This was my first experience of a Sam Fuller picture, and I have to say, it was quite the revelation. The entire film keeps you slightly off balance, starting right out of the gate with that bizarre opening, which could have had any number of interpretations. It was interesting that the full details of that encounter weren't revealed until some time later in the story, by which time I had started to form a different idea of what had originally happened. But the scene that changed the entire picture for me had to be Kelly's (Constance Towers) discovery of Grant's (Michael Dante) pedophilia. Even though it was all done by inference and suggestion, I was immediately creeped out by the assault on innocence that changed the whole complexion of the story on a dime. Kelly's reaction was swift and deadly, and in keeping with the street smarts gained from a life of prostitution.

I was surprised to see that this film was made as late as 1964. It had a lot of the earmarks of the type of 'educational' film that came out of the 1930's and '40's that have earned cult status for their camp portrayals. I'm thinking of titles like "Delinquent Daughters" and "Slaves in Bondage", but here, the emphasis doesn't seem to be on creating sensationalism as much as forcing the viewer to think outside the box regarding aberrant behavior. Grant's conversation when he's outed as a pervert is particularly revealing; he believes that he and Kelly could have a wonderful marriage because they're both abnormal. How's that for a rationale?

For it's unusual and offbeat subject matter, "The Naked Kiss" is a stunningly surprising movie, one that won't appeal to every taste, but it certainly leaves it's impact on the viewer in a way that precariously treads the line between entertainment and revulsion. Constance Towers is unusually effective in maintaining credibility for her character after the shock of that opening scene wears off. This is only the second time I've seen a bald woman in a picture, the first being Persis Khambatta in the 1979 flick - "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". In both instances, there's something to say about how sexy a bald woman can be under the right circumstances. I think Captain Kirk would agree.