DORIS DECEMBER: THE HOT MONTH OF AUGUST (1969) ***

Jason (Yanis Fertis) is a young man who left his hometown for Athens to make a name for himself.  He failed miserably and is now using his last dime to return home first class aboard a cruise ship.  On the boat, Jason bumps into a carefree gigolo who tells him he should think about becoming a male prostitute.  Jason also meets a hot cougar on the cruise, and they begin a mad love affair.  Problems brew when her husband finds out about their fling, and Jason soon finds himself at the center of larger scheme.

Like Passion Fever, The Hot Month of August was another Greek import Doris Wishman got her mitts on, added new scenes, and released stateside.  Thank goodness Wishman didn’t edit this one to smithereens.  She must’ve sensed that the film was just fine in its original form, and she was smart enough to let it play out naturally without too many intrusions.  Her sex scene inserts, while no means seamless, are a vast improvement over the ones found in Passion Fever, and even manage to be a little bit steamy… despite the fact that everyone’s head is cropped out of frame.

Since Doris was only responsible for about 20% of the footage, that leaves very little room for her various cinematic fetishes.  In fact, there is only one random shot of a person’s foot, and it’s hard to tell if it was filmed by Doris or if it was part of the original film.  Of course, one distinctly Doris touch prevails:  The black and white photograph title sequence.  The only problem is the music sucks this time out.  It sounds like something you’d hear at a skating rink.

If you felt burned by Passion Fever, don’t write off The Hot Month of August just because it’s another one of Wishman’s Greek imports.  It’s like ten times better than that haphazard concoction.  The plot of this one is actually rather interesting, and it takes some unexpected twists and turns.  It feels like a Greek attempt at an American film noir but set in bright and sunny locations.  There’s a lot of double crosses and backstabbing, which keeps you invested in the story.  Everyone seems to have ulterior motives and aren’t exactly who they seem.  Except for that poor dope Jason, that is.  

In fact, you get so caught up in the plot that some of Doris’s inserts are kind of a distraction.  The most random insert occurs at a pivotal moment in the movie when a major character’s corpse is discovered and there is a random-ass flashback to her having sex.  Only Doris would do something like that.  

Some may have a different reaction to the film as I did.  If you come in hoping to see Doris’s many cinematic flourishes on display, you’re bound to be disappointed.  However, after sitting through so many of Wishman’s movies in such a short amount of time, The Hot Month of August felt like a nice change of pace.

Best Dialogue Exchange:  

Jason:  “This is wrong.  You’re only a child.”

Hope:  “But with you… I’m a WOMAN!”