Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 22, 2025

Masanao Sakao's "Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by Swedish cult cinema expert Rickard Gramfors and Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp; new program with critic Johan Nordstrom; original trailer; and more. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal is not a porno film. In fact, it is not even an erotic film, but more about this later. It was shot in Sweden, but it is not a Swedish film. It is a Japanese film shot by a completely unknown Japanese director named Masanao Sakao. All of the actors that step in front of Sakao’s camera are from Sweden and clearly utter their lines in Swedish, but every single one is dubbed in Japanese. This all-Japanese track is the film's original audio track. One more very important detail. There are two blond actresses in the film. One is a very young girl, who does not appear to be in her twenties yet. The other is a slightly older girl, who appears to be in her early twenties. Neither the first nor the second girl behaves as an animal of the kind that the title of the film promises.

So, what is going on here? Why would an unknown Japanese director go to Sweden and make a film that produces so many strange curveballs?

Sakao shot the film in the early 1970s. During this period, Sweden enjoyed the reputation of the most sexually liberated country in Europe, which was largely justified. At the time, there were several very busy Swedish erotic and book publishers and film producers whose content had become quite popular. Some of this content had reached Japan, too. When Japanese consumers began demanding more of it, which was right around the time Japanese film producers had started creating their own, some local directors, like Sakao, stepped up. However, instead of shooting straightforward nudie films, a few of these directors made films like Sakao’s, which is essentially one big promo piece for Sweden and its liberal attitude towards sex. This is precisely why Sakao’s film does not work as a conventional erotic film.

However, as a big promo piece, Sakao’s film sees Sweden from a very particular angle, producing content meant to meet then-current Japanese expectations of what the country was supposed to be, not what it was. So, even though Sakao went to Sweden and used only Swedish actors, his film is a misleading promo piece, which of course makes it intriguing now. Why exactly? Stockholm, where Sakao spent all his time shooting content, was not the party city that Europe’s most sexually liberated country deserved. As a result, Sakao had to look for the right content and create the one that did not exist. While not brilliant, the former has historic value, making the film effective as a time capsule.

What about the remaining content? It was supposed to be the magnet that would bring Japanese viewers to see the film. However, it is pretty boring, and no, it is not explicit. The younger girl meets a guy approximately her age, the two repeatedly visit a nightclub and then make love. Then the older girl and another guy her age roam the city and make love. Eventually, the two couples meet and exchange partners.

The legendary Japanese studio Nikkatsu, which has in its vaults such classics as Seijun Suzuki’s Branded to Kill and Kon Ichikawa’s The Burmese Harp, funded Sakao’s film. It is not difficult to guess that this is the reason it was shot in color and looks so good.

In America, Joe Sarno shot various similar low-budget films, some of which are now effective as time capsules too. Sarno was influenced by the same Swedish filmmakers whose erotic films were screened on 42nd Street. He even traveled to Sweden and shot a few legitimate Swedish films, the best of which are the Inga dramedies.

Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

It is immediately obvious that the film has been fully remastered because it looks terrific on Blu-ray. In fact, it looks as good as some recent 2K restorations of big studio films do, possibly even better. Obviously, the consistency of its visuals is not the same because some areas of it feature raw outdoor footage of varying quality. However, even there, delineation, clarity, and depth are always pleasing. Color balance is outstanding. All primaries and supporting nuances are very healthy and properly balanced. I did not notice any anomalies to report in our review. In some of the darker footage, grain could be slightly tighter, but I still liked what I saw on my system a lot. There are no distracting large cuts, marks, debris, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Japanese LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All actors are Swedish and utter their lines in Swedish, but every single one of them is dubbed in Japanese. This all-Japanese audio track is the film's original audio track. It is fine. There are no audio dropouts or any distracting anomalies. I noticed a bit of hiss in the upper register, but clarity and sharpness are fine. I understand why there is only one audio track -- the film was never meant to be seen outside of Japan. However, the ideal scenario would have been to have a second Swedish track. The music in the nightclub sounds good.

Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Swedish cult cinema expert Rickard Gramfors and Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp. It is a wonderful commentary, offering a wealth of interesting information about trends in erotic and sexploitation films in Sweden and Japan, the unusual career of one of the male stars in Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal, the popular Japanese pink films, and even such well known exploitation stars as Christina Lindberg (Thriller: A Cruel Picture). Hopefully, Mr. Gramfors will be invited to record commentaries for other similar genre films.

• Swedish Sin - in this new program, critic Johan Nordstrom discusses Nikkatsu's "Sweden Porno" line. Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal is addressed as well. In English, not subtitled (18 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered Japanese trailer for Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal. Music only. (3 min).

• Stills - presented here is a collection of promotional stills for Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal. With music. (2 min).

• Booklet - a 16-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic David Flint and technical credits.

Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Joe Sarno made several films like the one Masanao Sakao shot in Stockholm, the best of which are the Inga films. But Sarno's films are even more Swedish, and, perhaps most importantly, they are conventional erotic films. While part of Nikkatsu's Sweden Porno line, Sakao's film is essentially a vintage promotional piece for Sweden and Swedish culture from the 1970s, but both as imagined and understood by the Japanese. I think it is effective only as a curious time capsule because it visits various areas of Stockholm that are undoubtedly unrecognizable now and sells an image of a country that did not exist. This release from 88 Films is sourced from a fabulous recent master and features an outstanding exclusive audio commentary recorded by Swedish cult cinema expert Richard Gramfors and Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp. If its subject appeals to you, grab a copy for your collection. RECOMMENDED.