FORMAT: DVD
Toni (Arlene Farber from Teenage Mother) and Sonya (Jean Weston) are friends who dance together in a ballet company in New York. Toni catches the eye of Frank (Lucky Kargo), a cackling psycho sex fiend at a swingers’ party. He then follows her and her date to their car where he rapes her at gunpoint. Eventually, Frank begins stalking both girls and before long, he attacks Sonya while she’s practicing her ballet.
Two Girls for a Madman is a surprisingly effective roughie that is hallmarked by some cool music and professional looking camerawork. It looks like one of those rare instances where the director (in this case, Stanely H. Brassloff) and everyone else involved set out to make a “real” movie under the guise of a sex flick. Sure, you get your share of skin, but there’s some (not much granted) interesting stuff going on here. The ending feels like something you’d see out of Antonioni. While there is a decent story being told and a considerable amount of craftsmanship on display, there are still plenty of pauses during the drama that are tailor made for some gratuitous T & A (like the locker room scenes at the ballet school).
The characters and performances are also much better than you might expect. The leading ladies’ roles are a lot more fleshed out than was the norm for a ‘60s roughie. Farber is quite good as the sexed up-ballerina (more movies should contain those) and Weston (who only appeared in two films) fares well as the more conservative of the pair. Kargo is also memorable as the wild-eyed psychopath and is appropriately menacing during the lengthy car ride sequence. The dialogue is often priceless too. My favorite line came courtesy of the girls’ strict ballet instructor who says Toni is a “technically hideous” dancer.
Brassloff later went on to direct Toys are Not for Children.
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