The Film (3/5)

 The poster art for China Girl, which is used on the cover of Vinegar Syndrome’s new Blu-ray, directly references the artwork for Chinatown, which was released the same year. Coincidentally (or not), the movies also share a cast member in James Hong, who played Faye Dunaway’s butler in Polanski’s film. Hong’s other credits include Big Trouble in Little China, Blade Runner and the Chinese restaurant episode of Seinfeld; now I know he has at least one porno on his resume, though he doesn’t have any sex scenes (I’ll leave it to you to decide whether that fact is disappointing). The comparisons to Chinatown pretty much ends there, but it’s clear that director Paul Aratow was aiming to make a thriller that entertains beyond the hardcore scenes, and he was at least somewhat successful.

 The title character is the villainous Madame Woo (Pamela Yen), who kidnaps our heroine, biochemist Theresa Hardgrave (Annette Haven), while Hardgrave is attempting to infiltrate her criminal organization. Woo and her boss (Hong) hold Hardgrave hostage and dose her with a “love serum” that forces her into a series of sexual encounters. The most endearing thing about China Girl is the time it takes setting up its premise; Aratow and writer/producers Edwin and Summer Brown give China Girl something like a proper first act, setting up the various players and going further to justify the second half’s sex scenes than most porn filmmakers would. It’s not exactly an airtight plot, but I appreciate the effort and their attempts to make the movie operate according to its own questionable logic.

 The first half is plot-heavy enough that I wondered if China Girl would prove to be more of a softcore movie, but once Haven is captured, the sex scenes are plentiful and spare no detail. There’s nothing groundbreaking here as far as onscreen sex goes, but I did appreciate the variety of the onscreen pairings, and they’re staged and lit with an eye towards sensual detail. They’re occasionally pretty funny, as the bad guys’ primary interrogation method is screwing their captives to the brink of insanity. There’s something about porn performers who are obviously enjoying themselves screaming “No! Stop! I’ll tell you anything!” that tickles me.

 Haven, one of the most charismatic adult performers of her generation, is a pleasure to watch here, and the supporting cast (in both sexual and non-sexual roles) is strong. The production values are high for the genre, and there’s actually time spent resolving the plot at the end. China Girl works both as a porno and a drive-in B-movie, and though it never quite reaches the heights of Polanski’s film, Chinatown didn’t have any orgies, so China Girl has that going for it.

Audio/Video (4/5)

 China Girl is presented by Vinegar Syndrome on Blu-ray) in a 1080p transfer of the movie’s original 1.85:1 aspect ratio (a DVD copy is also included). Vinegar Syndrome did a 2K restoration of the original 16mm camera negative; as always, when the company has elements that are in good shape to work with, they do great work. Contrast, detail and skin tones are strong throughout, while the transfer retains a pleasantly filmic layer of grain. Dirt and other debris are at a minimum, with only occasional flaws from the source serving as an endearing reminder of the movie’s low-budget origins. The DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono audio is clear throughout.

Extras (2/5)

 The main extra here is an audio interview with Annette Haven. Running over 40 minutes, it’s an in-depth conversation with the actress, who talks about how she broke into the business and her work on China Girl and other titles. Her stories about working with Hong and Yen are a particular highlight. The original theatrical trailer is also included.

 verall:

 Vinegar Syndrome does great work once again in restoring a vintage adult film, and China Girl is one of the more entertaining titles of its time. Though light on extras, the Haven interview is enough reason for fans of the era to check out the disc.