's as did the United Kingdom, which brings us to London In The Raw.
Co-directed by Norman Cohen and Arnold L. Miller (the son of the comic book publisher who brought E.C. Comics to England!) in 1966, this film differs only slightly from the film's that inspired it in that it doesn't attempt to show us the world so much as it simply wants us to gaze at the seedy underbelly of England's capital. The times they were a changing in the sixties and London, just like any other large western city, seemed to be in a transitional period where the old social mores were being replaced by those of a more liberal and permissive society.
We start off by exploring legalized gambling as it relates to horse races before moving on to one of the many scenes in which the film points its finger at government hypocrisy where an old man playing a tin whistle is said to be committing a crime while the prostitute who lives in the building nearby him is not breaking the law by calling up 'friends' she sees passing by her below on the sidewalk. From there we get a look at some women working out in a gym. While this is positively tame by today's standards, we're to assume at the time that this picture was made that it was not the norm for women to exercise using machines in a public place. As belts and pulleys attempt to burn off the excise fat from all manner of slightly chubby pasty white English women, we then learn, rather graphically, about the wonders of electrolysis before we lay witness to a more masculine form of vanity as we watch in gory detail a man receiving a hair transplant.
From there the picture sets about documenting different forms of local entertainment. We see a bunch of beatnik types living together and feasting on cat food, we see some night club and pub singers (including a great old man with teeth that would make Shane MacGowan proud), jazz singers, and various strippers and burlesque dancers who gyrate and perform for some unusually docile crowds populated by older men who seem far more intent to drown their sorrows in booze than pay attention to the curvy treats on display in front of them.
The film doesn't really have a particularly succinct point though it does make some interesting comparisons between what would have been at the time a more traditional and conservative English lifestyle and the supposed new way of doing things that we witness on the screen. The cinematography in the picture is quite good, capturing some interesting moods throughout the various set pieces, most of which definitely feel staged. You won't see anything nearly as shocking as some of the nastier entries in the Mondo cannon here, but you will get a uniquely British take on the shockumentary film which gives the picture plenty of curiosity value. It's an interesting and quirky picture, one well worth checking out for fans of the genre or anyone with an interest in the social unrest and changing morality of the 1960s and the birth of its various subcultures.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The BFI's 1.33.1 fullframe 1080p high definition transfer, taken from the film's original negative, is excellent. There's a healthy coat of natural looking film grain present throughout but no real print damage and the color reproduction is very strong and natural looking, without ever looking artificially pumped up. Skin tones, of which there are many on display, also fare quite well and look nice and detailed and lifelike, not pink or waxy at all. Shadow detail is also strong, with nice inky black levels staying strong and consistent without smearing the backgrounds or hiding anything from the camera. Close up shots of the various people in the various scenes are very crisp and even the scenes that take place in dreary, smoky, dark night clubs look quite good.
The English language 48 kHz/24 bit PCM 2.0 Mono track, which comes with optional closed captioning in English only, doesn't have a ton of range and shows the limitations of its source but is otherwise fine. There are no problems with hiss or distortion to complain about nor are there any issues with the levels. The various musical bits, both performed live in front of the camera and on the soundtrack, sound quite good while the narration is always crisp and clear.
The extras start off with an interesting alternate cut of London In The Raw that clocks in with the unusual running time of forty-seven minutes. The liner notes in the insert booklet note that no one, including the filmmakers, seems to know what the original intent of this shorter cut of the film was, though some assume it may have been intended as an export version. At any rate, this version is absolutely worth checking out as it is quite different. The pub scene is gone as are many of the musical numbers, which explains the shorter running time, though in place of some of this material are two scenes that do not appear at all in the theatrical version of the movie, most of which involves naked and/or semi-naked ladies doing their thing for an unusually stoic audience.
From there, check out the three short documentaries that have been included, starting with Pub, a sixteen mint short directed by Peter Davis and shot in a small working class pub near where he grew up. There's no real plot or story here, simply a look at a group of blue collar types enjoying themselves in the way that they know how. It's got loads of character and provides an interesting time capsule of sorts. Equally interesting is Davis' thirty-one minute Chelsea Ridge Boys, a short documentary about a group of British bikers. Based around a series of interviews with young male and female riders alike, it's an interesting look at the motorcycle culture of England, circa 1965. The last short is the twenty-six minute Strip, shot in 1966, again by Davis. Set backstage in a 'gentleman's club' this is an odd piece that lets the dancers talk about why they do what they do for a living and how they feel about it. All three of these shorts, each one presented in 1.33.1 black and white 1080p, provides some welcome insight into a certain socially frowned upon subset of life and they fit in well with the feature attraction.
Rounding out the extras on the disc are the film's original fullframe theatrical trailer, some classy animated motion menus, and chapter selection sub-menus.
Aside from that, the BFI have also included a nice full color insert booklet containing some essays on the film, some vintage reviews of the picture, some notes on the mysterious alternate cut of the film, biographies for the two principal filmmakers, and short pieces on the bonus documentaries that are included in the supplemental section of the disc.
The Final Word:
London In The Raw is an interesting and uniquely British mondo film and the BFI have done a very respectful job on its Blu-ray debut. The movie looks far better than most of us likely ever expected it to and the extras are plentiful and quite interesting. Here's hoping that the Flip-Side line does well enough that we'll see more releases of this caliber for this type of esoteric material in the future.