There has been something of a renaissance among compilation films lately. It seems that since Blue Underground released its collection of Mondo films, many cult cinema studios have also been releasing things along those lines. Sometimes there is a great deal to be had from viewing these. At the very least, some are interesting from a “holy shit!” perspective of uniqueness and originality. Most recently, the compilation light has shone brightly with film trailer compilations such as 42nd Street Forever, and Something Weird’s Extra Weird Sampler. But the compilation we are looking at today is quite possibly the most random of the bunch, Other Cinema’s release, The Subject Is Sex.

With most compilation releases, there is no real connection between the random clips, and this one is no different. As such, there is nothing to be gained or lost by my telling you exactly what you will be viewing by watching this collection. So here is a list of the clips that you get…

Erotography – An introduction to eroticism filmed long ago.

Love Revolution – Think of it as the main titles, the highlight of which is a topless girl dancing with an army issue gun. Aside from that it is a bits-and-pieces look at stuff that was and wasn’t included in the rest of the disc.

Nudism – A Way Of Life? – A documentary that appears to have been made in the 1950s on nudist camps and colonies. I was impressed with it for taking such an objective, non-religious stance.

Jade East – This is actually a brilliant example of sex-in-advertising. It is a cologne commercial which features sexy dancing girls and one hell of a groan-inducing slogan. “If she doesn’t give it to you, get it yourself.” Brilliant. I laughed.

Dynamite – A trashy porno trailer for the film of the same name. Funny only to the most childish of porn hounds.

Ratman – A piece of vintage erotica. A woman disrobes and notices a very dead (and very fake) rat in her bathroom. She screams, and a random person off the street runs in, discards the rat, and… decides he wants to hang around for a bit. This is erotica at its most innocent.

Hollywood Blue – Another pornographic trailer that proposes to offer clips of professional Hollywood actors and actresses who made lewd films either in porno theatre or on casting couches in order to “make it big.”

Love Moods With Lili St. Cyr. – Another fine example of vintage erotica with the always lovely Lili St. Cyr doing a strip tease in and bathing as she used to do in front of a live audience. I am sure this was racy as hell in 1952 when it was released.

Uncle Si And The Sirens – A rather silly and humorous old silent film about a farmer who buys a new television and tries to tune in various naked ladies on it. Again, this is fairly innocent old erotica with some hilariously primitive image effects. I would recommend this bit.

Presidential Physical Fitness – If this is at all erotic, I am certain that it wasn’t the filmmakers’ intention. All this is is an old educational video showcasing the benefits of doing push-ups. It isn’t even vaguely homo-erotic.

Toughie Punches Out Big Daddy – A humorous short film that follows a girl named “Toughie” who wants to keep in competition with the boys by working out and shadowboxing. Horrible narration and forced silliness makes this come off more odd than amusing, or anything else for that matter.

Mondo Erotica – The pornographic film trailer that goes on forever. Seriously, this trailer runs so long that the song changes several times. It, too, has a horrible comedic voice over. I actually have to question the people that would see the film based on the trailer.

Giving An Enema – Well, you might need one after watching the Mondo Erotica trailer. This video isn’t sexy in the slightest and was produced by the U.S. Navy in order to instruct new medical practitioners on how to give and care for the sick. I admit, after watching this it seems so simple that anyone could give one after seeing this video.

French Tickler – A very old animated short showing a couple engaging in the act on a train ride.

Women In Revolt – This is a trailer for the Andy Warhol film. I actually might get this. It appears as a parody of the women’s liberation movement by having the principle female cast played by men. The trailer closes with the line “This is absurd!” and he/she is correct.

970-KATHY – “Beautiful women with large cocks.” “We can do anything. You can fuck me in the ass. I can fuck you in the ass. Call 970-KATHY” Where did I leave my goddamned phone?

Memories Within Miss Aggie – Yet another pornographic film trailer. This one looks more of the boring and pretentious type. Obviously it was an influence on the writer of The Seduction Of Misty Mundae.

Crossing The Equator – I don’t really get it. I mean, I can’t even tell what is going on. I presume it is home video footage of a party game with some potential degree of naughtiness. Really though, I can’t make a damn thing out with the horrible video quality.

On The Beach – A very old piece of early porn. A man catches three girls skinny-dipping and threatens to steal their clothes if one of them doesn’t have sex with him. They agree to it only if they fuck him through a hole in the fence. When he’s primed, they use a goat and he is none-the-wiser. This is better used to show the dangers of glory holes because porn just isn’t erotic with title cards.

VD Is For Everybody – Ha! The AD Council has had their share of winning '70s-'80s awareness commercials (remember “I learned it from watching you, dad!” and the crying Indian?) but nothing comes close to this hilarious commercial discussing the fact that anyone can contract a venereal disease.

Buried Treasure – This is a rather silly old cartoon about a cartoon character with a large penis that wants to screw everything in sight. What is surprising is how well it works. The theme may be amateurish, but the animation production was right on par with the Steamboat Willie era style.

Bubble Dance With Sally Rand – I certainly can’t fault the disc for ending on this highlight. This is a wonderful (then) modern dance number with the beautiful Sally Rand using a large plastic bubble as her partner. I don’t know if I would consider it an end cap to a collection of eroticism, but it is certainly a beautiful piece in the history of dance.

Sex is certainly the theme, but there is no real consistency between the clips that we are shown. They range from trailers for pornographic films to semi-serious mini-documentaries to instructional videos to implied eroticism in television advertisements. This random approach is interesting, but ultimately makes the film a chore to watch from start to finish because there is no connection between them other than the rather broad “sex” theme. I feel if maybe new material were added, an intro to each piece explaining their significance in erotic art or cinema, there might have been so much more to gain from watching it from start to finish. Alas, we don’t get any of that, so it is doubtful that many will appreciate every clip in the film.

Presentation
The films presented are all within varying degrees of decay. Some look better than others, but nothing is vibrant. The animated features particularly are atrocious looking and the silent shorts are in need of being remastered (though I doubt they are ever likely to get that sort of treatment). Everything is grainy, but I have a good feeling that this is how they were presented for the most part. Sad, really sad.

Extras
There are extras on The Subject Is Sex, but why they are extras is a valid question. Labeled as More Smut, you are given two choices from the menu. “Beefcakes” and “Cheesecakes” takes you to a highly amusing collection of bits of guys and girls doing silly things in various states of undress. The cute soundtrack and interesting editing helps plentifully. I found this more enjoyable than most of the feature. The other selection is the Cheap Smut Give-A-Way, which uses a real randomizer to show you a clip that somehow missed being included in the main feature. You might see a vagina smoke a cigarette, or you might get a man having sex with a motorcycle, or you might get something else entirely. Who knows?

Also included are trailers for the releases Tribulation 99 and The Rainbow Man. Both of these look like intriguing midnight features to watch.

Overall
The Subject Is Sex, but did you learn anything? Well, I learned how to give an enema. Aside from that, though, what we are presented with is a compilation of various bits of erotica, perhaps even unintentional erotica. Missing is a true point. Overall, the disc is certainly worth a look, but it isn’t something I would recommend very strongly as a purchase. It isn’t quite pornographic enough for that type of demographic and possibly a bit too boring for the casual viewer. This is a shame really, because a different selection here or there might have made this disc delicious.