Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Disco Lady Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 13, 2020

Armed with $5,000 and two days to make a movie, and director Bob Chinn comes up with “Disco Lady,” which tries to provide something dramatically satisfying for the viewing audience, but remains far more confident with bedroom encounters. Well, not exactly bedrooms, as most of the feature delivers sexual encounters in bathrooms and stock rooms, finding Chinn trying to make the most of what he’s got. It’s not the most inviting scenery, but the helmer is basically making the picture for lunch money, finding whatever corner and gently used mattress he can to get the job done.

What Chinn actually has in “Disco Lady” is the film debut of Rhonda Jo Petty (famous for her striking likeness to the monumentally popular actress of the day, Farrah Fawcett), who portrays a young wayward soul walking the streets, looking for a disco coke night to brighten her afternoon, only to end up turning tricks for a local pimp dressed in purple and pink. That’s about it for high drama in “Disco Lady,” which is mostly about dance sequences and revenge sex, though Chinn works up the energy to insert gun violence into the endeavor. Why? Because that boosts the limited run time, which only makes it to the hour mark before expiring, and that’s only with a hilariously elongated slo-mo showdown for the picture’s climax.

Disco Lady Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers the modest visual highlights of "Disco Lady," which is not an especially cinematic film to begin with. Detail is protected, securing an appreciation for fibrous (and sheer) costuming, and nudity is also clear, highlighting bodily particulars. The locations are surveyed in full, delivering a dimensional sense of the dance floor and "back rooms," which retain their cheap set appearance. Colors are satisfactory, embracing the more electric hues of the disco age, offering bold silvers and golds, and club decoration supplies blues and reds. Skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable. Grain is heavy but nicely managed. Source has some roughness, with scratches and speckling, but nothing sustained.

Disco Lady Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix doesn't have to do much, focused on dialogue exchanges, which sound fairly good for such a low-budget endeavor. Emphasis is noted and conversations are intelligible. Soundtrack selections aren't deep, but the disco beat is appreciable, securing the effort's dance party mood.

Disco Lady Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Two for the Price of One" (33:24, HD) is a conversation with director Bob Chinn, who shares his introduction to Dick Aldrich, a producer willing to work with him on new and exciting adult film ventures. Electing to stretch a buck, Chinn worked with screenwriter John Thomas Chapman to create "Hard Soap, Hard Soap," inspired by the T.V. show "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," looking to satirize a satire. Production commenced in San Francisco, and Chinn shares a highly bizarre anecdote about his experience in the city with Aldrich, with the men robbed by two prostitutes they picked up for the evening. Casting is covered, with Chinn hiring a Fisherman's Warf street performer to complete his attempt at the surreal for "Hard Soap, Hard Soap," adding some mime work to the group therapy scene. Chinn also describes the chance to shoot on 35mm, also working fast on soundstages. "Disco Lady" is also inspected, giving Chinn a challenge to make a picture for $5,000 in two days. The casting of Rhonda Jo Petty is detailed, along with attempts to stretch the effort's runtime to one sellable hour.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (3:09, HD) is included.

Disco Lady Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Disco Lady" is pretty breezy and amusing, barely offering anything dramatic to engage viewers. It secures a positive review just for a Peter Frampton reference alone, keeping the time period alive. Chinn doesn't have a game plan here, but he has a loose sense of spirit, plenty of sexuality, and a need to document the disco movement with barely any budget and a collection of extras happy to share their boogie fever for his camera.