Director – Frans Weisz (The Burglar, A Hot Summer Night)
Starring – Rijk de Gooyer (Nosferatu the Vampyre, The Wilby Conspiracy), Jennifer Willems (Pipo de Clown, The Burglar), and Jon Bluming (Vincent and Me, The Wrestler)
Release Date – 1973
Rating – 2/5
Blu Release – 3.5/5
I’ve been fortunate enough to review several films now starring sexploitation icon Sylvia Kristel who many may know from her iconic role as Emmanuelle and its sequels. Many of those films were released by Cult Epics on blu in a solid box set. The set was a lot of fun with most of them being damn good films that really surprised me.
Several weeks back Cult Epics announced another Sylvia Kristel release when they revealed the blu release of Naked Over the Fence. I was looking forward to checking this out after I remembered how much fun I had with their previous set. I reached out to Cult Epics and they were kind enough to send a copy over to check out. Thanks guys.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young karate fan, an arcade owner, and a popular martial arts practitioner who find themselves entangled in an adult film production and a murder resulting in blackmail and an investigation to uncover the real killer. **Spoiler Alert**
I didn’t expect Naked Over the Fence to be a thriller. I tossed this one in expecting another sexploitation film with a cameo appearance from Kristel. Honestly, the story had promise but the overall film left me feeling underwhelmed and extremely bored. I wanted to love it and I hate writing negative reviews for films someone took the time to mail me for review but this one just wasn’t for me.
The acting in this one is pretty decent. There were a few scenes where it looked like the cast was tired or reached their breaking point because the performance from the cast just feels flat and lacking energy. Aside from these few scenes, I loved the casting and the characters they portrayed.
The story for this one has the best set up for a sleazy thriller but it never fully embraces either. A murder mystery set against the back drop of a porn production has the potential to be something historic but the film’s reluctance to embrace the sleaze and murder mystery leaves viewers feeling bored and difficult to finish. I wanted to love it but it was painfully dull.
Finally, this is not a bloody flick and, honestly, the film is not as sleazy as it looks. Overall, Naked Over the Fence is alright for a first time watch but it’s not going to be a lot of exploitation fans’ cup of tea. It’s one I’m on the fence about recommending but if you like Sylvia Kristel then you may enjoy this one.
Special Features:
New 4K HD Transfer (from original negative) & Restoration
Audio Commentary by biographer Harry Hosman
Behind-the-Scenes of Naked Over the Fence (1978)
Interview with director Frans Weisz (KRO, 2014)
B-Movie Orchestra + Interview with composer Ruud Bos (VPRO, 2015)
Promotional Gallery
Sylvia Kristel Film Trailers
Limited Edition of 1000 Blu-ray copies includes Exclusive bonus CD w/Soundtrack by Ruud Bos & Slipcase, Double-sided Sleeve.
