MovieChat Forums > Expresso Bongo (1959) Discussion > tits and arse (ass)

tits and arse (ass)

posted 18 years ago by jwb-4
3 replies | jump to latest

I was 14 years old when this came out and watched it several times - mainly for the strip-club scenes. Hey, I was fourteen, remember what that was like, especially in the 50s/60s?
I just watched the region 2 DVD and their seems to be less exposed flesh than I remember. Does anyone know if it has been edited or could it be that my 14 year old self had a more vivid imagination. Perhaps it is just that what seemed very risque then, seems rather tame now.
As for the rest of the movie it is an interesting period piece. Did we really go into such convulsions when listening to the jazzy music of the time? (See also Vanessa Redgrave in Blow Up.)

[–] sevreschool 18 years ago

I'm afraid it's a case of seeing what you wanted to see!! Don't forget that the original rating was only an 'A'. My wife was convinced it was an 'X' but this is because of the frequent oblique references to prostitution.

I'm not convinced by the 'jitterbugging' but it is not impossible that Soho nightclubs were like this. The story line is still strong and in many respects still valid. I don't think 'risqué' is the word I would use - strong is more appropriate, I think.

[–] david-879 17 years ago

Actually, there were two versions of the movie released. The 'export' version had more nudity in the strip club sequences, and a (slightly) more explicit version of the intimacy between Bongo and Dixie than the domestic version. This was quite commonplace in British films of the period.
EDIT: I also understand that some versions were trimmed even more, enabling Cliff's teenage fans to see their idol.

[–] clairus99-1 12 years ago

just watching it for the first time now and i'm surprised there is as much t&a as there is for the time. i can see why it would have been quite risque then.

but i agree, maybe your 14yo self had a better experience of it than the older and (hopefully) more worldly you...

:o)