Abel Ferrara’s films have been such a crucial part of my cinematic education for roughly thirty-five years now. Since seeing King of New York (1990), I’ve been a fan of the New York auteur, especially his early career films, from Driller Killer (1979) up through The Funeral (1996). For me, those nearly two decades are peak Ferrara. His films since then are still artisitcally noteworthy and, in some cases, pretty damn great, too. But it’s those films he made in the eighties and the nineties that speak to me most, and one that speaks loudly is the gritty, 1981 rape-revenge thriller Ms. 45, which celebrates its 45th anniversary today.
Zoe Tamerlis Lund’s searing performance anchors Ms. 45. She’s in almost every frame of the film and she’s extraordinary. As the mute and painfully shy garment worker Thana, she embarks on a revenge-fueled rampage after being raped twice in one afternoon (by two different men). Thana’s trauma-induced vigilantism goes off the rails quickly, as she’s soon dressing provocatively and luring random men to their deaths. It’s a rarity among rape-revenge films, as it’s fiercely feminist and yet watching Thana’s descent into madness is increasingly disturbing.
It’s an amazing film and Exhibit A when pointing to a perfect example of how powerful exploitation cinema can be when it’s done this artfully.
Ms. 45’s poster is exploitation solid gold, as well. Taking its cue from the film’s climactic scenes with Thana dressed as a sexy nun in ravishing red lipstick and with a gun concealed under her habit in her thigh high stockings, the poster feels dangerous and SEXY, all caps.
This time out I’m sharing a bunch of bonus content, featuring a few alternate posters used overseas and on VHS and Blu-ray packaging. The last one comes from the recent Arrow Video release, which I own, and it comes with a double-sided poster featuring that Arrow box art and the original poster art.
The Starfire Lounge 
Available through my library, how convenient.
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