The Film (4.5/5)

Her Name Was Lisa is a hardcore dramatic adult film from writer and director Roger Watkins, best known for the cult horror classic The Last House on Dead End Street.  Her Name Was Lisa is a gloomy and, honestly, depressing adult film, which isn't the kind of adult film many viewers are used to.

In Her Name Was Lisa, the 26-year-old “entertainer” Lisa (Samantha Fox) was a prostitute and is now passed on.  At her sparsely attended funeral, the people who were in one way, or another, responsible for her downward spiral are all present.  Starting with Paul (Rick Iverson), a photographer, one-by-one they all pay their last respects to Lisa and we see the tragic ending of her life play out scene-by-scene until the inevitable ending that we all know is coming.

As with Roger Watkins first several adult films, Roger Watkins only directed the non-sexual portions of the film.  The actual sex scenes were directed by the film's producer Robert Michaels.  As to whether this worked out for the betterment or the detriment of the film this reviewer is unsure.  Her Name Was Lisa is a dark and dreary adult film, essentially an anti-porn and, honestly, the sex scenes fit in well with the mood of the film.

None of this should be interpreted as saying that Her Name Was Lisa isn't a good film, it just isn't what your typical viewer of an adult film is looking for.  The story is very well done and more complicated than it really seems to be.  Lisa's decline into debauchery and drug use is shown through the memories of the mourners, creating a full story as each mourner's period in Lisa's life overlap and the memories move from one to another.

The acting in Her Name Was Lisa is top-notch.  All of the cast members do excellent jobs with their roles both the sexual portions and the non-sexual portions.  The cast stays in character at all times and the sex scenes themselves help build the story and the characters as the film progresses.  As well as the sex scenes fit with the story, they, honestly, aren't that erotic; due to the dark mood of the film and that the sex scenes are part of the showing of Lisa's decline, they lose their eroticism.

Her Name Was Lisa is a well done and surreal adult film that will be appreciated by viewers who like adult films as actual films to watch and aren't just looking for erotic masturbation fodder.  The plot is well done, the mood is excellent, and the acting is great.  Her Name Was Lisa is highly recommended for the limited audience that will properly enjoy the film.

Audio/Video (5/5)

Vinegar Syndrome has done an absolutely beautiful job with their Blu-ray and DVD combination pack release for Her Name Was Lisa.  Both the Blu-ray and the DVD included in the release contain the same material as each other.  Her Name Was Lisa was shot on film and Vinegar Syndrome has utilized a 2K scan of the 35mm camera negative for this release.  Her Name Was Lisa is presented in the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 1080p on the Blu-ray and 480p on the DVD.  The image is incredibly clean sporting grain and minimal artifacts and print damage. 

Her Name Was Lisa is presented with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 monaural audio track on the Blu-ray and an English Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio track on the DVD.  The audio sounds nice, there is a low hiss present and some occasional pops in the audio.  The dialog is clear and can easily be understood at all times.

Extras (3.5/5)

Vinegar Syndrome has included several extras on the release.  The best, by far, is "His Name Was Roger," a 31-minute interview with Art Ettinger, editor of Ultra Violent magazine and a friend of Roger Watkins, about Roger Watkins and his films.  There is also a promotional still gallery and the theatrical trailer is included on the release.

Overall

Her Name Was Lisa is a hard film to outright recommend, not because it is a bad film but because there is a limited audience that will enjoy the film.  Viewers who look at adult films as erotic means to a certain end will find Her Name Was Lisa to be a major disappointment due to the dreary mood of the film.  However, viewers who like adult films as actual films to sit back and watch will find a lot in Her Name Was Lisa to like.  Vinegar Syndrome has done an absolutely beautiful job with their Blu-ray and DVD combination package release of Her Name Was Lisa with stellar audio and video quality.