UNASHAMED: A ROMANCE / ELYSIA (VALLEY OF THE NUDE) (FORBIDDEN FRUIT: THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE EXPLOITATION PICTURE    Volume 3) (Blu-ray)

Rae Kidd
Robert Stanley
Lucille Shearer
Joseph Girard
Constance Alle
James Mack
Hobart Glassey

Directed by Allen Stuart and Carl Harbaugh

In an unusual reversal of the usual exploitation formula—in which scenes of sex, violence, and drug abuse were wrapped in a dire warning of moral degradation—the nudist film took a more positive approach to its subject matter. Arguing for the health benefits of sunlight and the detrimental effects of constrictive clothing, films such as Unashamed: A Romance and Elysia (Valley of the Nude) presented nudism as a positive lifestyle choice, and proved their point with only slightly unobstructed views of naked flesh. But more surprising than the nudity is that Unashamed reveals itself to be a remarkably poignant drama about the unrequited love between a mixed-race woman (Rae Kidd) and her employer (Robert Stanley).

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Blu-ray Extras Include:

Audio commentary for Unashamed by film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Nudist-Land (1937, 11 Min.)

Why Nudism: An Exposé of Nudism (ca. 1938, 22 Min.)

Hollywood Script Girl (1938, 5 Min.)