"Blonde in Bondage" is a funny film to watch. Despite the title, the poster featured on IMDb and the little blurb on the package, this is NOT a skin flick or salacious film. Sure, its subject matter was a bit mature for 1957, it just isn't what you'd think!
A reporter is sent to Sweden. He notices that the women are extremely beautiful and extremely willing to please. But, no, it is not a sex film! A bit later, he's involved in a car accident. No one is hurt but through it he meets a strange man and his sexy lady friend. It seems she is a performer with a 'hot act' and the reporter goes to see her. She sings a sexy song and takes off some of her clothes--but not much. In fact, women on the beach wear far, far less. Again, it is NOT a sex film. So what about the 'bondage' that's in the title?! No, it's NOT a sex film! It turns out the sexy lady is hooked on drugs and her partner has deliberately gotten her hooked on morphine--seemingly in an attempt to control her! So, if you are looking for a 'dirty movie'--keep looking! Now I am NOT complaining about this misrepresentation. I don't want to see sleazy sex films but I do like an exploitation film--mostly because they are usually unintentionally funny because they are so bad. However, this really isn't even an exploitation film, as the movie is not poorly written, sensationalistic or meant to appeal to our baser interest. It's actually a decent crime drama that talks about a serious problem that few films at the time discussed. Now this is not to say it's a great film--the budget is relatively low and the acting, in a few cases, isn't terrific (a couple of the Swedish actors were very difficult to understand due to the heavy accents--fortunately they were all supporting actors with relatively small roles). But the film is entertaining and competent--and worth viewing. In many ways, it's almost like a Swedish film noir picture.
