Let Me Die a Woman

[lester1/2jr]

okay lester, go ahead.    

    Alright,  I saw this on saturday and am still nauseus.  That's the first thing you must know about "Let me Die  a Woman" Doris Wishmans exploitation  documentary  about transexuals.   Most people outside of big cities probably don't see to many of these folks and we mainly hear about them wanting their own bathrooms  if we hear about them at all.   But 20 or so years ago it was a contentious issue and transexuals were generally relegated to the margins of society.  So the movie was relatively shocking for it's time and not only for it's vomit inducing surgical close ups. 

        It strongly resembles the educational films that would eventually, not very ironically, morph in to exploitation cinema.   Wishman even titles her production company "hygiene films". We meet a doctor who explains various social, pyschological and medical issues involved in this phenomenon to us.   He is one of the main characters, along with a relatively attractive transexual who also appears on the lightweight but still interesting comentary track. 
 
              Due to the hackneyed, clinical nature of the documentary, it's hard to give it 5 stars, but it makes it's presence felt and it would not be wrong to say it is a classic of some sort.   and it even has the canned 50's  lounge music Wishman uses in all her films,   giving a demented vaccum cleaner ad "normalcy" to the decidedly unusual proceedings.

[Mr_Vindictive]

I said previously that the film is an experience and it's very true.  Apparently the film was one of the last "educational films".  It's a blatant exploitation film and it's interesting to see the clinical portions that are added so it could be classified as educational.  I saw the release of the film last year when it came out on DVD and was quite pleased with the transfer.  Was it Synapse that did the disc?  I've forgotten and am a bit too lazy to look it up right now.

[lester1/2jr]

Yes it was a synapse disk.  I saw their reissue of "effects" which wasn't bad and "christmas evil" which I didn't understand

[VogNhymn]

This has been at Border's Books near where I live and I've been putting off buying it for some time. Most the time it's because the couple folks I watch weird films with look at me like I am on Mars for wanting to see it. Is it worth 20 bucks?

[lester1/2jr]

you must be able to find it for cheaper than that. amazon or something.


I can't think of too many movies i would pay that much for so I'm gonna say no. 

at most half that

[Mr_Vindictive]

I'd not pay 20 for it.  It's a film that is worth seeing at least once but I don't see it having a lot of replay value.  If you do want to see it, track it down via a rental service.

[lester1/2jr]

parts of it are so gross it's pracitcly incredible.  it's like vomiting from deep within your subconscious