Splendor in Grantville!

It will be really hard to not give anything away with this review, as my initial intent was to post an image from the first horrific revelation provided in Samuel Fuller's The Naked Kiss. Clocking in at a mere 30 seconds into the film, yet disabling the viewer with catastrophic bewilderment, it is a promise you cannot see the film living up to, yet live up it does, with more to grow on. I don't necessarily intend to go too indepth here. The film was, well, not quite a recommendation, but a "before you see anything else, see this movie" sort of thing from a man whose opinion I hold most dear. Being an expert Noirist (if there is such a thing) he claimed to have seen the film on TV one day and had to stop it. It was too much for him.

Sure enough, it was far beyond my wildest expectations. It made me gasp and clasp my hand over my mouth repeating "oh my GOD! oh my GOD!" And I've been around the block - at least as far as film is concerned. The tawdry plot also involves a woman who's been around the block, but in the more commonly referred to sense of the phrase. As she tries to rewrite her life in a small town, it seems as though all might turn out for the best - a rich fiance, a meaningful (and honest) job WORKING WITH CRIPPLED CHILDREN WHO DO A MUSICAL NUMBER IN PIRATE HATS! Yes, it is that fabulous, and no, everything isn't what it seems. But who ever thought that it really would be. I'll just allow this post to serve as a recommendation for all of you who have not seen this as it is too vividly haunting my mind at the moment. Have no doubt, this one goes right up there with the best of 'em.