Are there any other fans of the golden era of porn the 1970's?
Some of my favorites from this era are The Opening of Misty Beethoven, Babylon Pink, The Devil in Miss Jones and Water Power. My favorite performer from this era is Jamie Gillis.
I even have some original Japanese poster art for some of these classics.
I have a strange fascination for Italian porn from the early 1980s. Not that they are particularly erotic (they certainly aren't) but these are some of the strangest, wackiest films you'll ever see!
What are some Italian porns that you would recommend?
Hmm... hard to say, really. A few of my favorites:
CON LA ZIA NON È PECCATO (1980). Italian porn's first superstar, Marina Frajese, stars as a sexy, widowed aunt who has her sexually awekening nephew walking funny. It's a really nice coming of age film with Marina in one of her best, most sensual performances. The sexy, older aunt would soon become her signature character and she would play similar roles in lots of inferior films - MY SWEDISH AUNT (1980) being the most famous one. All the hardcore scenes with Marina were filmed separately, though, as most of the other actors were non-porno actors. Still, I recommend this film.
LA LOCANDA DEL MALADOLOSCENZA (1980) - Features a mix of soft and hard performers, so there isn't really that much hardcore action but it has a memorable, selazy atmosphere and relatively good plot about an orphaned teenage girl (Marcella Petrelli) who is taken advantage of and exploited as a prostitute for the kinky guests at a boarding house. Petrelli was in several pornos but always body-doubled in hard scenes. It's also surprising to find Carlo De Mejo in this! I wonder if he knew about the hardcore footage! There's also Paola Montenero, the one-time wife of director Massimo Pirri and actress in legitimate films such as A BAY OF BLOOD and THE TRUE STORY OF THE NUN OF MONZA. Unfortunately, Montenero's heroin addiction led to her downfall and she was forced to appear in films like this one (where she only has soft scenes) and finally to perform hardcore scenes in the ultra-sleazy porno DOLCE GOLA (1981), which even re-uses some music from this film.
BATHMAN DAL PIANETA EROS (1982) - extremely un-erotic but it's a total laugh-riot. Mark Shanon (he with the warty balls from EROTIC NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD and PORNO HOLOCAUST) puts on a cheap-looking Batman costume and plays the superhero Bathman!
There are many others out there too of course but the quality varies a lot. For sheer weirdness, Franco Lo Cascio's pornos with Marina Frajese from 1984-85 score pretty high by mixing in gay, transsexual and fetish scenes with heterosexual coupling in order to appeal both select crowds as well as 'ordinary' porn fans. Usually with unsuccessful results, I might add, but these films are still curiosity pieces.
LA LOCANDA DEL MALADOLOSCENZA (1980)
Cool little film this,from what i've read Marco Sole was actually director Bruno Gaburro.
Do you have the 1hr 24m Spanish language version(Italian opening credits) with the hardcore scenes Johan?
No, I don't know any Spanish so I got the German version instead. The credits are in Italian here too except for the actual title which reads GASTHAUS DER WOLLUST. Not too bad quality all things considered. It does contain some hardcore, yes, but only in the scene where one of the clients (Giuseppe Curia) is entertained by a veiled lady (Guia Lauri Filzi) and it develops into a threesome when Marcella Petrelli joins them. I'll have to check the running time but it's possible that the German version is identical to the Spanish one. I've heard that the Italian one is shorter, though.
Very interesting to hear that the mysterious Marco Sole is actually Bruno Gaburro, who had a relatively interesting career. He also directed Marcella Petrelli in PENOMBRA (1986) and is rumored to have directed Paola Senatore's hardcore scenes in NON STOP SEMPRE BUIO IN SALA (1985). Gaburro and Senatore were apparantly good friends after he had directed her in the soft sex films MALOMBRA and MALADONNA in 1983.
Hmm... hard to say, really. A few of my favorites:
CON LA ZIA NON È PECCATO (1980). Italian porn's first superstar, Marina Frajese, stars as a sexy, widowed aunt who has her sexually awekening nephew walking funny. It's a really nice coming of age film with Marina in one of her best, most sensual performances. The sexy, older aunt would soon become her signature character and she would play similar roles in lots of inferior films - MY SWEDISH AUNT (1980) being the most famous one. All the hardcore scenes with Marina were filmed separately, though, as most of the other actors were non-porno actors. Still, I recommend this film.
LA LOCANDA DEL MALADOLOSCENZA (1980) - Features a mix of soft and hard performers, so there isn't really that much hardcore action but it has a memorable, selazy atmosphere and relatively good plot about an orphaned teenage girl (Marcella Petrelli) who is taken advantage of and exploited as a prostitute for the kinky guests at a boarding house. Petrelli was in several pornos but always body-doubled in hard scenes. It's also surprising to find Carlo De Mejo in this! I wonder if he knew about the hardcore footage! There's also Paola Montenero, the one-time wife of director Massimo Pirri and actress in legitimate films such as A BAY OF BLOOD and THE TRUE STORY OF THE NUN OF MONZA. Unfortunately, Montenero's heroin addiction led to her downfall and she was forced to appear in films like this one (where she only has soft scenes) and finally to perform hardcore scenes in the ultra-sleazy porno DOLCE GOLA (1981), which even re-uses some music from this film.
BATHMAN DAL PIANETA EROS (1982) - extremely un-erotic but it's a total laugh-riot. Mark Shanon (he with the warty balls from EROTIC NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD and PORNO HOLOCAUST) puts on a cheap-looking Batman costume and plays the superhero Bathman!
There are many others out there too of course but the quality varies a lot. For sheer weirdness, Franco Lo Cascio's pornos with Marina Frajese from 1984-85 score pretty high by mixing in gay, transsexual and fetish scenes with heterosexual coupling in order to appeal both select crowds as well as 'ordinary' porn fans. Usually with unsuccessful results, I might add, but these films are still curiosity pieces.
I have Mario Siciliano's MY SWEDISH AUNT (which Johan has mentioned) under the title THE OTHER WOMAN on the Private Screenings label and it is a sleaze-filled good time in it's own right. I watched it during a Siciliano double bill with PORNO LUI EROTICA LEI (1981) (aka. DANGEROUS LOVE) and quite enjoyed Marina Frajese. To be honest though, I could have done without the scene where she pleasures a horse and is subsequently showered in equestrian love juice. Yikes!
Also, in regards to Paola Montenero (sometimes credited Paola Rubens), one really raunchy flick I have featuring her in a larger role than usual is Franco Rossetti's, IL MONDO PORNO DI DUE SORELLE (1978) (which I own as EMANUELLE AND JOANNA). This one has Paola as a woman who runs a house of twisted sexual delights, introducing to and helping her unhappy sister (with a pig for a husband) explore various taboos. The sister, Emanuela, is played by none other than the always great, Sherry Buchanan (ZOMBI HOLOCAUST, THE SECRET OF SEAGULL ISLAND, EYES BEHIND THE STARS) in without question, one of her more uninhibited roles. Marina Frajese is also in this as well as a pair of always fun and slimy supporting players, Daniele Dublino and Brunello Chiodetti.
Here's a review I did a while back for Cinema Nocturna that I hope you'll enjoy:
http://www.cinema-nocturna.com/ilmondopo...review.htm
Yeah, that horse scene in MY SWEDISH AUNT is kind of icky. I'm guessing the Private Screenings tape is the softcore version, though. Right? I've seen both the soft and the hard version (there are plenty of differences) and I like the film well enough but the humor is quite daft. The horse scene is fortunately non-explicit in both versions and the ejaculating is obviously faked. Still, this is quite interesting as it foreshadows Marina's later horse adventures in such notorious films as MARINA E LA SUA BESTIA (1983), LA BIONDA E LA BESTIA (1985) and LA PERDIZIONE - MARINA'S ANIMALS (1986).
Great review of EMANUELLE AND JOANNA, Devin. It's such an amazingly trashy film with an endless amount of quatable howlers on the English dub track. Brunello Chiodetti makes one of
the most unlikeable assholes I've ever seen in an Italian film and that says a lot. A very interesting actor - I've also seen him perform in several hardcore pornos. Btw, I got the LFWV version of EMANUELLE AND JOANNA, and it includes several hardcore scenes! Poor Sherry Buchanan is body-doubled by a very unconvincing and rather unattractive girl who is much hairier than Sherry. She must have been mortified when she found out!
Btw, I got the LFWV version of EMANUELLE AND JOANNA, and it includes several hardcore scenes!
You very likely have the 93 minute print I mention towards the end of my review then, Johan. I'd love to see that version and compare the two.
On the subject of Brunello Chiodetti, one of my other favorite parts of his is a small one.
You'll recall him as the guy who eyes up Anita Ekberg at the bar in KILLER NUN (1978), following her around the streets in a game of cat and mouse after she leaves, eventually fucking her up against the wall in the hallway of an apartment building, finishing then walking away, saying nothing the whole time!
Classic moment!
Thanks for the suggestions.
BTW, are these only available on VHS or any of these titles that you mentioned on DVD or at least can be acquired through grey market dealers?