GetPapa Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Dave_Violence ***Spoilers*** The general plot of "Lipstick" is typical fare for an episode of "Law and Order: SVU" - and it could be done, just take out the profanity and breasts.I saw "Lipstick" last night. I remember when it came out, and it being an "R" and me being 13, no way would I see it. My parents, after reading the poor reviews, had no interest in seeing it, either.So finally, the wife rents it - she'd not seen it either when it was released, but remembered it. Now, the blurb on the DVD envelope read as if this would have been a mediocre Law and Order episode. That, and just recalling the name of the film, there's a picture in my mind's eye of Margaux Hemingway holding a rifle.Too bad the film was marketed this way because it cheapened the product.This is a tense, psychological thriller; it's a great courtroom drama; and it's a showcase for great acting. The trial scenes and the pretrial work by Anne Bancroft as the District Attorney (or something - the prosecutor?) haven't been matched by Law and Order - yet. Chris Sarandon proves that he is an amazing actor. I don't know if I've hated an on-screen personality so much.And what an interesting character: not only does he have a sado-violent side, but he's an experimental musician - at a good time in history (the mid-1970's) as he'd be influenced by Can, Tangerine Dream, UK, Walter (not yet Wendy) Carlos, et al. And he's a tortured artist - so much so that he can't control it, etc., etc.The ending... Yes, the ending... That mental picture in my head - from some newspaper ad - is about half a second of the ending. This isn't about revenge, it's not about a woman who's had enough or is out for justice herself: it is about a woman who SPONTANEOUSLY does what needs to be done. It's the unexpected spontaneity of the act that takes what could have been a simply "vengence" movie and turns it into something as near=real as it can get. I'd compare the film with "Taxi Driver" though without the seediness (which was necessary to Taxi Driver).

bob_meg I've never heard or seen what the late Margaux Hemingway thought of her decision to star in this classic Dino Delaurentis "anything for a buck" hack fest, but I'd guess it's regret.If you subtract the horribly slapped together courtroom denouement, tighten up the sometimes hackneyed, over-melodramatic, cliché-ridden script, you're left with a harsh examination of rape and the judicial realities (circa 1976 anyway) of the crime's aftermath.Providing the movie was of a slightly higher grade (it's really not THAT bad a film if you look at it strictly in a technical sense), an established actress who was put through the paces Margaux is here would probably garner an Oscar nomination (think Jodie Foster's performance as a hard-edged working-class girl in "The Accused" --- was that any less graphic and sleazy?). Unfortunately, it's much easier to beat up (no pun intended) on a model with no acting experience.Frankly, I've never thought Margaux's delivery here was bad --- it's natural, and her exchanges with her sister Mariel are believable and touching. Chris Sarandon, though suitably hateful, brings a creepy realism to his wacko music teacher/rapist role, and Anne Bancroft is solid as usual.The biggest problem I've had with this film is it's unequivocal equation of electronic/avant-garde music with a deviant, unbalanced mind. Given that postulate, behind every sex offender therein lies a complete catalog of Tangerine Dream, John Cage, and Hawkwind.

loemoemba was the music.The same music which stands for the 9 out of 10.The composer - Michel Polnareff - was new in the US at that time but enormously appreciated in homeland France and most of Europe. He was a very successful singer/songwriter and had written music for numerous movies, many of these were hits.The music he specifically composed for "Lipstick" was a statement and I regret that it was not recognized as such.He still lives in the US and occasionally "comes back" to his fans who always were there waiting and until now were never disappointed.They are still hoping for a real true come back in good old France though.LOEMOEMBA

robinjacksmith It is hard to make an unbiased judgment on a film like this that had such an impact on me at such a young age. This is with out a doubt the worst kind of exploitation film. I was unfortunate enough to see this film for the first time in my youth, Iwill never forget it. I thought it was the most horrible movie ever made. I then saw it again earlier this year and was once again horrified.I am not a zealot or one to say what others should and should not see but I did take great offense to the way in which something as horrible as rape was dealt with in this movie. I love lowbrow cinema but this is just plain nasty. Rent some Rus Myer instead.