This film isn't bad for what it tries to do. Educating Julie presents an overview and history of social nudity within a story about a timid student who has been assigned to write a research paper on "Nudity in the 1980s" In the course of her research she, and her boyfriend visit nudist camps in England, the south of France and Florida. More travel log / advert than movie, but fun and informative. This was the first "major motion picture" endorsed by the British Naturalist Societies.
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SJS-326 May 1999
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There are not too many feature films made about nudism and naturism these days, but in its day this was hailed as one of the best. Looking at it today it does look rather dated with the hairstyles and the devices that they used (e.g. dial phones and typewriters). It's a very straightforward story: young sociology student Julie Potter is set a thesis to write for her masters, and she is tricked into doing it about 'Nudity in the 80's' to the scorn of her classmates. After her boyfriend offers to help her out with it, they both explore the world of nudism and how it works. The acting is good, but hardly that of an Academy Award standard. Julie is an initially shy and mousy person prior to doing the thesis and becoming a nudist changes her personality and outlook radically. For people who often criticise and stereotype nudists as being a bunch of cranky old pagan hippie swingers, this film does a lot to dispel those stereotypes as they are shown to be your everyday people who just like to bare it all in the sun on the weekends with no other motives. Unpretentious and unsensational in the main, it's one that naturist movie buffs rather than the general public will enjoy for the most part if only for the nostalgia value.
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williamkazak30 November 2014Recorded in actual nudist resorts, this story covers a lot of territory. As mentioned previously, it is an older movie made in 1984. Styles are different, appliances are different, the places have changed. Where is Julie (Gail Ward) today? That is a good question that would allow a follow up to this story and to the actress. I just saw this movie on uTube. I knew that it had been out a very long time but my favorite nudist film has always been "The Nudist Story" but that is a different review. This Julie is also a British girl and she gets to travel to different resorts where she interviews the guests for a school project. Her boyfriend is something of a sideshow character and is comically reluctant to participate in nudism. He could have been left out as he brings very little if anything to this story, except the male penis. There is no romance shown here. He does place his arm across her back as they walk together once. Therefore, Julie is what we are mostly interested in. She actually looks better with her clothes off and looks unfashionable with her clothes on. Her naked body is interesting but not super. I did not like how it took Julie so little time to adjust herself to public nudism and how uninterested she seemed to be in the various nude males throughout the film. Aftwer all, she was never shown nude in her flat, the first place to try being clothes free. In other words, so little passion was present in this movie. There could have been more enthusiasm and more real emotions. Instead, it is too much of a stand back documentary to my taste. Some of the nudist interviews were interesting.
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rudge4924 September 2020Making a "nudist" movie following the legalization of pornography in the 1970s and its subsequent widespread distribution gives this film a rather "retro" feel and makes it feel like a throwback to a somewhat more genteel and tasteful era. Shooting it on video gives it a sort of cinema verite quality, having no narrator makes it feel a little more natural and realistic. A few coy moments, when they are in the dressing room of the U.K. Naturist camp and their guide takes his pants off and Julie averts her eyes, then a minute later she undresses with out batting an eye. So like "The Raw Ones", you can take it as an education on the clothes free lifestyle or an exploitation movie-or a little bit of both.
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digiscript343 August 2010Stay clear of this movie.
They couldn't produce this movie today the same way it was done when they originally made it. For one, the laws are different, much different and much more strict today than they were at the time this movie was made, that should explain the producers' lack of responsibility for the content of this film- actually since it was initially shot on video it can't even be called a film, so- lack of responsibility for the contents of this sore excuse for a movie that is actually more of a shameless plug for naturist resorts and vacation spots.
In addition to that I would even venture to say that anyone following naked children around with a camera should be considered a pervert and a rather dangerous person for the reasons he chooses to follow little children around and want to photograph them for the world to see, inviting an endless lifetime of embarrassment for the unfortunate children who get exploited in that manner. Show a sense of responsibility and keep the cameras away from children during the making of naturist films, that's why there are laws that prohibit such things these days.
Aside of that the acting was fairly dry and the storyline was predictable, something of which I can get around in most movies that have any artistic value but I'm afraid this movie, if you want to call it that, has none, so only one out of five stars.
How I wish for a film whose storyline and plot based on naturism doesn't turn into shameless exploitation and arrogant commercialism. -
"Educating Julie" is part documentary, part romantic comedy, and mostly fun.
It should be noted up front that this is a picture about nudism and nudists, and lots of people of all ages and both sexes are seen naked. That includes Gail Ward, the fetching blond who plays the title role.
Julie is a British college girl who researches nudism for a sociology class project. That gives her the opportunity to visit several nudist resorts and interview some of the members. That's the documentary part.
The romance-comedy part centers around Julie and her boyfriend, and how they cope with their different attitudes toward nudism. -
bertseymour77 February 2010An interesting quasi documentary / feature film. Julie goes around studying nudism in Europe and then later in Florida. I just liked this film because it was quite unconventional and took a relatively objective look into social nudism.
Not much of a plot, and tends to meander a bit, but since its a pretty rare and authentic addressing of the subject matter I can't help but to forgive its few deficiencies and look at the interesting boldness of it all.
The copy I watched of this was rather oldish VHS style. I wish they would maybe do a remake or a sequel to further explore this interesting facet of society.