This was the title in the UK and it was double-billed with ' Serious Charge ' that flirted with homosexuality. This programme was shown in main cinemas and the public flocked to see the ' daring ' subject matter. The British Board of Film Censors ' had given both films an ' X ' certificate for adults only and over 16 year olds must have appreciated the supposed taboo issue of ( faked ) male sexual assault in ' Serious Charge ' plus the sight of Mari Blanchard, one of B movies most sexually provocative women. I find her almost equal to Dietrich in ' Destry ' a remake of one of of Dietrich's films set in the West. Dietrich never looked comfortable in Westerns but Mari Blanchard did. Just to see her hopping from man to man and proudly showing off her body she was more blatant about sex than either Jayne Mansfied or Mamie Van Doren both queens of torrid second feature cinema. Why was she so good ? In ' Man Mad ' she is a mocking vision of men's lust, not only on screen but in the audience. She was not beautiful, but a drag queen version of a woman and delightfully primitive in her appeal. I enjoyed her presence a lot and at the trash end of film she was perhaps its main star. She also probably knew what men expected of her and hit back at them on screen, laughing all the way at their single minded desires. But bad girls as we know must die and I will not give away the demented plot, and as men dominated Hollywood ( as they do even now ) she was given her just punishment for arousing them. And John Ireland, a rough sexual image in himself tries to keep up with her, and as for Gail Russell she gave her best in a pitiful role. Unique in its sexual madness this film is well worth watching.
Review of No Place to Land
