Aussies just don't do erotic well. But it got some nice scenery shots of Hong Kong in the 70s.

What a spunky, hot, innocent looking number to hail from a monastic school. Our sweet little thing, Felicity, an eager to learn student, who reads books like, The Story Of O, leaves ocker land and takes a trip of self-discovery to Hong Kong at the invitation of her older sister. Of course on the dragging flight over, she gets to spy on a couple making love. Very erotic indeed, as are quite a few scenes, but it's star actress gives a one note performance, worthy of a stoning, it's that bad, unlike her surrounding cast members. Apparently a book inspired this movie, and I bet my life, the book was better. While in Hong Kong, Felicity is introduced to her sister's friends, where she galavants off with older men, to have her first sexual encounters. She's introduced to an Asian girl-a tour guide you could say, who shows Felicity her Hong Kong. We have some great night shots of this beautiful city, amidst it's seedy bars, massage parlours, spa. It's only crime, is we haven't got a movie. It's just another one of these films that falls into that category of sleaze. In one sense, it doesn't come off as an Aussie flick, and in another, it's existence is disreputable towards Australia. Barely surviving a mugging, Felicity meets a amiable biker guy, an Aussie, of course, (very much like the Comedy's Company's, Glen Robbins) who's to become her first lover, and this takes up the second half of the movie. It's last fifteen minutes of her trying to locate him, after coming down with a bug, is so pointless. That's the bloody problem with the whole movie. It lacks substance. It goes nowhere. You won't learn much about sexual awakenings from this film or anything for that matter. You're better consulting The Abc Of Love And Sex, incidentally, a flick our young darling couple go and see before settling down to ching ching and flat conversation. A disappointing view. Oh, and "Let's not mix words".

Felicity is essentially an Australian ripoff of Emmanuelle with a good measure of Histoire d'O, Fear Of Flying and the collected works of David Hamilton thrown in. The movie isn't exactly trying to hide its paragons -- instead when young Felicity witnesses a copulating couple on a jetliner (like in Emmanuelle), she describes this scene to a friend as "just like in that movie, Emmanuelle". In case anyone hadn't noticed.Felicity is your average innocent finishing school girl (magna cum laude in "Ballet In Very Skimpy Costumes" and "Showering With The Gardener Getting A Good Shufti") on her odd trip to Southeast Asia to explore her sexuality. And get laid. This sounds like a movie which will just go through the motions, but the movie surprised me by being pretty good nevertheless. In fact, although Felicity follows the road most traveled and leaves out no softcore stereotype (including the sponge bath at a Chinese brothel (which in this case is partially staffed by blondes)), it's a rare case of a copy improving on the original.Much of the accolade is due to the actress playing the heroine, Glory Annen. She's pretty and natural, and she plays the difficult role of the saucy ingénue with great aplomb and enthusiasm. I was especially impressed by her voiceovers, her husky voice is like aural Viagra. And dramatically she is well matched by her love interest, played by Chris Milne.Unusually for a softcore movie, the story is surprisingly subtle and convincing, and at least gives some consideration to the female perspectice. It's obviously not exactly the DA Pennebaker type of realism, and I'd urge anyone watching this movie to use condoms for Christ's sake if you must have casual sex on a Chinese brothel junk, but Felicity does have bad experiences (a lousy "first time"), inhibitions and desires, and she wants to both have sex, and love and emotions.What sets it even further apart from Emmanuelle is the omission of intellecto-philosophical blatherings and swinger-"what gives her pleasure gives me pleasure, especially if can have carnal knowledge of the crème of the crop of Thai prostitutes and their younger sisters in the meantime"-ideology. And whereas Emmanuelle is pretty much game for anything depraved old men are into, Felicity is slightly less kinky and make-believe; and also there are no rape scenes and dungeons.Yep, you'll even be able to watch this with your girlfiend or wife without risking her mentioning it in the divorce proceedings one week later.

I wonder if the reviewers who raved about how they loved it when they were 13 years old, have seen this one in the last 25 years. Being addicted to late 70's/80's soft-core of the "Emmanuelle" variety, i had to hunt this one down. "Felicity" is nothing more than another wanna-be "Emmanuelle," but lacks the European style of those Italian and French cult films. The lead actress, played by Glory Annen is an absolute bore compared to Euro goddesses Laura Gemser and Sylvia Kristel. She is more of the plain, girl next door type, but perhaps this is deliberate? Penthouse bimbo Joni Flynn is a bit sexier, with a more exotic and Asian look, but gave the most hysterically bad acting performance i have ever witnessed. A sexy woman, maybe, but too cheap-looking, and dizzy to be taken seriously as Felicity's "sexual counselor." The men fare no better here. Felicity's love interest is an Aussie dude who is wearing more mascara than his female companion, and the actor is a little too old to play the part he is playing. And the guy who takes her virginity is a typical, oily creep of an older man. The worst thing of all, is the film seems somewhat racist; A white girl from Australia, travels to exotic Hong Kong, to have sexual encounters... with white people! What's wrong with Asians? She should have just stayed in Australia. What could have been a fascinating study of a young Western girl discovering the erotic mysteries of the Orient, turns out to be boring, typical exploitation, a film that is too timid to take any risks. But nothing is more miserable than the soundtrack, particularly the main theme, which is played over, and over, and over again; "She ain't Mama's little girl no more.." The only plus to this film is the beautiful Hong Kong scenery, which is the best thing this has to offer. Also, technically speaking, "Felicity" is a well-made film, and does feature some good erotic scenes. A missed opportunity, this could have been a classic in more competent hands.