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Showing posts with label film history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film history. Show all posts
Wednesday, 7 October 2015
Frederick S. Lane III, "Obscene Profits" (1999)
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Monday, 27 April 2015
Ian Fleming, "Casino Royale" (1953)
This earliest Bond novel surprised me in several ways:
1) Fleming's regular references to Bond's service in the Second World War were a revelation to me. Perhaps it's the cinematic lens (har har) that I was viewing Bond through previously, but I associate him with a more recent type of Cold War modernity than a somewhat grim, post-war emerging hostility between Communism and the West. Casino Royale is definitely set in the latter.
2) I was taken aback by Bond's rather virulent misogyny. Casino Royale's Bond is not the Hefner-esque international playboy heartily enjoying the pleasures of the sexual revolution. He is a lonely, isolated, insecure, suspicious and bitter misogynist. The cinematic Bond is often a suave character who at his core seems generally likeable, if a bit of a hound.
The Bond of Casino Royale oscillates between calling his female counterpart (Vesper Lynd) a 'bitch', then wanting to ask her to marry, and then by the end of the book, returning to his original position even though she had confessed her love for him. Although he admitted a physical attraction to Lynd, he initiates a sexual relationship with her largely to test whether the torture he'd experienced had left him impotent.
3) While concerned with 'products' - quality and exceptional pleasure - the Bond of Casino Royale is not the brand-conscious clothes and technology advertisement of the film franchise. His consumption is more oriented towards 'types' than 'brands' - a particular mix of drink, a style of food, a sort of clothing… not a particular manufacturer or label.
4) I was somewhat shocked by how short the novel was. Perhaps I am unfairly comparing the book to the academic writing I normally read, but this book flashed by in about three nights' reading. It was nice, but left me feeling like there was a lot of depth missing from the story.
Quotations will be posted eventually.
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Ron Jeremy, "Hardest (Working) Man in Show Biz" (2007)
Ghost-written by Eric Spitznagel.
This is the third autobiography of a porn industry star that I've read in the last year. Each of them are unique, but this one stands out from the rest. Jeremy - if his reputation isn't already familiar to you - is likely one of the most prolific and longest-lived male actors in the porn industry. He has apparently appeared in about 1,700 movies, and moved on to directing them. He has also dabbled in stand-up comedy, 'serious' acting, and now, books.
What is unique about Jeremy's book? He has little negative to say about the industry. He didn't seek it out as a career (he hoped to be a legit actor). He came by it as what he thought might be an entree into serious work, and as an alternative to working with special needs persons.
This leads me to another unique aspect of Jeremy's book. He has a Masters degree in Special Education. He had a good relationship with his parents. He claims to not be a drinker or drug-taker. In this regard, Jeremy's experience of the sex industry, then, comes not from desperation, addiction, depression, or abuse. For him, it seems to have been a pretty decent job that evolved into a career.
Compared to Holmes' and Jameson's books, Jeremy's inattention to the dark side of porn work comes across as disingenuous. This is not to say that everyone's story has to be sad or terrible, but as a male actor who realistically profits off his female (co-)stars, it might have been a good service for him to recognize what like is like on the other end of the penis(es) in the industry. The difference is particularly discernible when he spends time discussing his love of animals, but gives so little attention to ingrained sexism and systemic abuse and risk problems for women and men in the porn industry. Even his discussion of conflicts with the law come across more as failed comedy routines than genuine legal struggles.
The book is entertaining, no doubt, and Jeremy comes across as a nice enough guy; a little naive, a little simple, a little goodhearted. His book is a cotton-candy version of the porn industry. For those looking for fluff, it does nicely. For those looking for something more insightful, balance out Jeremy's view with the biography of John Holmes (another prominent male star of the industry), or Jenna Jameson's book.
A pretty good summary of the book is available at The Bookbag.
My discussion of Jenna Jameson's "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star (A Cautionary Tale)"
My discussion of "Porn King: The Autobiography of John C. Holmes."
This is the third autobiography of a porn industry star that I've read in the last year. Each of them are unique, but this one stands out from the rest. Jeremy - if his reputation isn't already familiar to you - is likely one of the most prolific and longest-lived male actors in the porn industry. He has apparently appeared in about 1,700 movies, and moved on to directing them. He has also dabbled in stand-up comedy, 'serious' acting, and now, books.
What is unique about Jeremy's book? He has little negative to say about the industry. He didn't seek it out as a career (he hoped to be a legit actor). He came by it as what he thought might be an entree into serious work, and as an alternative to working with special needs persons.
This leads me to another unique aspect of Jeremy's book. He has a Masters degree in Special Education. He had a good relationship with his parents. He claims to not be a drinker or drug-taker. In this regard, Jeremy's experience of the sex industry, then, comes not from desperation, addiction, depression, or abuse. For him, it seems to have been a pretty decent job that evolved into a career.
Compared to Holmes' and Jameson's books, Jeremy's inattention to the dark side of porn work comes across as disingenuous. This is not to say that everyone's story has to be sad or terrible, but as a male actor who realistically profits off his female (co-)stars, it might have been a good service for him to recognize what like is like on the other end of the penis(es) in the industry. The difference is particularly discernible when he spends time discussing his love of animals, but gives so little attention to ingrained sexism and systemic abuse and risk problems for women and men in the porn industry. Even his discussion of conflicts with the law come across more as failed comedy routines than genuine legal struggles.
The book is entertaining, no doubt, and Jeremy comes across as a nice enough guy; a little naive, a little simple, a little goodhearted. His book is a cotton-candy version of the porn industry. For those looking for fluff, it does nicely. For those looking for something more insightful, balance out Jeremy's view with the biography of John Holmes (another prominent male star of the industry), or Jenna Jameson's book.
A pretty good summary of the book is available at The Bookbag.
My discussion of Jenna Jameson's "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star (A Cautionary Tale)"
My discussion of "Porn King: The Autobiography of John C. Holmes."
Tuesday, 28 October 2014
Jenna Jameson and Neil Strauss, "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale" (2004)
Jameson, for those who don't know, is the Madonna of porn. 
With a carefully managed career, she has graduated from stripping to magazine work to porn to managing what her husband refers to as a "porn conglomerate". She is the name behind what seems to be a very successful group of websites, cellphone services, films, and still collects royalties from the over 50 films she made before going 'indy'.
Her story both fits within and frustrates how sex industry workers are often portrayed. In her autobiography, she outlines a sordid and tragic history of sexual abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, industry corruption, misogyny, alienation from her family... the list goes on. She also, however, suggests that her life experiences led her to the level of financial and career success, as well as personal satisfaction, that she has attained.
The book is well written, on the whole. It combines first-person narrative, comic-book format, simulated diary notes, interview transcripts, photos, and guidance for those seeking to enter the industry. This variety sometimes comes across a scattershot, but does help to break up what might otherwise begin to become monotonous or repetitive. It sparkles with occasional wit, while not glossing over what outsiders suspect about genuinely negative and dysfunctional aspects of making one's living as a sex worker.
If you are interested in this book, you might also peruse my notes regarding:
- "Porn King", the autobiography of John Holmes written by his wife
- Jimmy McDonough's "Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film"
Her story both fits within and frustrates how sex industry workers are often portrayed. In her autobiography, she outlines a sordid and tragic history of sexual abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, industry corruption, misogyny, alienation from her family... the list goes on. She also, however, suggests that her life experiences led her to the level of financial and career success, as well as personal satisfaction, that she has attained.
The book is well written, on the whole. It combines first-person narrative, comic-book format, simulated diary notes, interview transcripts, photos, and guidance for those seeking to enter the industry. This variety sometimes comes across a scattershot, but does help to break up what might otherwise begin to become monotonous or repetitive. It sparkles with occasional wit, while not glossing over what outsiders suspect about genuinely negative and dysfunctional aspects of making one's living as a sex worker.
If you are interested in this book, you might also peruse my notes regarding:
- "Porn King", the autobiography of John Holmes written by his wife
- Jimmy McDonough's "Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film"
Thursday, 12 September 2013
John Holmes, "Porn King: The Autobiography..." (2012)
The book was written/dictated by Holmes before his death, but Holmes added a preface and published the work posthumously.
As with many autobiographies by former porn stars, Holmes tells a tale of degradation and depredation. While he first enjoyed the opportunity to have sex for money (both the physical pleasure and economic perks), the opportunities being a porn actor opened up for him - both positive and negative - eventually led Holmes down paths of consumption and behaviour that would eventually lead to his demise from AIDS-related causes.
His story is simple and compelling. He makes little effort to glorify his work, or to romanticize the life it led him into. He also does not vilify his work or personal associates. Instead, his autobiography seems like a quiet reflection offered by a man who knows the end of his days are near, and merely want to leave some more meaningful or fuller record of his experience than pictures of himself having sex.
As with many autobiographies by former porn stars, Holmes tells a tale of degradation and depredation. While he first enjoyed the opportunity to have sex for money (both the physical pleasure and economic perks), the opportunities being a porn actor opened up for him - both positive and negative - eventually led Holmes down paths of consumption and behaviour that would eventually lead to his demise from AIDS-related causes.
His story is simple and compelling. He makes little effort to glorify his work, or to romanticize the life it led him into. He also does not vilify his work or personal associates. Instead, his autobiography seems like a quiet reflection offered by a man who knows the end of his days are near, and merely want to leave some more meaningful or fuller record of his experience than pictures of himself having sex.
Saturday, 5 May 2012
Stephenson Humphries-Brooks, "Cinematic Saviour" (2006)
The sub-title for this book is: Hollywood's Making of the American Christ.
One of the primary characteristics of this book might be regarded as a mixed blessing. On one hand, the author's casual tone and presumption of significant knowledge on the part of the reader makes for a breezy, light approach to assessing a swath of important films depicting aspects of Jesus' life.
On the other, the presumption of knowledge the book is based upon, and the witty references this presumption allows, would likely be alienating for those who don't come to the text with that knowledge.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Jimmy McDonough, "Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film" (2005)
Meyer's films are essential viewing for teenage boys, historians of the 1960s and 1970s, and fans of Boogie Nights. Meyer, for those who his name doesn't immediately conjure particular images, was a surprisingly financially successful director of movies that could perhaps be labelled... erm... mammary-obsessed, joke-infused, soft porn. This is not the type of porn that might make you feel particularly guilty or dirty, but rather the porn of a more... American version of Benny Hill type. It's nudity all seemed kind of... well... innocent compared to the graphic and grindy sex of porn intended purely to make money.
There's something that smacks of art in Meyer's films, in the same way that John Waters' films featuring Divine cross some strange line between art and trash. Additionally, Meyers' films often feature powerful, physically aggressive women, that seem to run counter to all popular understandings of graphic film produced for male consumption.
Unfortunately, McDonough's writing bears a certain resemblance to the late-career mammaries Meyer featured in his movies... over-inflated and self-consciously unnatural. In places it is almost painful to read. While the book provides some interesting back story to the production of Meyers' films, and is unique in that his life has not been examined in easily available book form (Meyers' multi-volume autobiography is priced at something like $400 USD), it is somewhat unsatisfactory in that it feels... superficial in many regards. Particularly disappointing is the last few chapters, when Meyer made the not too graceful transition from moviemaker to Alzheimer's-sufferer. Clearly, his financial, business and personal lives imploded, leaving many loose ends. McDonough, however, either because he was unable to find interviewees to explore these questions, or could not access the documentary record that might answer some of these questions, leaves the tragic denouement more to imagination than fact. Ultimately, this is unsatisfying as a narrative trope.
There's something that smacks of art in Meyer's films, in the same way that John Waters' films featuring Divine cross some strange line between art and trash. Additionally, Meyers' films often feature powerful, physically aggressive women, that seem to run counter to all popular understandings of graphic film produced for male consumption.
Unfortunately, McDonough's writing bears a certain resemblance to the late-career mammaries Meyer featured in his movies... over-inflated and self-consciously unnatural. In places it is almost painful to read. While the book provides some interesting back story to the production of Meyers' films, and is unique in that his life has not been examined in easily available book form (Meyers' multi-volume autobiography is priced at something like $400 USD), it is somewhat unsatisfactory in that it feels... superficial in many regards. Particularly disappointing is the last few chapters, when Meyer made the not too graceful transition from moviemaker to Alzheimer's-sufferer. Clearly, his financial, business and personal lives imploded, leaving many loose ends. McDonough, however, either because he was unable to find interviewees to explore these questions, or could not access the documentary record that might answer some of these questions, leaves the tragic denouement more to imagination than fact. Ultimately, this is unsatisfying as a narrative trope.
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