May 18, 1970
Naked Venus (1958) ***
A milestone in the history of cinema - it's the first time that a lead actress (Patricia Conelle) in a mainstream American motion picture - directed by Edgar G. Ulmer of "Black Cat" (1934) and "Detour" (1945) fame - is shown completely naked (breasts and ass, no bush) for extended periods of time. In fact, few mainstream American films since then - even recent ones - have shown their lead actresses in the nude as much as "Naked Venus". Conelle plays a French woman who is forced to divorce her American husband because of her nudist lifestyle.