Watch Mondo Topless

Mondo Topless, a 1966 documentary-style film, explores the world of topless dancing and the women who perform it. Directed by Russ Meyer, the movie features several topless dancers, including Babette Bardot, Darlene Grey, and Pat Barrington. The film opens with a montage of images from Europe, focusing on topless women on beaches and in nightclubs. The narrator sets the stage, saying, "They are the women of Mondo Topless, and they have come to America to bring their style of dancing to a new audience."

The movie then focuses on individual dancers, each performing on a stage with a live band. The women are dressed in revealing costumes and move in suggestive ways, often removing their tops to reveal their bare breasts. The camera lingers on the dancers' bodies, showing close-ups of their breasts and buttocks.

Throughout the movie, the narrator comments on the dancers' bodies and their performances, praising their curves and their ability to captivate an audience. He also speaks about the history of topless dancing, tracing it back to ancient Rome and Greece.

Between dance performances, the movie cuts to scenes of the dancers outside of the club, in settings such as a beach or a park. The women lounge around and talk to each other, often discussing their bodies and their experiences as topless dancers. They also interact with members of the public, who sometimes express shock or disapproval at their nudity.

The film is shot in a stylized, psychedelic style, with bright colors and frenetic editing. The music, which ranges from jazz to rock, adds to the energetic tone of the movie. The dancers also showcase a variety of dance styles, from traditional ballet to modern jazz.

Despite its explicit content, Mondo Topless was marketed as a documentary and played in theaters across the United States. It received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its innovative cinematography and others criticizing it as exploitative and demeaning to women.

In recent years, Mondo Topless has become a cult classic and is regarded as a landmark of the "nudie cutie" genre of films. It continues to be screened at film festivals and has inspired several parodies and tributes.

Overall, Mondo Topless is a provocative and visually striking film that offers a window into the world of topless dancing in the 1960s. While its focus on female bodies may be problematic for some viewers, it remains an important artifact of its time and a testament to the boundary-pushing work of director Russ Meyer.