Search - Mau Mau Sex Sex on DVD

Interesting at First.....

K. Brown | Walnut, Ca USA | 11/14/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Pop-Culture is screaming for a quality documentary on the roadshow/exploitation flick/B-Movie phenomenon. This documentary starts off with interesting information, but focuses primarily on roadshow icons Dan Sonney and David Friedman. While they are probably the two prime surviving players from the roadshow days, this film shifts the focus from roadshow films to the personal lives of Sonney and Friedman. It is interesting to hear their firsthand accounts of life on the road, but a film like this needs a little something more.

The occasional "slice of life" segments showing Sonney and Friedman as everyday folks at home are charming at first, but become well overdone halfway through the video.

If you have never read up on the "educational roadshow phenomenon" before, you might find this DVD informative. Sonney and Friedman do a good job describing how they were able to insert nudity into their films in an age where the silver screen was ultra-puritanical.

In the long run, however, seeing a documentary on a subject primarily through the eyes of those who lived it has its drawbacks. Hearing firsthand accounts can be translated into "firsthand claims" from two colorful characters who have a penchant for exaggerating the facts. The roadshows, the nudie films, and the B-Movies need a great documentary by an objective person who has a passion for the subject, but not by a subjective player in the business."

A laugh riot - one of a kind

K. Brown | 02/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"MAU MAU SEX SEX is a rip-roaring ride through the revolving door of sexuality in cinema. Dan Sonney and David Friedman are in a genre all their own. They filmed and released pictures the major studios wished they could. Take a peak at what you always wanted to know about "B" movies, presented by the masters themselves, Sonney and Friedman. Each movie segment is interspersed with commentary by these two giants of the bawdy and salacious. There is also a wonderful look at the private lives of these men, with particular attention paid to daily routines, and the family's that shared their lives. You know you want to see what really went on behind the scenes of these movies, so take a step outside mainstream filmmaking and see MAU MAU SEX SEX, truly a 5 star classic."

Uninformative

K. Brown | 07/14/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"(...) Actually what is shown is a scene from Dwain Esper's film "Maniac" in which a mad scientist pops out a cat's eye and eats it. Even if you believe that almost everything in films are real, the fact that the cat just lets out a meow of annoyance should be enough clue that this is not really happening. In fact, in another documentary ("Sex and Buttered Popcorn") it is explained that the director used a cat that lost its eye in a fight with another cat when it was young and a black marble to create the illusion in question. But Mau Mau doesn't explain that. And that's symptomatic of what's wrong with this picture.There is very little info about the history of the exploitation market. What little there is is entertaining, making this a worthwhile rental, but mostly you get to see things like how Dan Sonney uses a treadmill to exercise every day, or confirmation of the fact that watching a bunch of old people eating spaghetti is not very fascinating. I would have preferred hearing more than one or two sentences about Friedman's fights against censorship.There is little detail about what actually makes these films "exploitation" (i.e. how they exploited audiences), and the brief film clips, etc., give little indication of what happened behind the camera, so there could be the misinterpretation that it was the women involved who were exploited (when they were actually treated quite well, probably better than they would have been in the major studios). So if you blink you miss, e.g., the fact that Lili St. Cyr got $50,000 for one day's work (think of how much that was worth 50 years ago). There are other ways in which the film fails to create accurate impressions. You wouldn't know from watching Mau Mau that H.G. Lewis, and not Friedman, directed Blood Feast. Instead the film often (unintentionally) creates false impressions about the extent of Friedman's involvement in films he only produced or distributed (some he only brings up as examples of the genre).I would recommend listening instead to Friedman's commentaries for his various DVD releases. All of the more pertinent info in this film is covered in greater detail in those entertaining commentaries. But one thing this film definitely demonstrates: Frank Hennenloter needs to make a documentary of his own some day."

A Delightful romp through the history of exploitation film!

K. Brown | 02/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The film is an affectionate and good-humored look at two pioneers of film, Dan Sonney and Dave Friedman. Hanging out with these two old hucksters is great fun as they laugh their way through this hilarious retelling of their careers in the early days of exploitation filmmaking. Amply seeded with clips from grind-house milestones like Thar She Blows, Starlet and Forbidden Adventure this is a must see for anyone interested in the genre. Very entertaining, I highly recommend it."