Program Note
Movie star Blaze is tired of Hollywood's closed system. One day, she happens to watch a documentary about a nudist camp and visits a nearby nudist camp where people enjoy exercise and meditation in a peaceful, clothes-free environment, and begins to find new vitality. Blaze's manager is frustrated with her lack of interest in renewing her studio contract or starting a new film project. Blaze Starr Goes Nudist is one of the most successful nudie cuties by Doris Wishman, a female pioneer in the sexploitation genre. Nudie-cuties, which flourished in the mid-20th century, cleverly combined images of nude men and women—something the Hays Code would never allow—with quirky comedy, outlandish sci-fi plots, and nature-friendly messages, all while strictly avoiding any overt sexual action. This audacious strategy of bypassing restrictions on erotic imagery while satisfying viewers' sexual curiosity became a cash cow for independent producers and theater owners. The genre reached its peak in the 1950s and 60s, especially after a 1958 New York Court of Appeals ruled the screening of nude scenes in films to be legal. (Jin PARK)