Damaged Lives

Although venereal disease was considered as delicate a subject then as it is now, this was nonetheless the third filmed version of Eugène Brieux' 1901 play +Les Avariés, known in English-speaking lands as Damaged Lives. Don is a shallow, naïve former ship's officer trying to make the transition to ...more

Often censored and staggeringly successful, this roadshow exploitation hit was one of the few made by a mainstream director. It was the American debut of cult filmmaker Edgar G. Ulmer, who followed it with his dark, classic version of The Black Cat for Universal. Needless to say, this is a rung or two down the ladder, being a sensationalistic exposé of the dangers of venereal disease, one of several popular "adults only" sex hygiene films touring the road show circuit at the time. No one ever ...more