Not the best of movies but, by no means, the worst. Georgina Spelvin was the stand out star, naturally. I suspect it was specifically written for her. While the overall movie was rather explict, it did not take away from the movie ideal, soldiers and sailors taking advantage of shore leave during WWII, even though it used explict sex as it's modem. As if it never happened..... The nearest neighbour I can think of is Caligula, which featured established stars, (Peter O'Toole, Malcom McDowell, Sir John Gielgud) and an up and coming star (Dame Helen Mirrin). If one is to take like with like, Tropic of Desire deserves to be accepted at least, as a main stream B movie, seeing as Caligula received critical acclaim. Had Georgina Spelvin got the breaks she deserved (having appeared in main stream movies such as Sweet Charity, Hello Dolly and Police Acadamy),and had better scripts and direction, I believe she could have been at the top of the B list of actors and maybe even broken into the A list. It is definitely not for all, especially those who cannot stand men and women being men and women however; if one approaches the movie with open eyes, one will not be disappointed. I enjoyed the background music, which was of the period. I especially enjoyed hearing Otchi-Tchor-Ni-Ya by Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, which also featured in The Glenn Miller Story. In this movie it was an instrumental, which made it more poignant. This movie is not for all but, it was definitely for me, and open minded viewers.

1945. Madam Frances (the legendary Georgina Spelvin in fine form) runs The Pink Flamingo, a brothel in Hawaii that specializes in servicing sailors on leave during the last days of World War II. Director Bob Chinn does a spot-on sterling job with his flavorsome evocation of the 1940's period setting (the sets and costumes in particular are fairly lavish and impressive). The excellent use of vintage swing jazz songs rates as another major asset. Moreover, the sex scenes are quite hot and explicit, plus there are a few surprisingly touching moments to be found amidst all the carnal activity. This movie further benefits from a bevy of beautiful women: Jessie St. James as the sympathetic Donna, Starr Wood as foxy slender brunette Terri, Kitty Shayne as the forlorn Rita, Dorothy Le May as sweet and eager new girl June, Mandy Ashley as brash Texas gal Gloria, and Susan Nero as the snippy Mona. The actors portraying the sailors are good and credible, with especially praiseworthy contributions from Jon Martin as smooth dude Jack, Ken Scudder as smitten dope Gus, and Blair Harris as shy and awkward virgin Phil. Ken Gibb's sumptuous cinematography provides a pleasing lush look. Essential viewing for fans of 70's Golden Age hardcore fare.