WPW 283 - Sharon Marvel / Joanne Lee (2 3/4 hours)
The time on this video is split about equally between the two women - about 80 minutes each. Sharon Marvel is up first, in the last of her many WPW appearances. It starts with about 40-45 minutes of contest shape footage, taken just before the 1995 Jan Tana. In my opinion, this was her best contest shape ever - even better than for the 1993 Ms. Olympia. It's hard to believe that she only took 10th place showing in the Jan Tana; I'm sure this result had something to do with her decision to retire from competition. The first sequence is the longest (about 15 minutes) and best, with Sharon posing outdoors in a red leotard and heels. She seems to have more upper body size than previously, and of course, her lower body is as good as ever. They strike a nice balance here, not really over-emphasizing any one particular bodypart - a good decision, given her tremendous overall development. Well, maybe there's a little more emphasis on legs, but you'd expect that with her. They conclude this segment with her walking around a bit, which really shows off her lower body nicely. The weather was apparently very hot (Virginia in July), so they moved indoors for the rest of the shoot, where they continue with another leotard, and two nice dresses. Again, a good balance of poses, highlighted by several demonstrations of the Marvel "thigh flap".
Following a short interview, there is about 25 minutes of footage taken about two months later, when Sharon had bulked up to about 160 lbs. (compared to 140 in contest shape). Apparently, she had not been working out much since the Jan Tana; she looks moderately hard, with so-so definition, but a great shape as always. She looks much more relaxed here than I've ever seen her on tape, which is a nice plus. One negative here is that her tan was basically non-existent. There's probably more emphasis on her legs in this segment, for good reason; her lat spread also looks particularly impressive. The outfits in this segment include a red leotard, a denim dress, and a skirt / black tank-top combination. There's another nice walking sequence in the last outfit. Since this was Sharon's final WPW video, they conclude with a nice retrospective, showing clips from their various shoots with her over the years (and there have been many).
I've seen three other Marvel WPW videos - 74, 161 and 246. If picking one for contest shape, I'd go with 283 if you prefer size, but probably with 161 if you like more of a "girl next door" look - great condition, but less size. For off-season shape, I'd go with either 161 or 246 before 283. I think there's more off-season posing on those than on 283, and she's definitely in better shape, without sacrificing her characteristic off-season shape and fullness.
Of course, if you get this video (283), you also get Joanne Lee. This was also WPW's last shooting with Joanne, and as in video 243, she was in contest shape - this time, fresh off her 7th place showing in the 1995 Ms. Olympia. All the posing is outdoors, starting with a black bikini. This begins with Joanne applying oil to herself, after which she poses, first standing, and then sitting on a park bench. For some reason, I didn't particularly care for the cut of her bikini, though her condition here is certainly hard to fault. Posing continues in three dresses - a nice blue one, and two black ones (one sleeveless, and one with short sleeves). There's a definite emphasis on arm shots (for good reason - her arms are huge), with some excellent close-ups, and there are also several nice walking scenes, including one that lasts about two minutes. Although Joanne is probably best known for her upper body, her legs are very good, too. The final posing segment takes place on the railroad tracks (a setting they have used many times - with Debbie Muggli and Diana Dennis, among others), with Joanne wearing a yellow leotard and heels. This is the best outfit she wears on the tape; the cut of the leotard makes the walking scenes particularly good. :-) An interview closes the tape, and is what every WPW interview should be - short.
If I were picking a tape just for Joanne Lee, I'd probably pick this one over WPW-243. A possible plus (not for me, but some people evidently like it) is that 243 includes some gym work, but I like the posing on 283 a bit better. The main reason for this is that she's a bit bigger on 283; I'd say that the choice is outfits is about equal between the two.