Sultry nurses in white? Where have they gone? Like everything beautiful in America...gone! Replaced by the ugliness that now permeates our country. Gone are the sultry babes who graced the nursing profession in those smart, trim uniforms and nurse's caps. Replaced with ugly stocky women dressed in baggy pajamas. Today we know nurses as the grouches that complain how over-worked they are. Like...join the club babes. You think you're the only ones? Today we go back to 1970 and meet four lovely babes in "The Student Nurses, " directed by Stephanie Rothman.
First of all...this may be a difficult film for many to watch. A grisly abortion scene is at the center of it as are shootouts, and death. Abortion...yawn! Racism...yawn! Free love...yawn! Drugs...yawn! Ignoring the social commentary of this exploitation film will be easy as we are introduced to four sultry nursing students...clad in white. Sharon (Elaine Giftos) is put forth as the moral compass of the group. Her drama is she falls in love with a terminally ill patient. What is this babe nurse prepared to do for him? Yep, she'll end up nude in his bed. Lynn (Brioni Farrell) develops a so-called social conscious and hooks up with a terrorist (Reni Santoni) who loves killing cops. She looks great treating shot terrorists and an occasional needy patient.
We must talk about Priscella (Barbara Leigh). The babe is nude a lot and wears her white uniform great. She hooks up with a drug dealer (Richard Rust). She'll be impregnated by him while tripping on acid. Her gratuitous nude scenes are...well, gratuitous, but impressive. Now Phred (Karen Carlson), a blonde babe who dates an OB/GYN (Lawrence P. Casey). She'll be nude a lot, sleep with the doctor and his roommate, but...believe it or not...end up the moral compass of this film. You'll see. The gals look great in their uniforms or out of them. These babes are into pre-marital sex, caring for the sick, and maintaining friendships. Today, the nursing profession seems geared for yelling at us, complaining, and and taking smoke breaks.
Will all four of our babe nurses survive nursing school and graduate? Will these babes end up in showers together or in a steamy catfight? Like stewardesses, nurses in America's Modern Era are largely grotesque beings constantly demanding respect and raises. Will someone let them in on the secret that they aren't the only underpaid and under appreciated beings out there. These four babes in this film will conjure up a happier and more pure time when America was not waging war on beauty. Enjoy "The Student Nurses," and feel free to ignore the drivel passed off as social commentary.
