Summary
Table of Contents
The 1984 movie Educating Julie tells the story of a university student given the assignment to write a paper on nudity in the 80s. It follows the experience of Julie and her reluctant boyfriend Steve as they explore the clothes free lifestyle. The movie holds together quite well as we observe Julie’s struggle with her body image as well as how to get the information she needs for her assignment. After an initial visit to a nudist camp Julie and Steve divide the research with Steve taking the seamy strip club side of things and Julie focusing on her growing interest in naturism.
Naturist Interest
The naturist interest in Educating Julie is high. The docudrama format allows for the sharing of information within the context of the social drama between Julie and her boyfriend. There is a informative conversation about the history of naturism. Unfortunately the optimistic view of the nudists in the film about the advancement of the clothes free lifestyle has not been realized. Things have not gotten better since 1984 when the film was released. Several naturist venues are featured including Cap D’age in France and Cypress Cove in The United States.
Story
The premise of the film woven throughout, blends the documentary and dramatic moments seamlessly. The dramatic tension in the film centers on the struggles of Julie’s boyfriend to accept her interest in naturism. In the process Julie and her boy friend go through several ups and downs and learn about themselves, each other and their relationship. There are humorous moments, straight out funny ones and even more serious scenes. One particular serious scene involves harassment of Julie by some young men a the local pub. The connection they make between nudity and sex accurately expresses the common social misconception. The movie shows the clothes free lifestyle and members of the community in a very positive light. It illustrates the many and varied activities naturists pursue all while being clothes free with no sexual undercurrents.
Acting
I suspect many of the “actors” are actual nudists who do a yeoman’s job with the acting while bringing authenticity to the film. The acceptance, support and help Julie and her boyfriend receive from the nudists, an authenticity of the naturist community. The main characters are believable and well portrayed by the actors. The depictions of family naturism and the social interaction among naturists are authentically and effectively expressed. One interesting inauthentic thing to note is the occasion bare butt on chairs with no towel.
Production Quality
The overall production of the film is quite good though The end of the film seems to have some filler footage involving a quickly arranged trip to a Florida nudist resort in the United States. The move places Julie and her now converted boyfriend in a new location which presents American perspective on clothes free life. There is also time for romantic non sexual clothes free time canuding together for Steve and Julie. While the scenery in nature nice it doesn’t add anything to the story.
Conclusion
I genuinely enjoyed this movie. I doubt it could be made the same way today, as children appear in many of the Decentes shot at the family naturist venues. However, the themes, story and acting all make for a very enjoyable film so I recommend with the caveat just mentioned. The full version can be watched in our naturist movie database here.
Wish one was closeby
0
Very good review. I’m going to take the time and watch the whole movie this weekend. Thanks.
0
Thanks for the comment hope you enjoy the movie.
0
Thanks for posting the link. It had been quite a while since I’d seen this film it was good to view it again.
0
I have watched this movie a few times. I refer others to it when I get questions about the naturist lifestyle. Thanks for posting this review.
0
I do believe this is my favorite nudist movie. I think the comments are spot on with how culture portrays nudity. Julie’s class was definitely trying to get her to do something they thought she would be uncomfortable with. But Julie persevered and embraced the challenge. Her honesty in that first trip to the nudist facility was reminiscent of what I felt my first time – a bit of nervousness but embrace it, and find out its perfectly natural. I highly recommend it.
0
Thanks for sharing ?
0