From reading the reviews on here they seem to be a mixed bag, too many people on here who post reviews are trying to hard to be next Barry Norman, The Stud is the classic cult movie, yes it's outlandish in parts, majority of cast turn up and deliver a performance, even the bad actors try, it's not meant to be Shakespeare, it's what it's meant to be an easy watch, from a bygone era, a time capsule of 1970s London, Collins is on top form, Mark Burns "Leonard Grant" almost steals the movie with surreal bits of wisdom, Doug Fisher delivers the best lines, yes it's seedy, dark,silly in parts but it's a classic.
... View MoreI enjoyed this movie, Joan Collins is the only actress that could pull it off. She has the ability to play these roles without letting it become silly, or needlessly pornographic. She has the charisma of a true golden era movie star, but her roles are daring, unique and push the envelope. She brings an energy that is so youthful to her roles; which is great in these movies and Dynasty where she is at an age where most women are no longer seen at all, never the less sexy and beautiful. She shows that there is life after you are mature, and she makes it look fun. The messages in the film are interesting; both the men and the women have their own angles on each other and what is happening, neither is really a victim. Infidelity and promiscuity are seen in all socioeconomic levels in society. From peasants to kings sex is happening and has happened. There are also consequences for each character but they happen and life goes on. Some people are put off by the sexuality of the film but Fontaine is a jets disco owner in the seventies, it fits the character.
... View MoreMs. Collins is a survivor and has nearly always been willing to do whatever it took to hold on to some kind of career in acting, even though at the start she lacked the ambition to really push for success. After a period as a contract player for 20th Century Fox (often in roles that Marilyn Monroe rejected), Collins took some time to concentrate on marriage and children (a few of each, actually!) When she was ready to work steadily again, she found herself considered a relic of the 50's and wound up some really lame cinematic and television fare (and the occasional decent project.) She was close to the bottom when her husband at the time produced and she agreed to star in this film, a steamy, tawdry, silly film based on her sister Jackie's novel. She plays a wealthy, decadent socialite whose husband Gotell is an older, not particularly scintillating gentleman. One of his holdings is a discotheque, which Collins frequents and which is managed by the title character, portrayed by Tobias. Not only is Tobias taking care of the night club, he is also taking care of Collins' sexual needs. She films their interlude in an elevator and shows it to her best pal Lloyd who decides that she wouldn't mind trying Tobias out herself, despite her marriage to effete writer Burns. All four of them wind up involved in a hilarious pool orgy (which must be seen to be believed!) that ends when Tobias is asked to go places he's never considered. Unfortunately for Collins, playtime is over when her stepdaughter Jacobs gets wind of the sex tape and decides to take matters into her own hands (and other places.) If the plot sounds trashy in description, it's because the entire enterprise is trashy in the extreme! However, this was made at a time when disco was king, sex was free and easy (pre-AIDs) and hedonism was considered glamorous. By this, it would seem that all rich folks ever do is decide where their next sexual encounter will occur! That said, there are more than a few times when the film strays away from the erotic and strains under the weight of a lame storyline and shoddy acting. Collins occasionally looks a little tired here, most likely due to budgetary lighting, but other times is quite striking, especially when she shows up at the club in a dramatic up 'do. "Dynasty" fans will likely enjoy seeing her manipulate and copulate her way through the film though it is quite an eye-opener to see her cavorting naked when she's best known for TV roles in which only a little skin is shown. By the time she's wearing a huge, crimped, side-ponytail and smoking a joint, followed by various chlorinated frolicking and au naturel trapeze swinging (a homage to one of her most notable films "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing"??) the majority of her TV audience's minds will have been blown. Tobias (who resembles what would result if Harry Hamlin and a circa 1978 Tommy Lee Jones procreated) is reasonably acceptable in his role. He has a clothing selection scene that must surely have inspired Paul Schraeder when he made "American Gigolo" a short time later. Though he's little known, Tobias actually went on to have a pretty steady career in films. Jacobs is decent enough, but really no one could do much with all the sordid material in the script. Cotell is recognizable as a supporting actor in several James Bond films. Lloyd, Burns and Fisher (who plays another Collins crony who hangs out at the disco) would all come back for the sequel "The Bitch", a year later. The film features a soundtrack of songs that were actual hits of the era, which makes the extended, murky shots of the dancing a little bit more easy to bear, though no one on the dance floor is in danger of dethroning John Travolta (or even Karen Lynn Gorney!) This film, along with its sequel, was a double-edged sword for Collins. On one hand, it represents a headlong dive into exploitation, tastelessness and mediocrity. On the other hand, its box office success helped get her name and face out there again and allowed her to show the world that she was up to the task of portraying the type of mega-bitch that she became on "Dynasty", a move that cemented her financial security forever.
... View MoreLike the follow-up to "The Bitch", this is a Joan/Jackie Collins vehicle which represents an epiphany of late 1970s excess and trash.We are shown a group of privileged amoral silly people in a way which attempts to "glamorise" their vapid "shopping and shagging" lifestyle. So meet the improbably named "Khalid Fontaine" (Collins playing a pre-Alexis Alexis), owner of nightclub "The Hobo", possibly the tackiest dive to ever soil the streets of London, England. Oliver Tobias plays the titular lead, an anti-hero who we recoil from.Every scene is more excessive and ridiculous than the one before. The dialogue is wooden and childish. Collins' delivery is at its worst ever (apart from the Bitch), and that's saying something. She feels compelled to pronounce the last word of every line as if it's written in CAPS LOCK, bold case and italics in the script.The drugged-out swimming pool scene is horrific. Did we have to see Joan's chest? The whole film is like an over-imaginative, over-sexed 14 year old's fantasy of the way that rich people must live.See it! See it now!
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