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Lana
Lana poster

Genre

Exploitation

Directed by

Edward Davis

Produced by

Edward Davis

Written by

Marion McFein

Starring

Andrea Graves, James Meyer, Paul Perkins, Russell Burns, Phil Martinez[1]

Music by

Hal Griffith (title song)

Studio

Liberal Arts logo

Release date(s)

1964

Running time

78 min.

Country, language

Brunant,
English

Lana is a Brunanter exploitation film written, produced and directed by Herbert S. Hosen (under the aliases of Marion McFein and Edward Davis), and released by Liberal Arts in 1964. It stars Andrea Graves[2] as the titular character, a lively and lustful but sexually frustrated young woman.

Background[]

Lana is a low-budget sex-exploitation film with a dramatic storyline. It was written by Hosen in three days. Lana is one of Hosen's few rural gothic films and is perhaps his most romantic, despite the tragic ending.

Hosen pitched the movie as "a brutal examination of the important realities of power, prophecy, freedom and justice in our society against a background of violence and lust, where simplicity is only a facade." Reviewers described Graves as "a wanton of unparalleled emotion", "unrestrained" and "destined to set a new standard of sensuality".

Lana was one of Hosen's first films in 35 mm. It was shot in black and white over a period of only ten days in 1963, mainly on Drenthestreet in the neighborhood of Charleston Beach, Koningstad.

Premise[]

« [Lana thinking to herself] Is it me? Why can't anyone tell me what's wrong? Why can't he make love to me like the way he should? If he could only make me feel... the way *he* feels... I'm a woman, not just a tool. »

Lana (Andrea Graves) is a sexually unsatisfied young wife married for a year to a salt mine worker named Russ (James Meyer), who spends his evenings studying to become a certified public accountant.

When Lana goes for a nude swim in the sea, she is sexually assaulted by an escaped convict (Russell Burns), awakening her frustrated sexuality. She begins inviting the stranger to her home while Russ is at work.

Meanwhile, Russ's co-workers are giving him a hard time about his wife's beauty and supposed infidelity, not realizing how close to the mark they really are. Trouble starts when, one day, Russ get home early from work because it's their anniversary and discovers Lana's unfaithfulness.

Casting[]

Lana was the first of two films Hosen made featuring Lovian actress Andrea Graves, who became a big star during the 1960s. At first, Hosen wanted Brunanter sex icon Anna Lindbergs for the part, but ultimately found her breast size too small.

During the shoot Graves was three months pregnant, which augmented her already large breasts. It was her second child with doctor Philip Graves who almost never left her side, concerned with his wife's health and public image, afraid the notorious Hosen might ruin her 'budding career', or worse. As both a sign of a goodwill and a shot at easing the husband, the director gave him a substantial acting role, as the doctor. It would be the first and final acting role for Philip Graves, as he died of a heart attack one year later. According to some sources Hosen had relationships with a grieving Andrea Graves for a short period of time.

Hosen himself played the uncredited part of the preacher.

Lust Addict

Poster for the exploitation film Lust Addict (1955), Hosen's debut.

Marketing[]

The publicity to Lana exclaimed: "Without artistic surrender, without compromise, without question or apology, an important motion picture was produced: Lana, a woman too much for one man."

In France the film is known as Lana, l'incarnation du désire' ('Lana, the incarnation of desire'), in Germany Lorna - Zuviel für einen Mann ('Lana - too much for one man').

Connection to Lust Addict[]

Hosen considered Lana a follow-up to his 1955 cinema debut Lust Addict, but from a woman's point of view. Financial reasons might also have motivated the decision to direct and produce under the moniker he used for his debut, Edward Davis.

Accordingly, in some countries and regions the film was explicitly marketed as a sequel to Lust Addict (aka Shameful) and promoted under the following full titles: Lana: Female Lust Addict, Lana: She-Lust Addict and Lana: Shameful Too. The Dutch title for Brunant (see: language in Brunant) also makes this reference with Schandalige Lana ('shameful Lana'). Not surprisingly many drive-ins and theaters screened both movies in a double bill.

Reception[]

Lana was prosecuted or banned for obscenity in some regions, but became a major success at drive-in and downtown theaters in others, and even made appearances at art-house cinemas.

References and notes[]

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).
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