Scyla (1967)

Scyla is a 1967 sexploitation feature by Nick Millard (who usually used the name Nick Phillips). It’s an intriguing attempt at mixing sexploitation with mythology, in a contemporary setting.

As usual with Millard’s films it was shot without synchronised sound. In this case he is able to turn a liability into an asset. This is not a realist film. The voiceover narration adds to the dreamlike feel and it works.

Gregory spends most of his time on the beach. He doesn’t do much except laze around. It’s not a bad life but there is one thing missing in his life - love. Gregory is a bit of a romantic. He’d like to meet that one special girl.

He thinks he’s met her when he encounters the lovely blonde Scyla Dane on the beach. He suggests to her that they should split and find somewhere where they can groove. He may or may not have been making progress with her but then her boyfriend Montgomery shows up. Montgomery is a really uptight guy who doesn’t like the idea of his chick grooving with other guys.

Gregory has however become obsessed. He has Scyla’s address. It was on a slip of paper that she left on the beach. Maybe she intended Gregory to find it?

Gregory finds Scyla’s house and watches Scyla and Montgomery making love. This triggers the first of many fantasy/dream sequences. They’re probably Gregory’s fantasies but sometimes they seem to be Scyla’s fantasies. The fantasy is of course Gregory and Scyla making it together.

Gregory goes to visit his old girlfriend Circe. Circe is a witch. Of course she’s not really a witch. This is 1967. There are no real witches. Except maybe Circe really is a witch. Gregory makes a big mistake. He tells Circe about his new love. He doesn’t want Circe any more, he wants Scyla. As you might expect Circe does not take this very well. No man has ever rejected her.

Circe isn’t a real witch but she uses her magic powers to try to seduce Gregory and also creates a sexy nymph to tempt him. Somehow Gregory manages to resist the temptations of two gorgeous naked chicks crawling all over him. He’s so much in love with Scyla that he is impervious to the sexual charms of other women.

Circe isn’t giving up. If her magic doesn’t work on Gregory it might work on Scyla. Somehow Circe is going to win Gregory back. Not because she loves him, but because she now wants him because he doesn’t want her.

How much of what we’re seeing is real? Is any of it real? Are any of these women real? The movie leaves it to the viewer to decide.

The mythology/fantasy aspect works quite well. The film does succeed in making us doubt reality. Millard doesn’t give us any fantasy scenes that look like scenes from a fantasy movie. He just gives us a lot of scenes that may or may not really be happening.

Of course in a Nick Millard movie you expect some fetishism. There’s not very much of that here, but there are a few moments. The nymph’s thigh-high black boots are a very Nick Millard touch. Not to mention Circe’s rubber panties.

There’s a colossal amount of nudity including frontal nudity, some if it very explicit. This movie was pushing the edge of the envelope in that respect in 1967.

Scyla is an in intriguingly offbeat sexploitation movie with a nicely enigmatic atmosphere. Highly recommended.

This is one of three Nick Millard movies in Retro-Seduction Cinema’s San Francisco Sex Collection. The transfer is fullframe and black-and-white which is how the film was shot. Personally I think these types of movies looked better when made in black-and-white.

I’ve reviewed several of Nick Millard’s other movies, including the wonderfully avant-garde How I Got My Mink (1969), the very existential Oddo (1967) and the delightfully sleazy exercise in foot fetishism Pleasures of a Woman (1972). I’m quite fond of his sexploitation movies.