The Naked Fog Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

The Naked Fog Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 21, 2023

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Moonlighting Wives / The Naked Fog.

Some Blu-ray collectors getting this double feature of Joseph W. Sarno films may end up checking twice about the label releasing it, since this might seem to be an effort that would arguably be more expected from the like of AGFA or Severin, rather than Film Movement, especially Film Movement's Classics imprint. While there are no doubt many who might quibble with that "classics" designation, Sarno was a rather interesting filmmaker in what might be generally termed the "sexploitation" subgenre, but as both Moonlighting Wives and The Naked Fog demonstrate somewhat comically, that may amount to little more than women stripping off their tops at parties to dance with completely dressed (like, suits and ties) men. That aspect gives both films a certain quaint quality, but both of them are perhaps surprisingly chaste, especially given the fact that they were produced during the nascent days of the so-called Sexual Revolution which would become one of the defining characteristics of the mid to late sixties, which in these cases might be jokingly referred to as only semi swingin'.

In a way, I kind of wished Tim Lucas had opted to do a commentary track for this film as well as for Moonlighting Wives, because the film's history after production and exhibition sounds like it's somewhat more convoluted and arguably interesting than the quasi-mainstream Moonlighting Wives, which was probably the closest thing (along with Sin in the Suburbs) that Sarno ever had to a "big hit". As Lucas gets into in his commentary track for the other film on this disc, while Moonlighting Wives was evidently shot before The Naked Fog, this film got to theaters first, but both film traffic in at least some of the same general milieu and also offer some of the same performers.

Years before terms like "polyamory" became well known, Sarno explores the ins and outs of various relationships here, many of which exhibit a fair amount of kink. Kind of hilariously, Tammy Latour, who appears as what is more or less a "madam" role in Moonlighting Wives, is here more of a naif buffeted by various interactions with those waking up to the next "sexual freedom" the sixties were offering. This film is probably more patently ridiculous than even Moonlighting Wives, but the black and white cinematography is quite striking at times, and Sarno and cinematographer Jerry Kalogeratos have a real eye for unusual framings that emphasize interior worlds.

The Naked Fog Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Naked Fog is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement Classics, an imprint of Film Movement, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. As is typically the case with Film Movement releases, there's no real technical information imparted on the cover, other than a generic "2K digital restoration" in some very fine print. While there is definitely some age related wear and tear on display here, including some noticeable scratching which is evident in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, it's nowhere near as bad as what's seen on this film's disc mate Moonlight Wives. The really interesting black and white cinematography is presented here with generally consistent contrast, though there is a fair amount of crush that enters the fray when there are blacks on blacks. The opening credits sequence is in pretty bad shape, including what seem to be rather inartful splices. This is another presentation much like Moonlighting Wives where some of the larger damage has not been ameliorated, let alone eliminated, but where it sure looks like some high frequency filtering has been applied, which can keep grain minimal.

The Naked Fog Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Naked Fog features Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio. That ragged opening sequence also exhibits some noticeably breaks in the score, and there are a few more skips that are encountered later in the film. Dialogue is generally cleanly delivered, though as with Moonlighting Wives, there's some minimal background noise that can be heard.

The Naked Fog Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Film Movement has packaged Moonlighting Wives and The Naked Fog together on one disc. See screenshot 7 of the Moonlighting Wives / The Naked Fog Blu- ray review for the menu offered on the disc, which also offers access to the following supplements:

• Commentary on Moonlighting Wives by Tim Lucas is a substantial overview of Sarno's career along with some interesting tidbits about this production and its history.


• 2006 Interview with Director Joe Sarno (SD; 7:09) is a sweet reminiscence about Moonlighting Wives by Sarno, who mentions some of the "true life" aspects that inspired it.


• 2007 Interview with Cinematographer Jerry Kalogeratos (SD; 11:40) is another fun look back, though this one might have benefited from some optional subtitles, as Kalogeratos has a rather thick accent which may make understanding him a challenge for some listeners.

The Naked Fog Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Naked Fog kind of reminded me of a mid-sixties distaff version of the venerable tale that Stravinsky made into the memorable opera The Rake's Progress. Here, it's a young woman being buffeted by the winds of fate and slowly coming to her own sexual awakening, at least kinda sorta, before the rug is more or less pulled out from under her (though in a completely different way than the evidently studio imposed ending tacked onto Moonlighting Wives, according to the interview with Joe Sarno included on this disc. This film has a pretty clunky and sometimes preposterous (and therefore amusingly comical) narrative, but it's also surprisingly stylish at times. The video here exhibits some of the same anomalies as Moonlighting Wives, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.