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Rating: What I am about to write is, first and foremost, a reminder of a film genre that has produced, in past decades, many important films in the history of cinema. Specifically, I am referring to those works of American origin dedicated to bikers speeding down roads on powerful motorcycles. Such films have always achieved significant commercial success, partly because motorcycles have been considered vehicles of great appeal due to the combination of the vehicle and speed, the call to freedom of movement that could not leave the young audience indifferent. If the progenitor of this vein was "The Wild One," which in 1953 launched Marlon Brando into Hollywood stardom and made him one of the pop icons of the 20th century, many other titles followed. In 1969, we reached the film "Easy Rider" by Dennis Hopper, which inaugurated the era of the other Hollywood and, in more recent times (2004), "The Motorcycle Diaries," centered on the youthful years of Ernesto Che Guevara. A long list, then, but the work I am highlighting has surely slipped into oblivion. And rightly so, I would say (I will explain the reasons later), if not for the fact that it is necessary to remember certain cinematic flops precisely to see how and what not to do when making a film.
I am talking about "Naked Under Leather" (original title "The Girl on a Motorcycle"), directed by Jack Cardiff in 1968 and distributed in Italy the following year. Based on the short novel "La motocyclette" by André Pieyre de Mandiargues, it essentially tells a banal story of adultery. The protagonist is Rebecca (played by Marianne Faithfull, at the time the muse of the Rolling Stones) about to marry a placid and boring Swiss professor (and we already stumble upon a silly stereotype here, as if one needed to be Swiss to be boring...). One fine day, she accidentally meets a professor named Daniel (and who better than Alain Delon as a handsome dark brooding man could there be...) and the classic love at first sight strikes. A liaison dangereuse, as the French would say, especially due to the fact heavy with consequences of Daniel's original idea of teaching Rebecca how to ride a motorcycle. The girl seems to appreciate it, and so the lover has another stroke of genius: as a wedding gift, he sends a brand-new Harley Davidson to her home. Great surprise, and since the not very perceptive future Swiss groom raises no objections, the gift is accepted. Subsequently, one beautiful morning, Rebecca stealthily leaves her newlywed home in an Alsace village and, on the brand new motorcycle, heads toward Heidelberg (Germany) where her lover teaches at the local prestigious university. Love's follies, one might say, while Daniel himself is discussing with a group of students the topic of free love, which, as a true force of nature, can be unstoppable. And so the journey provides, among other things, our biker lady with the opportunity to reminisce about the happy moments spent with her men. Too bad that following these romantic reveries does not go well with the necessary attention to be given while driving such a magnificent piece of transportation, to the point of facing dramatic consequences for the driver's safety...
As I hinted above, the film is ultimately disappointing, and the reasons are quickly explained. First, the idea of having the protagonist in a biker genre film be a woman (usually relegated to subordinate and ancillary roles) could have been an interesting angle, only the initial idea is not adequately developed. The director tries to duly highlight, in the opening scenes, Rebecca's physical beauty when, early in the morning, she rises completely nude from the marital bed to go into the bathroom to put on a leather motorcycle suit lined inside with synthetic fur (hence the explanation for the Italian title). It's a fitting sequence (considering the young and radiant Marianne Faithfull) aimed at causing a stir in those times of liberalization of customs. Only, to create even a decent film, much more is required. And in the end, the character of Rebecca becomes yet another confirmation of the blonde beauty stereotype, sexy but somewhat scatterbrained (and if one follows this logic, one might deduce that a woman riding a motorcycle or any other vehicle is inattentive, dangerous, and a source of accidents, just think about it..).
Note also how both French and German customs agents appear as soon as the biker lady is stopped. From the expression on their faces, one can sense bewilderment (at that time it was unusual to find a woman riding a motorcycle) but also thinly veiled disdain. Even one of the French agents, a man who, by coincidence, is black, besides uttering suggestive remarks, goes so far as to touch Rebecca's buttocks. And at this point, I can't help but suspect director Cardiff of demonstrating not only a certain sexism but also harboring racist undertones (for it is well known that being courteous and respectful towards women is not a matter of skin color).
Also not lacking in this film are evident technical gaps. Meanwhile, there is a certain difference between the sequences where Rebecca is shown in close-up on the motorcycle and others in medium and long shot. In the first case, it's evident that the actress is seated on a stationary vehicle while behind her is a screen showing images of a busy road. In the latter case, it's not Marianne Faithfull piloting the motorcycle but rather the stunt double Bill Ivy, a British expert rider wearing a blonde wig under the helmet. It can be conceded that when the film was shot, special effects weren't particularly sophisticated, but I think even a child, seeing the final scene of the road accident, would realize that it's a mannequin soaring from the motorcycle (much to Marianne's great relief..).
From all this, one might suspect that Jack Cardiff, a talented cinematographer in British cinema in previous decades, does not prove to be equally skilled in the role of director. That he made "Naked Under Leather" only due to basic financial needs (after all, there are always water, light, and gas bills to pay..) while he was already wondering if and when the moment to retire would come?
It is inevitable, therefore, to ascertain how the aforementioned film has been relegated to oblivion. And perhaps even the actors who acted in it may have erased it from their memory. At least Alain Delon, whose acting career has been so rich with better titles, could justify working on it merely for trivial pecuniary reasons. Instead, Marianne Faithfull, at that time, might not have been fully aware of such an artistic choice. Later, after narrowly surviving a heroin overdose in 1969 and after the end of her relationship with Mick Jagger, she returned to the scene in the late 70s as an excellent rock musician. To see her perform better as an actress, it is advisable to revisit a film from a few years ago like "Irina Palm": you certainly won't be disappointed.
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