Lorna (1964) Big Knockers Noir

Director Russ Meyer (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)), a California native son, born on March 21, 1922, in the bay area town of San Leandro. Meyer's parents divorced soon after he was born.

At 14 years old, his mother pawned her wedding ring in order to buy him an 8mm film camera. This started his filmmaking career, resulting in a number of amateur films by the age of 15.

At 20 he served during World War II as a U.S. Army combat cameraman for the 166th Signal Photo Company. Many of Meyer's army combat cameramen buddies would later work on his films. Quite a bit of Meyer's work during World War II can be seen in newsreels and in the film Patton (1970).

When Russ was discharged, he was unable to find any cinematography work in Hollywood. He had no juice, and no industry connections. He made industrial films, much like Herk Harvey (Carnival Of Souls (1962). Meyers also freelanced as a still photographer and became a well known glamour photographer doing some of the first spreads for Playboy magazine. Meyer is now well known for writing and directing a series of very successful sexploitation films that featured campy humor, sly satire and ridiculously large-breasted women. To quote wikipedia...

 "His first feature, the nudist comedy The Immoral Mr. Teas (1959), cost $24,000 to produce and eventually grossed more than $1 million on the independent/exploitation circuit, ensconcing Meyer as "King of the Nudies.""

Hey these ex GI's went through the hell of WWII, if they got their kicks making sexplotaion films after the war they earned the right to do it.

What brings Noirsville to director Russ Meyer is the film Lorna, his first feature to abandon the  "nudie cutie" formulaic style, for more serious fare with a dramatic storyline and some very stylistically Noir sequences. Meyers referred to this film as part of his "rural gothic" period. Meyer described the film as "a brutal examination of the important realities of power, prophecy, freedom and justice in our society against a background of violence and lust, where simplicity is only a facade." Yea all that and a femme fatale with a rack like the front end of a '56 Caddy.

Lorna was written by James Griffith (screenplay), from a story by Russ Meyer. Cinematography was by Russ Meyer. Music was by James Griffith. The film stars Lorna Maitland (Mudhoney (1965)), Mark Bradley (Strange Lovers (1963)), James Rucker, Hal Hopper, Doc Scortt (THX 1138 (1971), Days of Wine and Roses (1962)), Althea Currier (The Girls on F Street (1966)), F. Rufus Owens Frank Bolger, Ken Parker, and Classic Noir noir vet James Griffith (Blonde Ice (1948), The Breaking Point (1950), Dragnet (1954), The Night of the Hunter (1955), The Killing (1956).

The film starts with a stark deserted floodplain highway, a traveling point of view down the centerline reminiscent of David Lynch's opening sequence for Lost Highway. In the distance we see a man. We get closer we see it's James Griffith who begins preaching about the temptations of life, he is the Man of God, (who makes various pronouncements at intervals in the film).

Man Of God (James Griffith)

After this morality sermon interlude we drive into Walnut Grove, in California's Sacramento River Delta country.

Walnut Grove, California

In town we see two low life miscreants Luther (Hal Hopper), and Jonah (Doc Scortt), exit Al's Bar. They are out for trouble, grizzled, drunk, dumb, and looking to get their ashes hauled. They follow a drunken town roundheels Ruthie (Althea Currier) to her home. Luther comes on too strong, gets rebuffed, and then tries to rape Ruthie. She fights him off, biting his neck which gets her a beating.

Jonah (Doc Scortt) lt., and Luther (Hal Hopper) rt.

Jonah Luther and Ruthie (Althea Currier )

When Luther rejoins Jonah he begins to talk and fantasize about Lorna (Lorna Maitland) their young co-worker Jim's (James Rucker) bride. The film then dissolves into the title sequence depicting the delta country before getting into the story proper.

We see a dark riverside shack, it's lit by by a Coleman gas lantern. It's late night. A man Jim sits at a table. He's writing in a notebook. Studying to become a CPA. When he finishes his notes, he moves to the bedroom doorway and watches Lorna as she sleeps.

He undresses and climbs in beside her. He nudges Lorna awake. He wants to make love. Lorna, his bride of about a year, is however sexualy frustrated. Jim is a terrible lover, they both waited till marriage before having sex and Jim knows nothing about how to please a woman.

Lorna (Lorna Maitland) and Jim (James Rucker)

This session is no better, she tries to tell Jim to slow down and pay attention to her needs but it's all over within a minute. Jim exhausted immediately falls asleep catching some Zzzz's, while Lorna is now all hot and bothered and ready to trip her own switch.

Lorna goes to the open bedroom window to try and cool off. She moves out onto the porch and reviews her sorry uninteresting life. She thinks about her meeting, courtship, and marriage to Jim and then fantasizes of having an exciting nightlife down in Hollywood, and becoming an object of all men's desires.

Lorna's Fantasy Sequence

  

The next morning Jim's co-workers at the Salt Works, Luther and Jonah pick him up in their skiff, they tease him about Lorna and all the "nookie" he must be getting. Luther is particularly envious.

After Jim, Luther, and Jonah head off downstream, Lorna decides to go skinny dipping in the river.

Meanwhile there is a prison break at the correctional facility nearby and one of the escaped convicts (Mark Bradley) heads up river. He spots Lorna, corners her along the river bank and rapes her.

convict (Mark Bradley) 

But Lorna's frustrated pent up sexuality finally explodes and the rape turns into blissful sexual gratification. She invites the convict back into the shack for more fun and games.

Of course it all goes predictably to Noirsville.

Noirsville

From Wikipedia "Reviews at the time described Maitland as "a wanton of unparalleled emotion...unrestrained earthiness...destined to set a new standard of voluptuous beauty." Lorna was called "the female Tom Jones"."

"The film was prosecuted for obscenity in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida, but became a major success at drive-in, downtown theaters, and even made appearances at art-house cinemas."


Lorna gives us a good example of an independant film untethered by major studio checks, and yet there are still some vestiges of the Motion Picture Production Code influence in surprising evidence from the black & white moralistic ending, all this restraint is about to be nuked all to hell and gone. Even mainstream Hollywood was loosening up. Two examples of this are films with Marilyn Monroe showing quite a bit more of her charms, i.e. The Misfits (1961) and the unfinished Something's Got To Give (1962).

Stills from The Misfits lt. and Something's Got To Give, rt.

Who gives a shit about restraints when we as a society could be annihilated at any moment. Pandora's Box was about to be blown wide open.  Screencaps are from Something Wild DVD. 6/10