BELINDA (1972)
Starring
Melinda Forrest
Paul Tobors
Jeff Ward
Ralph Guarino
Debby Melrose
Charlotte Hansen
Directed by
Richard Franklin
Written by
Jay Chessic
Produced by
Terry Levene
Associate Producer
Donald Stillman
Running time: 83 minutes
Rating: Self-applied X
Released by
Aquarius Releasing
World Premiere (New York): October 27, 1972
Re-released as MELINDA
On January 26, 1973 (Friday), a print of BELINDA was placed on a Greyhound bus in New York's Port Authority and transported to Buffalo, where it was scheduled to open the following Wednesday (January 31) at the Loews Teck theater...
PLOT SYNOPSIS
(Based on the notes of Special Agents Allan M. Davison
and John F. Lewis Summarizing Contents of Film
BELINDA as Viewed by Them on Jan. 31, 1973)
and John F. Lewis Summarizing Contents of Film
BELINDA as Viewed by Them on Jan. 31, 1973)
"The color, sound film began at approximately 12:10 PM and ended at approximately 1:28 PM. The credit at the beginning of the film indicated it was produced by the Aquarius Releasing, Inc., and the film begins with a group of people, including a person dressed in clerical garb, looking at what is assumed to be a corpse in the identification room of a hospital. The next scene shows a 'detective' interviewing an individual in a tavern and requests his cooperation in the investigation. The person in clerical garb arrives with the others from the hospital and is identified as Father KEENE (phonetic). The person being interviewed by the detective begins to tell the story about his knowledge of the deceased. The scene shifts to a picture of an individual identified as MILLER, who is dragging and shoving BELINDA across a snow covered hill and icy area. MILLER throws her down and rubs his hands over her clothing and BELINDA's boyfriend, DOUG, who has been watching, jumps MILLER and they begin to fight. The scene then shifts to a room where DOUG and BELINDA are kissing while on a couch.
"The next scene shows DOUG with a woman who is enticing him in what is an infra-red type scene with all red lighting. The woman performs fellatio on DOUG. The scene then shifts to a room where a black female is performing fellatio on MILLER who is a white male. The next scene shows conversation among the participants back at the tavern. The next group of scenes alternate between the black woman performing fellatio on MILLER and the other woman performing fellatio on DOUG.
"Following this, the scene shows DOUG kissing the breasts of the woman he is with and thereafter engaging in intercourse with her. The scene then shifts to MILLER masturbating the black woman with his finger and then back to DOUG engaging in intercourse with the woman with her on her hands and knees and him behind her. The scene then shifts back to MILLER masturbating the black woman and back to DOUG engaging in intercourse with the woman. The scene then shows DOUG ejaculating on the stomach of the woman. The final scene in this series shows MILLER rubbing and masturbating the black woman with his finger. The next scene shows BELINDA defaced in a bedroom looking in a mirror while dialogue is carried on the soundtrack.
"The next scene shows MILLER and the black woman in bed together at which time MILLER gets out of bed and gets an automatic type handgun and tells the woman that this is how he has money coming in as he waves the gun in front of her. While MILLER talks to the woman, she caresses his penis with her hand. The next scene shows DOUG in the bedroom talking to BELINDA and urging her not to go with MILLER.
"The next scene shows MILLER in bed with the black woman after which time he gets out of bed, goes to the door, knocks, and asks for WILLIAM. He then enters the room, which apparently is a bathroom as there is a female sitting on the toilet stool when he enters the room. This appears to be the same female who earlier had been pictured with DOUG. The female then while continuing to sit on the stool, performs fellatio on MILLER who is standing in front of her. The black woman is then pictured in bed, groaning and rubbing herself. The scene, from an angle below MILLER, and the girl looking up from the floor, shows them rubbing each other and thereafter engaging in intercourse. The scene then shifts back to the bedroom where the black woman is self-masturbating. MILLER and the white female come into the bedroom where MILLER engages in intercourse with the white woman while the black woman is kissing the white woman. The black woman then kisses the buttocks of MILLER while he is engaged in intercourse with the white female.
"The next scene shows DOUG and BELINDA conversing in a bathroom.
"The scene shifts back to a room where MILLER and the black woman and white woman are in bed talking. MILLER is holding the gun and a second white male, identified as WILLIAM, enters the room and all four sit on the bed and talk. An argument then ensues between MILLER and WILLIAM and thereafter between MILLER and the white female. The scene then shifts to a tavern where further dialogue then takes place between the participants there.
"The story continues with BELINDA meeting MILLER 'on the edge of town' where she enters a house with him and MILLER gets into an argument with the black woman where he shoves her and tells her to leave. While this is transpiring, WILLIAM goes to the couch where BELINDA is seated and puts his hand on her leg. MILLER shoves him away and then sits down on the couch where he begins to rub BELINDA's breasts and legs. She resists him and at the same time, the black woman begins to caress WILLIAM. At this point, the other white woman comes down the stairs and enters the room. MILLER and WILLIAM get into an argument with the black woman and white woman and attempt to get them to leave and thereafter WILLIAM forcefully escorts the black woman and the white woman out the front door. MILLER then grabs BELINDA and tells her she will give him whatever he wants to which she responds, 'Doug's the only one.'
"The next scene shows discussion continuing at the tavern.
"The next scene is again of an infra-red type which shows the black woman and the white woman kissing and rubbing each other's bodies and thereafter the white woman kisses the black woman's breasts, performs cunnilingus on her, and thereafter inserts an artificial penis into the black woman's vaginal opening. The scene ends with the black woman and white woman in a simulated intercourse position. The scene then shifts back to the tavern where the detective decides to leave and the story continues.
"The next scene is again an infra-red type scene which shows BELINDA, WILLIAM and MILLER dancing and MILLER caressing BELINDA's breasts while she is still clothed. MILLER proceeds to undress her and thereafter kiss and caress her breasts.
"The next scene reverts back to the tavern where a 'psychiatrist' enters the conversation and thereafter the entire group leaves the tavern.
"The next scene is again an infra-red type which shows BELINDA sitting and standing in a full-length corset. It then shows her entering a bedroom, removing her nylons, and corset, and getting into bed with DOUG who is laying nude. They begin to kiss and caress each other at which time DOUG kisses her breasts and removes her panties. He then performs cunnilingus on her and thereafter assume a simulated intercourse position.
"The next scene shows a theater marquis with a title 'Belinda' on it and shows the person being interviewed at the tavern entering the theater. The next scene shows DOUG standing nude in a room with his arms outstretched over his head and tied to ropes with a rope running between his hands. MILLER, BELINDA and WILLIAM enter the room and MILLER begins to taunt DOUG. WILLIAM begins to wrestle with BELINDA on a bed with her resisting him. The movie concludes with the scene of the theater marquis with 'Belinda' on it and people leaving the theater.
"Individuals listed on the final crediting included TERRY LEVENE and the star as having been MELINDA FORREST."
Taken from
Buffalo’s Federal Indictments Snag Loews and Others
Buffalo, May 15 – Nine men, including the owners and managers of three Buffalo theaters and officials of several film distribution firms, have been indicted here by a Federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and interstate transportation of obscene films. The indictments were the latest in the recent Federal sweep against pornopix in the Buffalo area.
Charged were prez Dewey Michaels and manager Joe DeMartino of the Palace Theatre; manager Ben Abrams of Loews Teck, and the parent company, Loews Theatres Inc.; Frank Arena, general manager of Loews Theatres in N.Y. State; Louis Sher, prez of Sherpix Inc. of N.Y.; Marvin Friedlaner, prez of Marvin Films of N.Y.; Manny Brown, prez of Frontier Amusement Corp.; prez Joe Adams of Avant Garde Theatres of Syracuse; and Terry Levene, prez of N.Y.’s Aquarius Releasing Co.
The various charges are in connection with the transportation and screening of the X-rated KITTY’S PLEASURE PALACE, NAKED HUNTER and BELINDA.
-- Variety (May 16, 1973, p.22)
Three Films Are Involved In Federal Indictments
BUFFALO – The owners of three local theatres have pleaded innocent to federal charges of “transporting obscene films across state lines” so they could show them here. Federal Judge John T. Curtin has deferred setting a date for pretrial arguments until after the Supreme Court decides three cases relating to the issue of obscenity.
J. Royce Adams, who heads Avant Garde Theatres, and his son Terrence J. Adams, who is manager of the Village Theatre in the Central Park Plaza, have pleaded innocent. NAKED HUNTER is the film named in that indictment.
Loews’ Teck is charged with transporting the film BELINDA. Pleading innocent are Benjamin F. Abrams Jr., theatre manager; Loews Corp.; New Buffalo Amusement Corp.; Frank Arena; Aquarius Releasing; and Terry Levene.
Manuel A. Brown, head of Frontier Amusement Corp., has pleaded innocent in the transporting of the film KITTY’S PLEASURE PALACE.
Awaiting arraignment are George Dewey Michaels, president of the Palace Theatre, and its manager, Joseph DeMartino; Sherpix; Louis K. Sher; Marvin Films; Marvin Friedlander, and BM&E Theatre Corp.
-- Boxoffice (June 11, 1973, p.E-5)
"Aquarius Releasing's Terry Levene recently turned over a U.S. Treasury Dept. check for $94.80 to the Buffalo, N.Y. branch of the American Civil Liberties Union. Levene had been issued the check from the government in payment for expenses incurred by him in appearances in Buffalo in an obscenity hearing involving his pic, BELINDA. Levene called the money 'tainted' and turned it over to the Libertarians."
-- Variety, June 6, 1973, p. 5
2 comments:
Fascinating report. Hard to remember a time when that kind of prosecution was going on. What a waste of taxpayers' money.
So is this Richard Franklin the same director as the guy behind that awful "Psycho 2" movie from '89?
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