I had been looking for this movie for a long time and as of last year ( 2022 ) finally bought a VHS copy. I was a fan of Pat Barrington for a variety of reasons including the fact that she was from North Carolina and was a stripper/ dancer here in the Washington DC area before heading to Hollywood, plus I find the less successful actors to frequently have more compelling back stories. She was married to a local musician who later turned out to be a serial killer, so I recommend that you check out that shocking saga. 1966 was an interesting year for movies and this film reflects a dark and noirish sensibility seemingly typical of (s)exploitation films of the mid-sixties, just a year before the " summer of love " when vibrant psychedelic colors became a trend in film and culture. Pat Barrington looks great despite ( or due to ) heavy hair and make-up, resembling a sort of poor man's Elizabeth Taylor. The film has some good bits including the psychiatrist visits, the hallucinatory sequences and stark urban cinematography. The interior shots are well staged, exuding a seedily enticing sleaze factor and a tawdry, black and white esthetic. The film is unfortunately undermined by dubbing, especially the moaning and laughing during the " sex " scenes which actually makes them somewhat laughable and they're fairly dull to begin with. During this era, sex apparently involved fully clothed men with women sporting panties and high heels. Speaking of that, you'll find more hard core scenes in current fare offered on cable and apps. I understand the director had to get to the nudity quickly in order to meet the grindhouse requirements which may have unfortunately necessitated abandoning a potentially complex psychological study of the main character. Some have claimed that this film may be the inspiration or source material for the more well regarded " Belle de Jour " created a year later. Of course in the end, our sensual adventuress must be sacrificed ultimately for her moral decisions, thus maintaining an iconic archetype of inherently immoral seductresses that has been a recurring theme since Adam & Eve or even Adam & Lilith.
Review of Agony of Love
