Having known her only as a production designer and as the wife of Peter Bogdanovich (who left her for Cybil Shepherd during the making of The Last Picture Show), I had no idea Polly Platt was not only a screenwriter, but one who could write such a sensitive, complex and challenging film as this. What a great cast, lead by Anne Heywood as a high-school Latin teacher in 50’s Kansas.

An intricate, fascinating look at so many themes, from racism, feminism, oppression to rape fantasies, yet creating complex and understandable characters all along the way. I don’t think it’s a surprise that it’s a female screenwriter who was able to so successfully tackle this film… even if distributors at the time didn’t appear to have the courage to get behind releasing it, as it seems to, up until now, have vanished into obscurity. Along with the recently watched The Telephone Book, it’s just another really great Vinegar Syndrome release of an obscure film that deserves so much better.

Buck A Review   feminist cinema   peter bogdanovich