Naked Flame (deadline for Murder) is a 1964 release starting Dennis O’Keefe Kasey Rogers, Al Ruscio, Linda Bennett. which tells the story of a murder mystery prompted by a forbidden romance. It is supposed to be based on a true story, but this reviewer could not verify that. All this is wrapped inside a depiction the life and culture of the enigmatic Doukhobor sect.
The forbidden romance, a Doukhobor sect in Northern Alberta tries to prevent the wedding of a girl to a Canadian, is standard fare. The murder and subsequent court room drama is adequately executed. I was disturbed by the stereotypes and tropes used to depict the Doukhobor people. The acting is ordinary and sometimes over the top. The production is a reflection of the quality of that cinematic era. The story though it make be true seems one sided and biased. Specific effort seems to be made to show the Doukhobor culture in a particular light.
The men are portrayed as brutish, murderous and barbaric. Trigger warning sexual assault is depicted and rape implied. The woman women are portrayed as simple and naive and the Doukhobor practice of nude protest is ridiculed. There are two scenes that feature the sects traditional nude protests. However, only the women are shown naked. They are seen topless from head to waist, the young buxom women readily strip off at night in the middle of winter to protest the cross cultural relationship. Older women more full bodied protestors somehow managed keep their clothes on only stripping down to their underwear. One reviewer suggests this is an example of “canuxploitation” of the Doukhobors.
I can’t give this movie a high rating for its cinematic appeal. It does have some redeeming historical value. Current day naturists and naked protests might learn some lessons from the history of the Doukhobors in Western Canada. This movie is a classic example of the saying “History is written by the victors”. The Canadian government ultimately won the battle and the war to reign in the anarchist self determinant ideals of the highly persecuted Doukhobor people. This movie reflects that victory.
You rent or buy the movie from Amazon Prime video See trailer below
