The Raw Ones (1965) User Reviews

Good golly, these people are naked!

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 5 June 2008]

Nudist camp documentaries were really in vogue from the late 50's up until the mid 60's. This particular entry holds the distinction of being one of the few that boasts both male and female nudity alike, meaning that there's something for everyone in this flick. We get to see guys and gals in their birthday suits jump rope, work out with weights, snap each other with towels, frolic in a pool, eat watermelon, play tennis, bounce up and down on a trampoline, ride skateboards, and generally have fun sans clothes. Meanwhile, ubiquitous 70's trailer voice guy Ron Gans tackles narrator chores with his trademark hearty aplomb; he prattles on constantly about modesty vs. immodesty, the positive virtues of erotic literature, and the damaging psychological effects of wearing clothes. Moreover, we also hear some dubious facts about nudists (they are actually very ethical people and a majority of them are married). This film gets pretty preachy with its anti-censorship ranting and of course goes heavy on advocating freedom and independence. The bright hand-held color cinematography by Jack Hill and Robert Wilson gives the picture an attractive sunny look. The stock library score of canned classical music adds a nice respectable touch. An amusing piece of nudie cutie fluff.

A documentary or and exploitation picture, take your pick.

[rudge49 · 27 September 2016]

50 years the skin magazines were pretty tame by contemporary standards, hard core pornography was much harder to find, much more "underground". "Nudist" magazines and movies sort of bridged the gap, you got to see full frontal nudity but in a rather non erotic way, and it was done in a more "respectable" manner than exploitation movies. Of course this "documentary" shows only young, trim people, the girls are all fairly shapely, the men fairly athletic. (Obesity was much less common back then.)So you can take this one either way. A "documentary" extolling the virtues of the clothes-free lifestyle or an exploitation flick dressed up as an "educational" movie.