Theatre of Lust Pirate Fetish Machine / Private Maybe I was basing my expectations on unreliable evidence, but I was keen to see Theatre of Lust, if only to find out some more about this Italian female director I'd been hearing about. Susi Medusa Gottardi has already gained a name for shooting some kinky stuff so it's with some disappointment that I must report straight away that Theatre of Lust is yet another example - perhaps unsurprisingly given Private's track record and relatively mainstream market - of fetish style being used to flavour a rather generic porn flick instead of being the focus of the movie.
Story
Story is the first, and most likely largest, problem with Theatre of Lust. If it weren't for the explanation in accompanying blurb and in the "making of" vignette, it would be pretty tough to figure out exactly what's going on in the woefully underdeveloped storyline. Perhaps overtly violent scenes have been snipped, though that's pure speculation on my part, perhaps it's because the script is poor, perhaps it's because of poor direction and the over reliance on the severely restricted acting skills of the performers, all of whom are acting in what is at least a second language - whatever, it seems to be the sketchiest of tales.
In a nutshell, Franco Trentalance - who I wrongly thought could provide a passable acting performance - plays some kind of pimp character who apparently murders two of his top girls - Julie Silver and Jessica May - when he finds them skimming cash, though no actual deed is seen and only the merest clues are given via Alberto Rey's character, as a rival pimp. Trentalance's pimp seemingly returns to reclaim his place and take revenge on Rey's for his imprisonment - ironically, the only bondage seen in the movie - before being haunted by the ghostly presence of the deceased hookers. Frankly, even this inconsequential synopsis is giving the whole thing way more credence than it deserves, and so we are left with just the sex and the style, which is surely not what the director intended, given the inclusion of any kind of story at all.
Style
Another major part of the problem, as I see it, is that director Gottardi has a good eye for particular details but is weak on substance to back it up. All the little fetishistic details - from girls in leather gloves to guys in split crotch trousers, from smoking to shoe sucking to strap-ons, curling tootsies and painted fingernails clawing at the sheets- are present and correct, passed off with post-punk, ripped fishnet fashion, some funky eyewear and lots of heavy make up. I do get into Julie Silver in a little "Nazi" chic - always a cheap tactic, but fun - with her blonde locks in heavy plaits under a peaked leather cap, blouse open to the waist, crop in hand as she tells her hooded slave "ich bin dein Fhrer!"
But while there are plenty of moments like this, it doesn't add up to as much as it should. As it adopts a hard-boiled pose of ruthless pimps and male dominant attitude, I should imagine the rather mean-spirited mood of all this sordid subject matter, however unconvincing, could put off some viewers but for me the most significant flaw is simply that the overall effect is spoiled by poor production values and a lack of serious visual flair. The odd lighting aside, too little has been invested in the setting. It's just this Spartan old concert hall, scene of plenty other porn shoots, shot with just too little panache to carry it all off with any sense of cohesion.
Sex
As I guess many viewers will care not a jot for such concerns as long as the old in-out is in plain view, let's finally get down to the nitty gritty, which begins with that Julie Silver number I mentioned above. This is as entertaining for the stilted stream of invective that Julie aims at the cross-dressed slave (Gabriel Montoya, who has a dual role as a punter and a henchman which adds to the confusion) as he buggers her doggy style for a very long time, inexplicably shot from the same static camera angle form much of its lengthy duration. I must admit that I like Julie but I've seen her do this stuff more than just once too often, so even the late arrival of more varied positions threatens to perk things up. Other than the odd pacing that gives the movie an overall lack of flow, detracting factors include some very unflattering angles and the unwelcome sight of Franco using a penis pump as he spies in on the scene.
Next, Gabriel and Alberto Rey dish out a moderately stern seeing-to to svelte Jessica May, looking good with her hair in a silvery streaked style. Bags of anal action for her, then, as is indeed the case for most scenes here, and some hearty double penetration before Alberto seemingly comes four times on her face - not quite as impressive as it sounds, but a notable feat nonetheless - before impenetrable plot twists take events to an encounter between Alberto and the always adorable Sandy Style. The lovely blonde provides Alberto with some gloved hand relief before this comparatively brief affair kicks into some anal and ends with Rey hosing down Sandy's ample ass with his come.
As Franco's back in town, he needs new girls and tests out a pretty little brunette who is brought to him on a leash by henchman Gabriel. This is Rita Neri, a rather attractive girl with delightful hanging boobs exposed above a short skirt and fishnet tights, The latter garment is ripped open to allow the guys access to her rear end, duly speared in short order to begin some pretty robust sex, largely anal but punctuated by a pair of deeply penetrating DPs. Facial finishes are the order of the day with Franco holding the girl's hands above her head as the henchman does his dirty deed prior to Franco's won emission.
The action moves swiftly on to an entertaining girl-girl affair with Sandy Style and Annette, a taller, slender brunette with a very saucy smile. The girls, in baby pink and lemon yellow respectively, provide a welcome counter point to the po-faced grimness of much of the movie, as they have a good deal of fun pulling each other's pigtails, licking pussy (Sandy's peachy smoothness bulging through spilt-crotch shorts is the kind of detail that provides what limited appeal there is in this movie) and taking turns on the receiving end of a strap-on.
I won't even begin to ponder what is supposed to be going on when axe-wielding Julie and Jessica appear on the scene as some kind of cheaply realised ghostly presence. The tale is concluded, though hardly resolved, by another tough encounter with the two girls taking on Franco for one last heavy-duty anal scene. Well, I say heavy-duty but that would be a slight exaggeration, for though it has a stern aspect, it's mainly straight-up ass-banging all the way, with a little girl-girl play thrown in. Although the girls are often posed as though some of the more outr, not to mention unhygienic, acts commonplace in contemporary porn will occur, it's only at scene's end, when Franco shoots his load on Julie's ass and the goo drips down on Jessica's face, that there's anything that would cause me to raise an eyebrow.
Conclusion
Theatre of Lust simply can't live up to its own ambitions. It just feels too rushed, too unfinished and too unsatisfying to stand up as a movie, and for my tastes the sex is way too clinically executed to make for memorable porn. There are some very appealing girls - though I am not sure if the three guys, all stocky and taking on a rough-hewn, goatee-bearded and generally criminal guise with apparent ease, match up - but generally I found the theme unappealing and other than sporadic moments of interest as outlined above, there's very little here for me to recommend.
I realise that as a Private release there was never going to be much chance of seeing the successful, stylish and serious marriage of sex with BDSM that I am aware is potentially being done by less mainstream German movie makers, but I am eternally frustrated by porn studios, especially Private with their mastery of polished packaging and presentation, just tooling around with the look and never delivering the goods. The ironic thing about this movie is that the "making of" contains a cheeky shot of Julie Silver playfully popping clothes pegs on her lovely breasts, which is more than we see in the whole of the main feature itself.
So to finally wrap this up, let's just say that maybe this isn't the best example to see, but I doubt if I'd be particularly interested in seeing another of Ms Gottardi's movies. Perhaps it would also be unfair to suggest it, but is this also evidence of how easily a reputation can be made in porn today? Don't get me wrong - I hate to be down on someone who's trying to do something a little different, so I take no pleasure at all in concluding that Theatre of Lust has more than just a whiff of the S.O.S about it. Disappointing.
DVD Comments
As ever, Private do supply good audio-visual quality, with language options that set their products apart as far as international appeal is concerned. The main feature is backed up with a "making of" short which has some of the most ridiculous narration that I've heard to date, and that's saying something given the preposterous hyperbole that typically passes for commentary on Private's backstage footage. There's also a small selection of stills from the movie and from backstage, along with the usual handful of trailers and a DVD-Rom section with yet more promotional info.
Director Susi Medusa Gottardi
Cast Julie Silver, Jessica May, Sandy Style Annette, Rita Neri, Franco Trentalance, Alberto Rey, Gabriel Montoya
Running Time 1hr 35mins
Video NTSC / All regions
Audio Dolby 2.0 / English original sound
Disc Features Making of, trailers, photo galleries, cast and production information, multi-language and subtitle options, DVD-Rom promo materials
