Today’s viewers may be baffled by the cinematic atrocities that midcentury filmgoers had to endure in order to witness naked bodies on screen. Released in the guise of educational documentaries, nudist films usually combined newly-shot material with cannibalized nudist films, stock footage, and decades-old ethnographic films, backed with needle-drop music, and processed under substandard lab conditions. Eventually, these Frankensteined films became a genre unto themselves, paving the way for the more gruesome Mondo films that would soon follow. Dan Sonney and Maurice Zouary’s Nudist Life (1961) follows a quintet of ringers in a Florida nudist colony. 10 Days in a Nudist Camp (1957) is a reworking and expansion of This Nude World (1932). In Dick Randall’s Shangri-La, former Jerry Lewis impersonator Sammy Petrillo provides loads of cringe-inducing laffs while he lasciviously eyeballs the sun-worshippers.

For thoughts on Nudist Life (Plus 10 Days In A Nudist Camp and Shangri-La), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/nCFu9d_qi4Q?t=4429]

Video Quality

This Blu-Ray contains Nudist Life, 10 Days In A Nudist Camp and Shangri-La on one disc which look as good as can be expected. The strongest of these three is Nudist Life, which has been mastered in 2K from the original 35mm negative with inserts from a standard definition master for sections where the negative was way too badly decomposed. This is a fairly appealing transfer that eliminates many of the major blemishes while still falling victim to the aforementioned negative decomposition. The transfer maintains decent film grain support throughout with nothing looking unnatural and no major instances of spiking. When you consider the age of the film and condition of the source material, it is pleasing to see the material looking so alive. There does not appear to be any issues with compression artifacts or any other such digital anomalies. The track does show off some fine detail in the environments.

10 Days In A Nudist Camp and Shangri-La round out the disc, the former of which is not noted as being from such an intense restoration with most of the material coming from 1932. Shangri-La was originally filmed in color, but only black-and-white prints survive and is what is presented on this disc. These presentations are nowhere near as impressive as Nudist Life, but it showcases this work in the most striking manner possible. These transfers are rife with damage, jitter and flicker that traces back to the source. There does not appear to be any issues with compression artifacts or any other such digital anomalies. This presentation showcases these works in the most impressive manner that could possibly be expected.

Audio Quality

The new Blu-Ray is presented with an LPCM 2.0 track for all three main films that suits the material as well as the source will allow. The narration is the main focus, and it mostly holds up fine with some distortion rearing its head. Some of the information is a bit muddled due to some of the limitations of the source but mostly things remain clear. There are a couple moments where there is a fluctuation in the audio that seems to stem from damage to the source material, but these are very brief and not an overwhelming issue. Considering the limitations in place in the course of this restoration, the results are largely pleasing. English SDH subtitles are provided for those who desire them.

Special Features

Short Films: An assortment of additional films are provided here which take on more of an informative approach closer to 10 Days In A Nudist Camp.

- Back To Nature (1955) (9:25)

- The Expose Of The Nudist Racket (1938) (9:47)

- Nature Girls (1952) (8:45)

- Nudes, Nudists and Nudism (13:41)

- Nudist Memories (1961) (17:46)

Final Thoughts

Nudist Life and the remaining work on this disc does not usually try to attain authenticity when it comes to exploring the nudist lifestyle, but those looking for a vintage bit of titillation should get some thrills from the skin on display. Even with the nudity, there are simply stretches of these films that can be a bit boring. These are more of a curio rather than something of actual quality, but those who are intrigued by the description will probably end up enjoying themselves. Something Weird and Kino Lorber have released a Blu-Ray featuring an acceptable A/V presentation and a cool assortment of additional short films. Only those who are aware of what they are getting into should add this one to their wishlist.

Nudist Life (Plus 10 Days In A Nudist Camp and Shangri-La) is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Something Weird and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.