Young Playthings

Christina Lindberg...

Young Playthings is a 1972 piece where, of course a very young Christina Lindberg plays an important part. I first watched this film from an awful VHS quality digitized edition. As you can probably guess, it was entirely spoken in Swedish with no subs of any kind. Years later, I found another digitized version, with a better audio/video quality but with the same Swedish language, so I had to do some schooling, and thanks to the internet I was able to figure out the most difficult parts of the plot, you know, there's a lot of talking in this movie and it's not like you can take a wild guess at the content of every conversation.In addition, a good friend of mine provided me with an awful looking copy that was dubbed in English so, thanks for that!

Although this was directed by American (semi-)cult director Joseph "Joe" W. Sarno, it is also 1970's vintage softcore Swedish erotic, which means that the attitude toward sex is a little more laid-back and wholesome than in American sex films of that era, and the girls are less skanky (and a lot less artificial than the kind of girls that are in these kind of films today). The most familiar and impressive of the actresses involved is obviously Christine Lindberg, who was later in other notorious flicks. But Lindberg and the other actresses are either speaking in sync sound or have dubbed their own voices, so that there thick Swedish accents kind of hamper their performances. The initial plot is pure softcore porn contrivance--Lindberg's friend is having a secret affair with her boyfriend and the two of them plot to turn the arrangement into an treesome with Lindberg. The boyfriend goes out of town and the friend convinces Lindberg to stay in an apartment with her where she picks up random guys in an effort to seduce Lindberg into three-way.

Living the good life.

Friends and then some.

The plot takes a strange turn though when both girls fall under the spell of an alluring female toymaker who lives next door. The movie then turns into a bizarre, surrealist fantasy (apparently based on a Swedish folktale) and it really manages to lift itself well above the usual level of mind-numbing Swedish erotica. This is one of those rare sex movies that have interest beyond the mere "weasel-milking" aspect. It is largely the movie that made Sarno's reputation (he made only a couple other less interesting ones, then a lot of softcore and hardcore stuff). It also confirms his reputation for finding beautiful Swedish women willing to romp around in the nude (besides Lindberg, Sarno also discovered Marie Lilljedahl and Maria Forse, and did much to advance the exploitation career of Swedish-American bra-buster Uschi Digardt). I can say that is literally one of the few sex movies that is truly worth seeing whatever one's reason for watching it.   

Anyways, Young Playthings is the story of Nora Holmkvist (Eva Portnoff) and Janne Bergman who is happily married to Gunnila Bergman (Christina Lindberg), who additionally happens to be Nora's BFF. In order to lead Gunnila into a treesome, Nora and Janne devise a plan.

Things get weird.

Things get even weirder!

While Janne is away on business, Nora rents an area in a boarding house and intends to initiate the timid and innocent Gunnila to the pleasures of lesbian sex. However, Gunnila freaks out and decides to run away as soon as she can. Accidentally, while running away she meets Britt (Margaretta Hellstrom), manufacturer of sex toys and master of all things casual sex. Britt's place mysteriously bedazzle everyone who enters, even changing their will and ability to make decisions, so once you're in, you never get out.

 

Gunnila and Nora soon become hopelessly dependent on Britt's sex pleasures, they even show Britt's place to Janne thus allowing the long awaited threesome to take place.

Lovely Christina.

"Of course I swallow"

Gunnila is no popcorn girl though; soon she realizes Britt's follwers once had a "normal life" a successful attorney gone pimp; two profession girls turned into sex workers and so on. All these people have actually sacrificed their lives, their identities to become Britt's sex toys. Gunnila decides to warn his friends that they could share the same fate if they don't leave ASAP. Nora goes berserk and tells Britt that Gunnila & Janne are planning to escape so Britt hands her a blade and orders her to kill Gunnila!

Once Nora encounters Gunnila she fucking stabs her to death (or at least that's what she thinks, since she's become twisted by Britt's strange ways) Luckily for us and Gunnila, the blade was a fake, allowing her to finally get out of Britt's apartment with his husband.

Let's try anal now.

Yeah! take that!

Joe Sarno specializes in languid, introspective sex films. This is one of his best. It's a slow film, and as the action gets more and more bizarre, the tape recording that the players are following gets harder to understand, until by the end it takes a couple viewings to catch what's being said. Definitely not for most people's taste. 

Going back to our homework of reviewing the most obscure and/or rarest films in which Christina Lindberg play a role I gotta say, it hasn't been easy, and to make matters worse, we only have one film left to review, which is a 1974 action packed thriller called "Smoke". In such film, Christina plays a minor role but, the movie is very good. She did appear in more films but not even the dark world of the internet downloads have allowed us to grab them so, time will tell.

No trailer but, here's Joe Sarno himself giving his impression about Young Playthings:

 

Every Afternoon

Fan made poster.

2016 will mark the return of Christina Lindberg to the big screen. Her last on screen appearance was circa 1982, that means 34 years! in 1982 Lindberg was 32 years old and now she'll be kicking ass with 65 years old! Christina's beauty is undeniable, she probably was and still is among the most beautiful women of the planet in the entire history of film making. The problem is, her beauty somehow diminished the belief that she could actually act (hence she quit the industry and became a respected journalist) In addition, her filmography can clearly be defined as the hit and miss kind. But, she was fully aware of that. In fact, she considers Thriller, a Cruel Picture as the best film she ever starred and also, as the film that allowed her to grow an international fan base.

Today's entry is a 1972 U.K. production that goes by the name of Every Afternoon (AKA Swedish Wildcats) In this film, Lindberg's role is very minor, but you can tell she's there and all eyes are on her once she shows up. This film has been heavily criticized and called a "boring chick flick". Nevertheless, ur intention on this blog is to document Christina Lindberg's filmography as completely as we can, regardless of the quality and/or level of entertainment the film offers.  

Here, have this girl.

Fifty shades of grey?

Every Afternoon is a chick flick in all its sense, a movie dealing mainly with love and romance which is targeted to a female audience. 

 
This film also features read hair Solveig Andersson, another Swedish beauty that worked in other films with Christina Lindgerg (Thriller & Wide Open) and blonde bombshell Cia Lowgren (famous for her role in In the Sign of Gemini) who shares the leading role with the late Diana Dors. The rest of the female cast is attractive as well. The problem is they don't look very convincing but then again, this is a sexploitation film, conventional rules do not apply.

Do I look fat?

Swedish beauty.

Watching Every Afternoon makes you feel like there is no real erotic edge and the plot with a whore pretending to be a professional ballerina finding chaste love with some random test pilot is brutally unconvincing and unappealing. However, nobody would watch a sexploitation flick for film school reasons. The fun is supposed to be delivered by the nude actresses and their sexual exploits instead. Still, having all these beautiful actresses doesn't seem to be enough to make Every Afternoon an essential sexploitation flick.

The plot is about Madam Margareta (Diana Dors) who is a talking side of beef that serves as the hostess and ring leader for a live sex tease show and whorehouse. Madam's shows always feature her bodacious nieces Susanna (Cia Lowgren) and Karin (Solveig Andersson), who perform in everything from striptease to S&M acts. Karen  meets and eventually runs away with a rich guy. Susanna falls in love with a deceptive airport cargo handler.

Please cum in my mouth.

Masked sex.

Now the time for being honest comes: I only picked this movie because Christina Lindberg is in it, and I've got a serious hard-on for her (who doesn't?). Unfortunately...she's not in it for long, and you only get to  see her tits once, so what you're left with is a boring and un-erotic sleaze film.

Every Afternoon is about a bunch of sluts that work in a brothel. They do some un-sexy dances for their male patrons, and afterwards they do what hookers are best known for. Somewhere in this boring mess is a "love story" between one of the ho's and some guy she met at the park. Throw in a scumbag that the guy from the park works with who has seen the chick at the brothel and wants to ruin their relationship - and there ya have it...

Lindberg's brief appearance as Helga.

Knock, knock!

Like many reviewers have stated Every Afternoon is pretty much an over-glorified chick-flick with a few tits and asses thrown in for good measure. There are definitely some smokin' chicks in this one, but the sex scenes are dull and un-sexy. The under-use of the ravishing Christina Lindberg is absolutely criminal - and everyone involved in this production should be shot for this unforgivable oversight. Don't bother unless you like dull romance films with a little bit (but not nearly enough) sleaze thrown in...

Here's the movie trailer:

Love In 3D

Love in 3D, oh boy!

a promise is a promise: the return of Swedish sex goddess Christina Lindberg has finally happened! after reviewing the films where she takes the lead, or at least has a supporting cast role now we move on to complete her most obscure filmography: Those which were not dubbed in English and do not feature English subtitles either. Six years ago,  we reviewed her big screen debut Rotmanad.The last time this humble blog had the honor of posting a review of her majesty Lindberg was  4 years ago (with Journey To Japan), now the fucking time to announce her thrilling return!!! All the missing rare films will be here!! Young Playthings, The Swinging Co-Eds, Smoke & Every Afternoon!! get ready for an overdose of Sweden's hottest brunette of all time!

The SPAM Alternative team's dedication is hardcore than ever in 2016, and will find resources to finance learning German in order to be able of properly reviewing the above mentioned films, so if you'd like to make a donati... fuck it! let's keep the internet free of charge! 

I'm just outdoors, naked, lingering.

Don't cum inside, I take it in the eye!

Every Afternoon, AKA Swedish Wildcats, is a 1974 (1972 according to IMDB) German film directed by Joseph W. Sarno, and is all you can expect from a 70's sleazy sexploitation film.  This film was produced by German sexploitation meister Walter Boos, one of the co-creators of the infamous German "report" films. But rather than being a series of vignettes centered around errant German school girls or housewives, this movie basically has a structure similar to the much later American indie classic "Slacker" as it randomly follows around any number of barely related characters who live and work around a certain apartment building. It's also in 3-D, of course, so there are lots of shots of things being thrown at or, um, thrust into the camera (including, but not necessarily limited to, the pendulous breasts of Swedish sexploitation star Christine Lindberg). Yes, kids you read that right a 3D film in 1974! so I urge every connoisseur to get your 80's 3D glasses back as soon as possible.

Presumably inspired by Pete Walker's 4 Dimensions of Greta this is not just another 1970s sex comedy filmed in 3D. Walter Boos however went all the way - we do not have just the odd 3D boob scene, the whole film is made in 3D. The viewer is constantly reminded of that, because the cinematography is truly bizarre with plenty of scenes of rather peculiar camera angles that strongly emphasize the 3D effects, e.g. a girl on a swing moving towards (and above) the camera, twigs hitting a car window, and many many more. The exaggeration of 3D makes these scenes quite funny, as the effects are completely over the top.  

I look better nude.

Bouncing in 3D!

If this could be classified as a "report" film, it's definitely one of the sexier ones with little plot to get in the way of the non-stop sex scenes. A girl(Ingrid Steeger) is embarrassed by her very sexually active roommate. A young man picks up a sexy nude sunbather by locking the balcony door and using a fishing pole to steal her clothes thus forcing her to come into his room where, of course, hot sex ensues. A man in a restaurant picks up a beautiful Indian girl while his friend also scores with a well-endowed waitress ("chubby chasers" will no doubt really enjoy the latter scene). A repressed woman submits to a lesbian seduction, but ends up having trampoline-style sex with a man as they bounce wildly on the bed. But they save the best for last, as the incredible Christine Lindberg shows up for two of the most unabashed sex scenes of her career, intercut by scenes of her driving men on the street to distraction with her very abbreviated mini-skirts and criminally low cut blouses. Then it's back to Ingrid Steeger, who finally falls in love with a guy, and gives her horny female roommate a run for the money by having wild sex with him on the balcony, literally almost bringing the roof down.

This is one of several German sex films Euro-sexploitation legends Lindberg and Steeger appeared in together (not in the same scenes, of course, that would melt the celluloid in the camera). It is, unfortunately, only available in German, but I doubt fans of either actress will care (or perhaps even notice).

"I'm cumming"

Care for some outdoor sex honey?

Overall,  Liebe In 3 Dimensionen is a very entertaining film. Despite the fact that there are many sexploitation films that had little to no plot at all in the 70's the camera work in this film is something you need to watch. Most of the angles the cameramen shot are shot from very original positions in order to deliver a fully 3D experience. The usual falling/tossing objects are all there, but the film takes 3D to a whole new dimension when they shot the sex scenes. I wonder, how did they fit the camera below the actresses in several shots. Also, there is a big spider scene that is one of the most well accomplished 3D scenes in the entire film and maybe one of the best 3D scenes of all time. 

While this film hasn't been officially released on DVD or any other format, there are some streaming sites that have it in their catalog. The language barrier, depending on how you look at it, it's a minor thing. My copy has neither English dubbing  nor English subtitles but since the plot is extremely obvious you don't need to understand a shit to enjoy this 3D classic. 

Tonight, I take it in the ass my love.

a new level in window shopping!

Here's the movie trailer and stay tuned for more Christina Lindberg to cum...er... I mean to come!, to come!

Nagon att alska : The Seduction Of Inga

Back for more dick..and pussy too!

Nagon att alska, is a 1971 Swedish erotica classic that translates to English as  "Somebody To Love". The film  is nothing but the Joe Sarno's sequel to his 1968 Swedish erotica breakthrough classic "Inga". Internationally released as "The Seduction of Inga" & "Inga & Greta", the film is definitely an a la 70's style update on Inga's whereabouts. Far more explicit and less dramatic the film takes place three years after the prequel. In the original film Inga was sixteen years old and on the sequel she's already nineteen years old.

As soon as the opening titles begin, we're told by Inga herself, that her previous relationship is long over and that her budget situation has left her in deep need of finding a job as quick as she can. Living in an old building where hookers do business her situation couldn't get any worse, or could it?

Boy look at that cumface!

This is her secretary dress.

Lothar, the chief pimp of the building, turns out to be the blonde teenager who attempted to rape her a couple of years before (seen in INGA). Despite this rough history between them, he gets her a job as a secretary for a man called Stig (nothing to do with the masked car racer from Top Gear in case you are wondering), a lonely writer obsessed with his previous nymphet girlfriend, Greta. Inga and Stig begin a steamy relationship, but she becomes torn when she is wooed by Rolf, the long-haired guitar player from the apartment next door.

With INGA, Sarno departed from his standard "don't-feel-good" sexual melodramas to begin a new sub-genre in his filmography: the sexual coming of age film, with young ballerina Marie Liljedahl in a stunning return to the big screen where she's not looking for prince charming anymore. Instead, she chooses to rely on her beauty to break through. Nevertheless, just like in the original film, love has a way of finding Inga, and eventually makes things a lot more complicated and confusing in our starlet's life. 

C'mon! it's only anal!

Suck it like a man!

Like Inga this film is certainly not a soft-core pornographic film of the type that was dominating the sleazy cinemas in the 1970s, instead it is more focused on the storyline, with the sex scenes merging into the storyline and only one scene coming off as gratuitous as Inga stumbles upon the landlady of the boarding house organizing an orgy with some of the female residents who are obviously strapped for cash - this scene does seem to suggest a potential subplot of Inga being forced to prostitute herself for rent, but Sarno chooses not to exploit this. 

Instead the storyline is a rather unimaginative affair with Inga having to choose between two different men - although the arrival on the scene of blond bombshell Greta does make for some interesting ideas and brings to the fore Sarno's often re-used theme of incest, the script never captures the clever twists and turns of the first film and it can often become rather dull.

Behind the camera Sarno is solid if uninspired. Much like in Inga the nude scenes are surprisingly coy, often cutting away and always incredibly brief, while the sex scenes are filmed with oddly close-up angles(which may suggest they used other actors/actresses for the sex scenes). We rarely see a couple having sex in a complete shot, the man underneath is usually kept entirely out of frame, which may have more to do with censorship than directorial choice, but does come off as very odd particularly since one scene drags this on for about a minute. Post-production inserts were used to spice up the "Grindhouse" US print with more explicit sex scenes.

Fucking boys feels so good but...

...what about fucking girls?

Inga VS The Seduction Of Inga

When compared to the original film, The Seduction of Inga is an entirely different movie, one that doesn't match with any of Sarno's previous motifs. The film follows Inga, struggling to find happiness in her mundane life, but afraid of being tossed out of another relationship by another boy she gives her heart to. 

The pace is slow and the narrative often seems lifted out of any daytime soap opera, but with Sarno's superb cinematography, a strong performance by Liljedahl (probably her best ever), and a surprising score by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (future founders of 70s supergroup ABBA!), The Seduction of Inga is a groovy sexploitation relic which is a bad introduction to newcomers to Sarno, but regular followers of the talent involved will be pleased with the results. Sarno would explore the theme of incest (which provides the blow-to-the-skull twist ending) vividly in several films through the 70s, including Daddy Darling.

One element to the film not often mentioned is the casting of blonde beauty Inger Sundh as the mysterious Greta. Inger would go on to make several Swedish and German sexploitation films, including I am a Woman III, Dagmar's Hot Pants and FLOSSIE , and she's a superb bitchy vixen here. Fans of European garage beat music of the 60s should know the romantic lead is played by Tommy Blom, who was previously a member of The Tages (whose song "You Read Me Like an Open Book" is a highlight of Rhino's "Nuggets II" boxed set)!

Inga masturbates.

Inga's perfect ass!

Marie Liljedahl gives another solid performance as Inga although, she is not required to do as many sex scenes here as in the many other films she shot since her first film with Sarno. Actor Lennart Lindberg has various film credits to his name and plays the older Stig, although his acting is not really up to the role and even in a couple of key scenes he looks completely wooden. Tommy Blom is much more effective as the young guitarist who falls for Inga while the gorgeous Inger Sundh is well worth watching as Greta. 

With equally brief sex and nude scenes helmed in a rather unexciting manner, but without such an interesting storyline, The Seduction of Inga is a rather lesser sequel to Sarno's own original film. On the plus side, Marie Liljedahl is as good as ever and the beautiful Inger Sundh makes a very good looking love rival. Certainly of interest to fans of the first film, it is not one for anyone expecting a full-on Swedish softcore fantasy.

I swallowed too many loads, I'm exhausted!

Would you be my valentine?

More about Marie Liljedhal the first Swedish Erotica Starlet

In the two short years between the INGA films, Marie Liljedahl had become a household name throughout Europe (or at least in the sleazier homes on the continent) thanks to appearances in Jess Franco's EUGENIE...THE STORY OF HER JOURNEY INTO PERVERSION (our next review) and GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES FOR ADULTS. Comparing and contrasting her performances in both INGA films reveals that she had developed as an actress, radiating a depth and intelligence she did not possess in 1967. She would appear in two more films in 1970 before calling it quits from the silver screen, letting Swedish contemporary Christina Lindberg take over as the #1 Scandinavian nymph at the box office. If she had wanted to, Marie could have been a much bigger star and more recognizable face in the world of cinema. It took two years for SEDUCTION OF INGA to see a Stateside release, leading to Marie being named Playboy's Sex Star of 1971...despite the fact that she had been retired from films for some time by then!  

Here's the movie trailer:

Jag - en oskuld: Inga

From Sweden...The classic female concept (?)

Today's review marks the "return to our roots" in our cult films blog. And what could be better than a film that marked the beginning of Swedish Sexploitation?

Inga is a 1968 Swedish sexploitation film directed by Joseph W. Sarno. The film is starred by the rather unknown and beautiful starlet Marie Liljedhal. However, our blog is here to make that change, so let me tell you all about this beautiful Swedish actress:

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Liljedahl became a stage actress at the age of ten, and a member of the Royal Swedish Opera ballet at the age of twelve. She was discovered dancing with a Stockholm ballet company by director Joseph W. Sarno. Although her acting career was brief (1966-1971) She's long remember for her leading role debut of Inga, a teenage girl who's about to meet the man of her dreams. After the rather moderate success of the film she would start other sexploitation films (which we'll be covering soon) 

At seventeen, she began her film career with the lead role in Sarno's Inga (1968), which transformed her into an international sex symbol. Her other film roles included Sybil Vane in Dorian Gray (1970) and Eugenie in Eugenie... the Story of Her Journey Into Perversion (1970). In 1971, she appeared in the sequel to Inga, The Seduction of Inga, her last major role. She grew weary of the film industry and retired from acting at the age of twenty-one.

Liljedahl appeared in two Playboy magazine pictorials: "The Girls of Scandinavia" (June 1968) and "Flicker Flicka" (March 1969). 

Another Swedish starlet as beautiful as Christina Lindberg.

Marie Liljedhal's perfect ass.

Inga (Jag - en oskuld), Joe Sarno's first film shot in Sweden, is not only one of the directors most popular films but also one of his finest. Released in 1968 to both shocked and receptive filmgoers, Inga remains one of the definitive Joe Sarno productions. Shot in beautiful and crisp Black and White by Bruce G. Sparks and starring the absolutely unforgettable Marie Liljedahl, seen here as the title character in her first starring role, Inga is a breathtaking production that is as poetic as it is erotic and as haunting as it is sensual. 

Sarno was already a veteran behind the camera when he headed to Europe in 1967 to shoot what would become the first in quite a few films he made in Sweden, and he immediately took advantage of the more relaxed censorship laws in place for Inga, although viewed by today's standards it is fairly mild stuff. While time might have taken away some of its shock factor, Inga still resonates far deeper than most films dealing with sexual awakening could ever hope to. It's a lovely production highlighted by Sarno's gentle direction and Liljedahl's stunning performance that manages to be both incredibly naive and completely aware. The rest of the cast is just as good, with special note going to Monica Strömmerstedt as Inga's aunt Greta. 

it's time to play with other toys.

C'mon Inga, cock is good for your health.

Sarno's probing character study is available in a rather splendid special edition from Retro-Seduction cinema and it features two versions of the film, as well as several terrific extras like an audio commentary, outtakes and an audio interview with Liljedahl. While not Sarno's greatest work, it is an ideal entryway into his canon and it remains one of the sixties defining films. 

Inga, deserves to be in your collection because it is a film that pioneered topics like the adolescent sexual awakening with graphic content(graphic and shocking for those days anyways). Later when the saucy 70's began many films would follow the same storyline as premised by Inga: gorgeous teenage girls looking for sexual adventures (just check our "Sexploitation" & "Sexual Innuendo" labels and you'll find hundreds of films) Of course, as censorship changed, the films were made more and more explicit, up to the point they became porno films with a plot (check the "Zodiac Saga" label to see what I mean)

Inga takes a shower for the viewer's pleasure.

Beautiful, isn't she?

At the end of the Sixties, anti-conceptive became widely available. So for the first time in history sex could be disconnected from childbirth. This caused a true wave of hedonism, reflected in films like 'Inga'. Made in Sweden, of course, because in those days Sweden was regarded as leading -- which probably had much to do with the Scandinavians' traditional relaxed attitude towards sex and nudity.

Actually, 'Inga' got down so well in the late 1960-s, that its title became a sort of trademark-name for all the soft-core films of its era. As a matter of facts, many films had a character named Inga just because it would mean "Wiling, teenage, horny & (sometimes) virgin" to the aware audience. Nevertheless, this film was made with class and content, and where many of its imitators fail, Inga succeeds because nudity wasn't what actually drove the story.  In addition, the story line was believable: a girl who loses her parents and is taken care by her mean aunt who desires nothing but to continue her "first class social life" through her newfound niece marital future. Unfortunately, Inga doesn't fall in love with an influential rich man's son, so her aunt's plans are somewhat screwed.

Don't look at my tits, you can come in and play!

You can cum inside if you want, I'm taking pills you know.

Overall, one of the earliest attempts in cinema to move on from the censorship the industry had in the 60's. Although not as shocking as other films that came afterwards, this movie delivers an interesting story developed with interesting characters and most importantly, with the adequate actors & actresses to portray a believable film. Once Inga, became a hit, it was only a matter of time until the sequel would show up. Fortunately, the sequel kept Marie Liljedhal as the lead role and offered a much sexually opened and way more graphic update on here whereabouts since she turned sweet 18...

Not a virgin anymore.

Here's the US version of the movie trailer:

And here's the public domain version of the film: