Whore Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Whore Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 23, 2022

Ken Russell's "Whore" (1991) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with actress Theresa Russell; exclusive new program with actress Ginger Lynn Allen; exclusive new program with writer Deborah Dalton; vintage U.S. trailer for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Theresa Russell’s character, Liz, frequently looks straight into the camera and talks directly to the audience. Sometimes she shares important rules of her profession. Never get into a van, is one of them. Always use protection, even if the customer is willing to pay a lot more not to do it, is another. Sometimes she brings up consequential mistakes, like her romantic relationship with a guy that could not stay sober and treat her right. Occasionally, she talks simply because she feels like it.

Underground parking lots, underpasses, hotels, and bars. A few particular spots on busy streets in shady areas of LA. These are the places Russell frequents to sell ‘dates’. When meeting regular clients, she would change her routine and travel to other parts of town. One of her favorite regular clients was an old-timer in a retirement home who just wanted to be punished with a whip.

Like most other women in her profession, Russell has a pimp (Benjamin Mouton) and they have a very, very complicated business relationship. She does not like him, and he definitely does not like her, but he likes to get paid for protecting her. Russell explains how she ended up with the pimp, and a series of flashbacks reveal how there was no way she could have avoided him. He tricked her, beat her up, and then taught her that it was in her best interest to use his protection. She wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly what he was selling, but when she tried walking away from the profession, it did not work out for her. She found a job in a diner and could not make ends meet. She did long hours and was handed crappy tips. That’s why she went back to the profession. She needed money.

Russell shares various other stories but they too have something to do with money, which was the catalyst of most of the good and all of the bad she experienced throughout her life. Some are long, some are short, but all are choppy stories without proper beginnings and ends.

Unsurprisingly, Ken Russell’s film looks and feels very choppy, too. It isn’t incoherent, rather it is something of an undercooked slice of life. Or misunderstood slice of life, one that neither the actress nor the director knew how to properly turn into a film. This is precisely why the overlapping of the ugly and funny that defines the film feels so awkward and quickly transforms it into a tasteless parody.

The other very, very big problem with this film is that Russell isn’t right for her part. She is too beautiful, too elegant, and too Hollywood to be a streetwalker who would do tricks for a couple of bucks. It is why everything she says and does is always part of an extremely transparent act, so the harder she tries to convince that it isn’t so, the more she hurts the film.

Someone that could have done a much better job with the same part is former adult actress Ginger Lynn Allen. She is in the film but for a few minutes only. Her character is cut up by her pimp and dragged into a movie theater, where she collapses on the floor. Allen would have instantly transformed the streetwalker into a completely different woman with the right awareness of her miserable habitat. Guaranteed. In an exclusive new program included on this release, Allen reveals how grateful she is to have contributed to the film, but acknowledges the obvious as well.

The film was shot with a small budget and plenty of headaches. While directing, Russell was frequently drunk and unhappy with what was being done by the actors and the crew around him. He often changed his mind and created new material on the spot, too. This is another reason why the film looks and feels so choppy.

*Russell conceived and shot the film as an antithesis of Garry Marshall’s blockbuster Pretty Woman.

Whore Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Whore arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older but pretty decent master. I think that its quality is a notch or two below the master that was used to source Via Vision Entertainment's recent release of Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead. There are a couple of daylight shots where it is particularly easy to identify some of the main limitations, like less than optimal grain exposure, layered nuances, and proper light retention (see screencapture #8). Colors are stable, but saturation levels could be better and the supporting nuances should be healthier. Obviously, this means that there is room for improvement in the overall dynamic range of the visuals. Density levels are good. Delineation, clarity, and depth are still quite pleasing as well. There are no stability issues either. All in all, I think that most of the visuals gravitate around the 3.50/5.00 mark and occasionally even the 3.75/5.00 mark, so even on a larger screen the film looks dated but still pretty decent. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Whore Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The audio is excellent. The dialog is very clear, sharp, and always stable. The action and soundtrack combine reveal pretty good oomph too, which surprised me quite a bit. Dynamic contrasts are terrific, too. So, can a new lossless track deliver substantial improvements? I doubt it. I think that when the current master was prepared, someone transferred the original audio extremely well.

Whore Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for Whore used by Trimark. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• "Artist" - in this exclusive new program, Theresa Russell discusses the evolution of her acting career, what inspired her to do her character in Whore, and what it was like to work with Ken Russell. Also, there are some pretty funny -- but definitely true -- comments about Russell's drinking problem and rivalry with Nic Roeg. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• "Dignity" - in this exclusive new program, Ginger Lynn Allen recalls how she landed her small part in Whore and what it was like to work with Theresa Russell and Ken Russell, and discusses the streetwalker's personality and environment, as well as her transition from the adult film industry to mainstream cinema. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• "Raw" - in this exclusive new program, writer Deborah Dalton explains how she landed in LA and "hit the jackpot" as a writer and discusses her collaboration with Ken Russell on Whore. There are some particularly interesting comments about the Americanization of Russell's original draft for the film and her research on prostitutes. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• "Provocateur" - in this exclusive new program, X-rated auteur Bruce La Bruce discusses what it means to be a cinematic provocateur and why sex always sells, his love for films featuring prostitutes, Ken Russell's legacy, and his appreciation of Whore. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• "Legitimate and Illegitimate Women in Ken Russell's Whore" - this exclusive new video essay was created by critic Kat Ellinger. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson.

Whore Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is Whore a very pretentious, attention-seeking misfire, or a good but misunderstood genre film? It is definitely the former. The bulk of it looks like a bad parody struggling to manage a very unfocused sense of humor that isn't right for it. Theresa Russell isn't right for her part either. Needless to say, some of the claims that Whore was supposed to have the integrity of a documentary are beyond strange because the entire film is incompatible with realism. I have to give a ton of credit to the folks at Via Vision Entertainment for producing this release and adding some very good exclusive new bonus features with plenty of honest observations. These types of films are good to have around because they make it a lot easier to appreciate the truly special films.