"Autumn Born" marked Dorothy Stratten's first movie role in a career that would only last about a year, until her untimely death at age 20 in 1980. The movie is a Canadian exploitation flick, and to say that it is technically awful is a real understatement. After a few very dated late-1970s disco and office scenes, Dorothy's character is kidnapped and sent to a strict "school of discipline" at a country estate. Her captors throw her into a basement, tie her up, strip her naked, torment, torture, and humiliate her for the rest of the movie. All of these scenes appear to be lit by a single dim light bulb hanging from the basement ceiling. At the end she turns the tables on her tormentors and wins the day.
It's hard to say exactly what the worst thing about this film is. The photography is bad. The acting is bad. The sound quality is bad. The lighting is bad. The script is bad. In particular, the direction is hopelessly incompetent. However, there's something compelling about Dorothy Stratten's mere presence that makes this otherwise forgettable movie worth a look. Some people have said that Stratten had that indefinable characteristic called "star quality" if so, what might she have accomplished in the past 27 years?
It's hard to say exactly what the worst thing about this film is. The photography is bad. The acting is bad. The sound quality is bad. The lighting is bad. The script is bad. In particular, the direction is hopelessly incompetent. However, there's something compelling about Dorothy Stratten's mere presence that makes this otherwise forgettable movie worth a look. Some people have said that Stratten had that indefinable characteristic called "star quality" if so, what might she have accomplished in the past 27 years?