Let Me Die A Woman (1979)

The ads boasted "See a man become a woman before your eyes", and this time they delivered. This is a semi-documentary about transsexualism but given a typical sleazy twist by exploitation director Doris Wishman with the inclusion of some pornographic sections of "action".

Most of the footage is narrated by Dr. Leo Wollman; his use of "idiot boards" to remind him of his lines, and the stilted delivery of all the participants, is a bit awkward. But he is supported by plenty of personal reminiscence by "Lesley", a Puerto Rican transsexual.

Sequences include a replay of the time a man cut his own penis off with a chisel, a rather over-eager examination of a post-op transsexual's new sexual organs by Wollman --- disconcertingly he points out the physical characteristics of his patents with one of those telescopic pointers (pic). The porn actor Harry Reems has a tacky scene as a delivery man in action with a post-operative transsexual who wants to try out her new equipment, and there are interviews with and examinations of several pre and post-op transsexuals.

But let's not forget the actual surgery footage itself which lasts all of two minutes complete with insert shots of Doc Wollman pretending to be the surgeon doing the operation (a nurse dabs his perspiring brow with a cloth) and virtually no footage of the actual construction phase.

All of the presentation of the material is unbelievably awful and embarrassing. But the factual content is pretty good, and if you can disregard the delivery, it is a good educational medium.

HF November 2004

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