Alvin Purple

Umbrella Entertainment

R4 DVD

In the 1970s the tight morality of older Australians was being loosened. A new group of filmmakers and actors were doing films with an over-the-top enthusiasm and with no regard for the old cultural conservatism. This new genre became known as Ozploitation. The films usually had plots that were more imaginative, action that appealed to the younger audiences and heroes that were often more like antiheroes.

Alvin Purple was a lighthearted sex comedy in the style of films coming from Scandinavia. It did for sex in films what Mad Max was to do some years later for cars. It popularised a previously muted theme and brought fun into what “nice” people didn’t talk about. In common with most films of the time genitals didn’t exist, but unlike many films full frontal nudity was exploited for all it was worth, with furry bits where necessary. It was this that gave the film its controversial reputation.

Alvin (Graham Blundell) is basically a naïve young lad who is incredibly attractive to women. This started in his schooldays and has continued through his life. It’s not so much that he objects to it, it’s just that he is tired of being a sex object. Even his job as a waterbed installer is quite tiring because the lonely housewives all want a “demonstration” before he leaves. Desperate, he turns to a psychologist (Penne Hackforth-Jones) who is also drawn to Alvin but tries to keep her lust under control. She refers Alvin to her boss, who tells Alvin that he doesn’t need psychiatry, he needs vocational guidance. He sets Alvin up in a flat where Alvin provides “therapy” to tired and frustrated women referred to him by the doctor. Business is successful, but then the woman psychologist hears of it and demands that Alvin satisfy her needs as well.

Life starts to fall apart for Alvin. He can’t help his patients properly because her insatiable demands leave Alvin falling asleep on the job, but she has threatened to spill the beans if he doesn’t cooperate. Finally her boss disappears and she lets everyone know what has been going on. Alvin is now in court trying to prove that he didn’t know that the “Doctor” had no psychiatric qualifications at all. What’s more the doctor was making porno films of Alvin’s performances from hidden cameras. They are selling under the counter for a hundred dollars apiece. Now Alvin’s girlfriend has dropped him. He is notorious but even more popular with women, and their husbands are after him.

Alvin Purple did a lot to loosen the standards of films of the 70s. While nice, socially acceptable but utterly boring films like Picnic At Hanging Rock continued to be made it was the Ozploitation films that got the bums on the seats. It is good to see it again. The print is good for its age and the quality of the DVD is at least as good as most current films and much better than some of the indie films.

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