Trio of male sky-divers touring the Midwest prepare for a jump in a small Kansas town, where their benefactor is an unhappily married woman with life regrets. Despite a tag-line that suggests parachutists "turn on" by falling free--as well the appearance of go-go girls in pasties and also a lovemaking scene between Burt Lancaster and a nude Deborah Kerr--"The Gypsy Moths" doesn't have a youthful spirit, nor does it offer its audience much of a lift (everyone is so downcast). This dim, square adaptation of James Drought's novel is rather a condescending portrait of lives in a rural community. The actors have been encouraged by director John Frankenheimer to deliver the melodramatic material with the utmost seriousness, and before long the narrative is grounded (literally and figuratively). Despite being reunited with Lancaster, her "From Here to Eternity" love-interest, Kerr seems misplaced; she's stiff and drably solemn. Lancaster is surprisingly subdued or contemplative, which works to draw the viewer in, and yet his character's fast attachment to Kerr isn't convincing. Aerial footage of the trio's Kansas jump is a long time coming; Frankenheimer is much more interested in pitting man against man, man against woman, wife against husband. It feels about as real as a TV soap opera. ** from ****

Even though this movie does not live up to the Frankenheimer standards that I enjoyed in his early 60s movies, I found it enjoyable enough. The sky diving was interesting, and the back story was OK in this last of a long series of Frankenheimer-Lancaster collaborations. Wow, my heart was in my throat during many of the sky diving scenes. And, who would have thought that we would see Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in another illicit love affair--16 years after From Here to Eternity (1953). To the classical film fan, it is hard to imagine seeing them in THIS movie without thinking of them at THAT movie.

Whoa...this was not the sort of film I'd assumed it would be! While I knew that the film would be about skydiving, I didn't think it would have some of the adult content that it did. While seeing Sheree North naked was a bit of a surprise, she was playing a stripper. However, when moments later I saw Deborah Kerr(!!) and Burt Lancaster naked, I knew that this was NOT what I had expected! This was clearly the late 60s when it came to its sensibilities and in a way it was a shame, as I am sure audiences of the time were a bit hesitant to see films like this or send Junior to see it! This was NOT the Deborah Kerr of "Black Narcissus"!! As for Lancaster, with "The Swimmer" and some other adult roles to his credit already, seeing his butt didn't surprise me very much...but Ms. Kerr?! The angelic and sweet Ms. Kerr?! As for the movie, while it was not a great film or a must-see, there is a lot to admire. Most importantly, the camera work is very, very impressive--particularly for 1969. Having a cameraman following the skydivers as they jumped wasn't easy. Because of this, the 'making of' film "The Sky Divers" is a great addition to the DVD as it talked about and showed the many technical problems posed by such a demanding shoot.The plot is not particularly action-packed (despite all the skydiving) but is more like a tale of three very tired men...men who go from city to city putting on jumping expositions to make a buck. It's obvious they aren't getting rich this way and perhaps they hate it in a way, but it's their life. This turned out to be an interesting case study--although it was not particularly easy to connect with any of them. And, at times, it was easy to dislike or be confused by the characters. For example, why did Kerr cheat on her husband? And, for that matter, why did the husband (William Wyndom) go through his role like he was a zombie? Overall, an interesting film but one I don't strongly recommend--especially since, although John Frankenheimer loved this film (probably because he was proud of the technical aspects), it's not among his best work.By the way, near the beginning of the film, you see some folks talking with the three leads about parking for the upcoming parachute jumping exhibition. Oddly, one of the men in the scene is asleep and the magazine he's been reading is blanked out--like they do on MTV when videos show people with pot leaves on their clothes. Why did they do this AND why does this appear on the DVD? Was it this way originally in theatrical release? I was so curious that I tried listening to the commentary track but it said nothing. I assume the magazine was a Playboy or something but I still wonder why the DVD has it blanked out...especially since you DO see a high amount of nudity throughout the film (for the time it was made).

This movie is an overlooked gem, and deserved better than what it got. I remember it coming out in theatrical release in the late 1960s, and it received very good reviews but for some reason it quietly died off; or so it seems. The director, in the commentary on the DVD, tells why this occurred and that was basically due to a change of management at MGM shortly after this movie was released. Now, it can be appreciated with the new DVD technology.The technology used to film this movie was very sophisticated for its time and gave results that would challenge the technology of today. Film cameras instead of video cameras were used by the skydivers; nevertheless they obtained tremendous aerial shots that are thrilling even today. It is hard to believe that these scenes were filmed thirty six years ago.The documentary film on the DVD about the making of this movie is absolutely essential to fully enjoy and understand the skydiving associated with this movie; including the "Bat Wing" stunt skydiving that forms a sort of particular drama with this movie. A better film documentary film about this movie, which I doubt exists or will be shown, would be about the making of the love scene between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr. The had a love scene, of sorts, in the 1953 movie, "From Here to Eternity". That scene, on the beach, is quite well known. However, due to the Code restrictions then not really that much could be shown.I believe that one unspoken reason this movie was made was to allow a reunion between Lancanster and Kerr. Also, she was willing to be naked in a movie, very rare for the late 1960s. Those would be the primary reasons why she was in the movie as she was actually somewhat miscast due to her accent; a definite British accent in Kansas is somewhat incongruous (nowhere in the movie are we told that she is, say, a war bride or a British girl who somehow otherwise married a Kansas man).Having said that I am actually very glad they cast her! Nowadays I look a lot like her and worry about whether or not I can find another husband (divorced and looking). Debby showed that a girl could still get a gorgeous hunk like Burt even when she was 48! You guys just can't imagine what us middle aged gals feel when we see Debby and Burt finally doing the wild thing in that living room! It gives us hope that we can still get a man! Deborah Kerr still had a great body at 48, and that is why I think she did not mind doing the nude scene. I think she was not near as nervous showing off as Burt was and certainly not near as nervous as the director. Her performance was certainly a highlight of this movie.Puzzling was the performance of William Windom; who portrayed her husband. His role is somewhat out of place; and I don't understand why his fine acting skills weren't use more than they were. His role is disjointed at best and it is hard to understand how the character is supposed to fit within this movie. There are absolutely no husband-wife dynamics shown between him and Kerr. Even in the most disjointed of marriages (such as the second of my two marriages) there is generally some sort of attachment between the two even though they may both be in the divorce court! Interestingly enough, when Lancaster was on this film he had just gone through a divorce. His wife was upset due to all the flings he had been through while married to her. Well, it is easy for this gal to see why he was not totally loyal to his wife; he had all those sexy women throwing themselves at him! And, if I had been around that area when this film was being made I would have been one of them! He was a good looking fellow then! Debby, you were a lucky gal!