Description
"MISTY BEETHOVEN is simply the best overall adult film ever made" or so proclaims porn historian Jim Holliday on VCA's "Classic Comments" section on the elaborately produced DVD of THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN. For a film originally made in 1975, this title directed by Henry Paris does look and feel its age, but nevertheless succeeds remarkably as a very hot and very entertaining porno movie. It has been discussed on various internet sites that nothing of consequence had been edited from its original format (save for a few scant seconds which have nothing to do with story or content), so completistsmore… will want to dump their old videotapes or laserdiscs for this medium. However, for cinematic purists, it should be noted that this DVD is in full screen format, which means that the movie must have been panned and scanned (as opposed to letterboxed) for its digital debut. Since most porn movies show the good stuff front and center, I can't imagine that the viewer is missing much from the cropped picture, but then again, this is my first viewing of this highly-regarded classic.
Smolderingly sexy Constance Money stars as the title character who works in Paris as a hooker. Jamie Gillis plays a writer who acts as her pygmalion/svengali to transform her into a "sophisticated socialite." The movie then transports the viewers to various globetrotting locations and sexual situations where Constance is put to the test (and passes with flying colors, of course). Amidst all the sex play, dialogue, foreign settings, eclectic musical scoring, close-up photography, and rapid-pace editing, is an actual attempt to bring some emotional resonance to the characters. Whereas most of today's films are merely ciphers for sexual acrobatics, the story here controls the sexual content, and not the other way around. I doubt that many viewers will have the opportunity to speed-search through this movie, because most of the hardcore, while plentiful, is very tightly edited: you see all the good stuff, but the scenes are never padded out. In this respect, consumers are truly getting a lot of visual bang for the buck.
And yet...I hate to sound like a porn philistine here, but I have to admit that there seems to be a trade-off here for quantity instead of quality. The first thirty-minutes of this film have more varied cock sucking than in one of those all-fellatio compilations. However, the movie does slow down a bit when Terri Hall seduces Jacqueline Beudant under Gillis's directions, before he has his way with her. When Constance Money finally puts her education to work by seducing an effeminate guy, there is a definite thrill to her sucking and fucking, which raises an otherwise straightforward scene to impressive erotic heights. The dark cinematography, and the music (which I believe was "Tubular Bells" -- popularly known as a theme from THE EXORCIST) will again, be somewhat of a culture shock those who are used to the flat look of video shot during in natural daylight, but there is no denying that it all helps make the scene work.
Following this pivotal sequence, the rest of the film continues to explore Ms. Money's sexual adventures, and many of the scenes play like a music video montage. Former actress and porn activist (as well as porn commentator on the second audio channel) Gloria Leonard has a major supporting character in this flick, and gets to take her shot at the lead actress in what was described as her first big production role. Naturally, she carries it off like a pro, and when the two are joined by Ras Kean for a frolicking threesome, the movie reaches a boiling point in erotic heat. However, there is a segment where poor Mr. Kean (actually, a gay "stunt man" does the booty-duty) is subjected to a strap-on dildo worn by Constance Money, which I would have preferred left on the cutting room floor...oh, well; I guess that is what speed-search buttons on your remote are for. It is also revealed on the secondary audio track that the inexperienced Mr. Kean came inside of Gloria during this scene, much to the dismay of the director who naturally understands the importance of the money shot! Just when one thinks that the movie is about to slow down to a conclusion, the sex scenes just keep coming, with Jamie Gillis finally getting to share an intimate scene with Constance herself, bringing a fulfilling ending to a surprisingly satisfying "old" movie.
The video and audio quality is excellent, considering the age of the film and the generally lesser production values inherent in all porn films of that (or any other) generation. There are some dropouts, a dose of grain and noise which are due to the natural chemical deterioration of film, but I can't imagine this movie looking better at any other time since its original debut. The running commentary by Mr. Gillis and Ms. Leonard is excellent and informative, and I actually preferred watching the movie completely with this audio track. VCA offers a superb presentation of this movie, with attractive extras such as actual production stills (and not just freeze-framed stills taken from the video), a picture of the original box cover art, and a "Hall of Fame Photo Gallery" (which is also found in BARBARA BROADCAST).
While companies like Caballero DVD carelessly mistreat the older titles in their library (witness the mediocre presentation of 8 TO 4 and modern classics like the early Andrew Blake films), it's good to know that VCA recognizes the importance of preserving their catalog of classics. For anyone who appreciates a "Criterion Collection" presentation of great, dirty movies, THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN is a definite must-see, and a true must-have.
| Constance Money |
| Marlene Willoughby |
| Gloria Leonard |
| Jenny Baxter |
| Stuart, Mary |
| Jaqueline Beudant |
| Jamie Gillis |
| Terry Hall |
Info:
- Category:
- Movies > Adult
- Case Type:
- DVD
- Release Type:
- Retail
- Language:
- English
- Comments:
- 1 read add
Cover Info:
- Title:
- Opening of Misty Beethoven, The (1975) Retail DVD
- Part:
- CD
- Dimensions:
- 1398 x 1405 px
- Size:
- 712 KB
- Downloads:
- 51 (0 today)
- Uploaded:
- 16/04/08 by NYCRebel
- Quality Rating:
-
- Currently /5 Stars.
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Other Available Parts:
Shot-On-Film
Cast list
