Review: Vinegar Syndrome has rescued some interesting films in their short
history. Some films that I thought would never see the light of day, and
some films that I always hoped would get a better transfer by a company
that truly cares. Now they've unearthed a documentary that every adult
should see at least once, because it humanizes what a lot of people take
for granted as the adult film industry in its' day to day form. "A
Labor Of Love" is that documentary, and let's see what really happens
behind the scenes of an adult film. Directors Robert
Flaxman and Daniel Goldman tried to make an X-rated movie. In Chicago.
In the winter. They failed. What DID happen was this documentary, a true
movie about movies film. In 1975, the directors and crew gathered
together in Chicago to create a film to be titled "The Last Affair".
They were filming in winter for the simple reason of the money not being
available to them until that point. The filming is taking place at a
friends mansion. We get to meet several of the actors and actresses, and
they discuss their hopes & fears of being in a film. We also get to
hear the particular problems that some of them have doing sex scenes
for the movie.
Both of the women have problems doing the scenes. One is
bothered so badly after doing her scene that she doesn't want to be
filmed speaking about her experience of it. Some real life entanglements
with her boyfriend have become involved with her new crush on the actor
she is performing her sex scene with. The fact
that the two actors only met the day before show how inexperienced both
of them are with the emotions they are dealing with.
The second
actress that we get to hear from has personal problems with the actor
she is working with, and he doesn't care for her either. Still, they
both try to be professional and get through their sex scene. The problem
turns out to be that the actor involved is so stoned that he can't stay
hard for the scene. This is a pivotal point in the movie, and the crew
tries to figure out what to do for hours. Finally the director asks the
son of the person who let them use the mansion if he could be a stand in
for the close up shots. This kid would be the envy of every guy I know,
if you hadn't seen this documentary up to this point, and were seeing
the emotions everyone was going through just to try to make this film.
He does what is asked of him, and talks to the viewers quite excitedly
afterward about being able to be in a
film. He turns out to be the only person in the documentary, as far as
the actors go, that doesn't have some kind of hang up, or problem with
someone. He tells us that he did the scene so that the movie would move
along faster and he could get his bed back after the crew left. at the
end of this documentary, we're told that the original film "The Last
Affair" was finally released, with some of the footage done over, and no
hard core sex scenes included. I would be interested in seeing this
final result at some point.
For anyone who thinks adult films are
sexy, glamorous, or fun to make, you need to watch this documentary. It
brings out the human side of the industry. It makes you think about the
people in them as more than just a piece of meat. Vinegar Syndrome is
at the top of their game with this release. We get a widescreen 1.85:1
transfer that has plenty of grain, but never looks bad at all.
+ Dual Layer DVD-9 |
Region Free | 16:9 Anamorphic | 1.85:1 AR | MONO
+ Restored in 2k from 16mm Ektachrome camera originals.
+ Video interview with Robert Flaxman
+ Audio interview with Flaxman & John Iltis
+ Original theatrical trailer
Pick this one up now, and learn about the film behind the film.
-William D. Wolford
Director: Robert Flaxman & Daniel Goldman
Genre: Erotic/Documentary
Blu-ray Release Year: 2013
Theatrical Release Year: 1975
Time Length: 67 mins.
Company: Vinegar Syndrome
Website:
www.vinegarsyndrome.com
