Scum of the Earth!
| Scum of the Earth! | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster for Scum of the Earth! (1963) |
|
| Directed by | Herschell Gordon Lewis |
| Produced by | David F. Friedman |
| Written by | Herschell Gordon Lewis |
| Starring | William Kerwin Allison Louise Downe Lawrence J. Aberwood |
| Music by | Manuel Ortiz |
| Cinematography | Herschell Gordon Lewis |
| Editing by | Patrick Murphy |
| Distributed by | Box Office Spectaculars |
| Release date(s) | October 8, 1963 |
| Running time | 73 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | 75,000$ |
Scum of the Earth! aka Devil's Camera is a 1963 American exploitation film directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis and produced by David F. Friedman. It is credited as being the first film in the "roughie" genre.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
An innocent college student, Kim Sherwood (Downe), is lured into doing "glamour" poses to earn money for tuition. Once she has done this work she is blackmailed by the photographers into doing more and more explicit posing. Various forms of implied sexual violence follow until the girl is rescued from her desperate situation.[2]
[edit] Cast
- William Kerwin: Harmon Johnson (as Thomas Sweetwood)
- Allison Louise Downe: Kim Sherwood (as Vickie Miles)
- Lawrence J. Aberwood: Lang (as Lawrence Wood)
- Sandra Sinclair: Sandy (as Sandy Sinclair)
- Mal Arnold: Larry
- Craig Maudslay Jr.: Ajax
- Christy Foushee: Marie (as Toni Calvert)
- Doug Brennan: Carl
- Christina Castel: Cindy, the model
- Edward Mann: Mr. Sherwood
- Lou Youngman: Dave, punk in diner
- William Caulder: Joe, punk in diner
[edit] Production
In his autobiography, David F. Friedman writes that Scum of the Earth was shot in six days. It was filmed in black and white not to save money, but to intentionally give it a dirty look, "like an old, scratched 16mm stag film."[3] Friedman had the idea of promoting the film a week before its showing by giving theater audiences comic books of the story.[3]
[edit] Critical reception
Allmovie reports that Scum of the Earth "certainly has its moments for connoisseurs of bad cinema, but others will find it tawdry and dull."[4]
[edit] Availability
Something Weird Video released Scum of the Earth on DVD with The Defilers (1964) on February 20, 2001.[1]
[edit] Bibliography
- Scum of the Earth at AllRovi
- "SCUM OF THE EARTH!". Complete Index to World Film. http://www.citwf.com/film309344.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- "SCUM OF THE EARTH!". www.eccentric-cinema.com. http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies/defilers.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- "The Defilers/Scum of the Earth (1965/1963)". www.digitallyobsessed.com. 2001-02-25. http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=977. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b "The Defilers/Scum of the Earth (1965/1963)". www.digitallyobsessed.com. 2001-02-25. http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=977. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ Firsching, Robert. "Scum of the Earth: Plot Synopsis". Allmovie. http://www.allmovie.com/work/scum-of-the-earth-109147. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ a b Friedman, David F.; Don De Nevi (1990). A Youth in Babylon: Confessions of a Trash-Film King. Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books. p. 326. ISBN 0-87975-608-X.
- ^ Scum of the Earth at AllRovi
|
|||||
 |
This 1960s drama film-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
