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Marianna Beck on Libido's Debut Video:
Ecstatic Moments
After watching hour after hour of gonzo porn videos every month
(I review them for Fox magazine), I inevitably ask myself, "Can't
anyone make a decent porn flick? Like, with a believable plot and a
plausible reason for the sex. And maybe even a script that isn't
completely laughable." I'd recently received a review copy of Ecstatic
Moments, the debut video from the folks who publish Libido, "The
Journal of Sex and Sensibility," Jack Hefferkamp and Marianna Beck.
Needless to say, I had high hopes for this hot new product.
First, a bit of disclosure. I helped Marianna and Jack out by arranging
a location for them: the nightclub where I produce a weekly party. Oh,
and I got to be an extra in one of the scenes. Which means I'd already
had an up close and personal preview experience of the product. So
aside from being eager to see what kind of job they'd done, I was also
eager to see my brief 15 minutes of fame. (Okay, so it was more like 15
seconds...) Anyway, are you ready for something completely different?
In the parallel universe of "erotica," there are grainy black and white
photos, long, laborious Silhouette romance-type fiction and Candida
Royalle's Femme videos. Now, there's also Libido Films.
This video contains three vignettes of sexual experimentation, offering
exhibitionism, girl-girl action and some S&M light. The script is
extremely well written, everyone does an admirable job of delivering
their lines, and although it's about as far from a wall-to-wall gonzo
video as you can get, it is actually hot. Really. I was totally caught
up in the fantasies. Of course, that's me. Chances are, however, that
your average American male porn consumer will laugh through the whole
thing. That is, unless he brought it home with the idea of sharing it
with his porno-reluctant lady friend. And that alone is a great reason
for YOU to pick up a copy! If you do find the "erotica-ness" of it all
hilarious, do your best to keep a straight face for your lady friend's
benefit. I bet you'll get better head as a result.
I spoke with Marianna about her thoughts on the film.
Abby Ehmann: After doing an erotica magazine for 10 years, what made you decide to produce a video?
Marianna Beck: Jack and I had seen so many adult videos over the years
and we were disappointed by most of them. We wanted to make a video our
readers would want to see, something challenging that doesn't insult
women.
AE: How would you describe Ecstatic Moments?
MB: It's a sex-positive, gender-equal, healthy, intelligent turn-on
designed to stimulate both the mind and the body of sophisticated men
and women.
AE: Who do you think is the audience for the video?
MB: Since we designed this video to appeal to women, we think it's for
women who've been searching for an adult video to share with their
partners. Couples love to share something sexy and men are often the
one who choose the videos. Jack and I felt it was time to turn the
tables.
AE: How is the sex in your video different from sex in your average porno?
MB: Mainstream adult videos show emotionally one-dimensional characters
involved in cliched circumstances based on male fantasies and many
women find them too hard core. Then there are the how-to videos, which
tend to be a great, big yawn. We hope people find the characters and
situations we've presented as interesting as the sex.
AE: The actors are also not your usual Vivid contract girls.
MB: Right. We made every attempt to use people with real bodies, in
fact, people we know who are artists, writers and performers. We feel
that no one likes to look at naked bodies that somehow make them feel
diminished, so we tried very hard to avoid that.
AE: I especially enjoyed the writing. It sounded like conversations real people might actually have.
MB: Our characters struggle with the same real-life issues that men
andwomen who make love with more than their bodies do -- and don't
always agree with one another.
ECSTATIC MOMENTS
Starring James Bonn, Tristan Taormino, Amy Jo Goddard, Carol Queen, Shanna McCullough, Gina Rome, Claudio and Mickey G.
Directed by Marianna Beck and Jack Hafferkamp
From Libido Films
1999
75 minutes
[Written in 1999]
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