PEEKARAMA
BIG 2 UNIT SHOW!: CARNAL HAVEN (1975)/HER
LAST FLING (1976)Director: Carlos Tobalina
Vinegar Syndrome
PEEKARAMA
BIG 2 UNIT SHOW!: CARNAL HAVEN (1975)/HER
LAST FLING (1976)
In
CARNAL HAVEN, Drs. Klein (Sharon Thorpe, TAPESTRY OF PASSION) and Wasserman
(Ken Scudder, BABY ROSEMARY) instruct dissatisfied couples that a good fucking
is the healthiest way to relieve tension. Richard (John Leslie, FEMMES DE SADE)
and Leslie (Leslie Bovee, STARLET NIGHTS) – both unconvincingly aged by
streaking their hair gray – are considering divorce over his wandering
eye and her alcoholism. Despite the popular belief that black couples are happier
since they have more kids, Pat (Desiree West, SEXWORLD) has lost that loving
feeling for her husband (Dashile Miguele, DEEP STROKE) since she works long
hours and is not about to fund his purchase of the Cadillac he needs to be a
more effective pimp. Joey (Joey Silvera, PURELY PHYSICAL) – who has been
obsessed with anal sex since his five year prison stint – isn't satisfying
his girlfriend (Annette Haven, DEEP TANGO) who wants him to get the sort of
job that will not put him behind bars again. Bob (Turk Lyon, EROTIC ADVENTURES
OF CANDY) is fed up with his wife Olivia (Bonnie Holiday, HOT LUNCH) spending
his money carelessly. She is turned off by his smoking and her hairspray is
a turn-off for him. Among the lessons the doctors provide – in the form
of a group orgy – is the stimulation of the clitoris by the male with
the "Inca Knot" technique, while male pleasure can be prolonged by
vaginal contraction exercises known as the "Gypsy Grip". The couples
depart for a little homework which not only solves their domestic issues but
also opens them up to more experiences including homosexual ones (between women,
naturally).
The
poster for CARNAL HAVEN states "Sharon has the 'Gypsy Grip'… Big
John knows the 'Inca Knot'". While John Leslie learns the "Inca Knot"
here, it is probably likely that Tobalina had John Holmes in mind for a part,
presumably the male doctor (as such, Scudder is given little to nothing to in
terms of acting or sex). As with Tobalina's THE ULTIMATE PLEASURE, a good fucking
is the healthiest way to release tension while smoking, alcohol, junk food,
and environmentally harmful products like hairspray (in this case) are tools
of manipulation and distraction by those with a prudish or fanatical religious
agenda. The whole semi-instructional format might be tiresome – despite
the number of attractive and thoroughly uninhibited familiar cast members –
if Tobalina didn't seem to naively sincere in his message. Production value
is not extravagant but quite cozy, the photography (as "fotographed"
by Tobalina himself) is crisp and colorful, and the library music is varied
but better chosen than in some of Tobalina's other films.
In
HER LAST FLING, Sandy (Sandy Pinney, LONG JEANNE SILVER) learns from her doctor
that she has an unlabeled terminal disease and will die soon. He tells her that
medical science has done all it can (even though he won't actually have the
test results for another couple weeks). Rather than feel sorry for herself,
Sandy decides to cash in her rainy day fund and do everything she would never
have done before. After becoming the darling of the San Francisco orgy scene
– attended by the likes of Paul Thomas (DRACULA SUCKS), Desiree West (TAPESTRY
OF PASSION), Kristine Heller (THE ULTIMATE PLEASURE), and Candida Royalle (HOT
& SAUCY PIZZA GIRLS) – Sandy buys a Bicentennial Cadillac and heads
to Vegas to gamble, blowing hundreds of dollars at a time in between more orgies
(attended by many of the same people). Sex with multiple partners becomes less
fulfilling when she finds herself falling for a man who is rich, handsome, kind,
and well-hung. She gently fends off his overtures for something more, offering
only her car since she will not need it much longer. In fact, she's due back
in San Francisco for her test results to see just how little time she has left.
As
with Tobalina's other films, his lead actress here is pretty but thoroughly
wooden (at her best when staring soulfully into the distance and speaking in
voice-over) while equally attractive performers with more acting ability are
relegated to the background (although, to be fair, many of them probably care
more about the check than their actual screen time or quality of the role).
That the dramatic scenario is just a hook for a string of sex scenes is a given,
but the series of orgies here are rather lackadaisically covered with emphasis
on disembodied genitals (I'm not even sure if Sandy actually has any sex in
this film, if she's doubled, or if Tobalina has simply cut away to another orgy
couple). John Holmes appears here as an anonymous orgy participant in shots
that could have come from another film or a separate shoot shoehorned in here
without fanfare. Actress Sharon Thorpe does not appear in the film, but she
is credited as production manager.
Both
progressive, anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen encodes are derived from 2K scans
of the original 35mm camera negatives, and they look far better than some of
the transfers of the more prestigious porn golden age titles. They are as sharp
and as soft as the original photography, with higher grain in underexposed areas
(with Tobalina trying to minimize this with generally flat lighting). The Dolby
Digital 1.0 mono tracks are unimpressive, but that is probably down to the original
mixes. The only extras are trailers for the two films (3:41 and 3:38, respectively).
(Eric
Cotenas)