Tropic of Desire

For purveyor of dreck Bob Chinn, Tropic of Desire is actually a decent porn flick that doesn’t contain so much of Chinn’s otherwise typical chauvinism (but his sloppy one-shot scenes definitely remain). At best, producer Gail Palmer is present here, but this is not by any means a gender-progressive work. Nevertheless, the basic concept itself is nicely rendered as an obviously exaggerated porn variation on naïve melodramas about love behind the front lines, which themselves dictate the classic awkward formula of “tarts with hearts” or prostitutes falling for their johns, who set them adrift or leave them behind when they are sent back home. Amid a number of predictable, though often likably played scenes – such as the young soldier losing his virginity and two soldiers' grief at the departure of their favourite prostitute – Georgina Spelvin’s solo scene is a pleasant surprise. The actress, who stands out from the ensemble here not only because of her age but also because of her charisma and acting talent, literally embodies the kinship of melodrama and porn as two genres based on the discharge of bodily fluids. (2021.11.14)