Debbie Does Xanadu.
This may or not be news to you people, but I am able to say that Orson Welles helped edit a hardcore porno film in the seventies.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0194635/
Purely, I gather, as a pseudonymous favour for his great ally, the late lamented Gary Graver, whom Welles needed to shoot material for his still-eagerly-awaited THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND. Welles cut the porno while Graver gathered footage for TOSOTW.
According to the IMDB reviewer, this Graver movie is actually pretty good. Although whether we can rely on the opinions of a person calling themself babycarrot67is questionable. Be that as it may, the flick stars Georgina Spelvin, who took her name from a traditional Broadway pseudonym, the theatrical equivalent of Hollywood’s “Alan Smithee”. G.S. got her start doing the catering on THE DEVIL IN MISS JONES and took over the lead role when the star had to drop out — a very traditional showbiz story rags-to-riches story, that!
Anyhow, I don’t want this to get bandied about as another bogus tale of Welles’s “fall from greatness” of the kind mostly Hollywood-type writers are so fond of, since their own lack of artistic ambition is justified if they can point at Welles and say he was a failure. I’m just tickled by the odd conjunction of the CITIZEN KANE auteur and the world of onscreen penetration, and it’s one more – admittedly puerile – reason for us to rush out and buy Joseph McBride’s Whatever Happened to Orson Welles?
Thanks to ”Lucan” for the top-notch goss.
December 10, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Citizen Pain!
F For Fuck!
“Confidential Report” - hey, that one works, although F For Fake might also…
‘Knowing of’ is the first stage, acquisition is next on the agenda!!
Still, Welles was one of those directors who seemed to improve with each subsequent film and respect must be due considering how he was shat upon with each. At least he went directly for hardcore and didn’t cop out with softcore nonsense like another of my favs, Walerian Borocwzyk. EMMANUELLE 5, indeed.
December 10, 2007 at 5:36 pm
TUSH OF EVIL? THE LADY FROM SCHLONG-HAI?
Anyhow, Welles kept pretty quiet about this, so I don’t think we can take it as an indication of his overall artistic direction. Although this is the “Oja period” where he was starting to explore eroticism in his real movies, like OTHER SIDE and the scripted-but-never-filmed (by Welles) THE BIG BRASS RING.
I think EMMANUELLE 5 was directed by about five different guys: Patrick Bauchau recalls a new director being on set almost every day! Boro is the one who gets named because he’s the only famous one.
But in a way, ALL of his later films are “softcore nonsense”, arguably…
December 10, 2007 at 6:10 pm
True, re: later films although I have a soft spot for LOVE RITES. That he should be the fall guy for such a production is despicable but his participation was equally as bad (do you have an uncut version of THE BLOOD OF DOCTOR JEKYLL, btw?).
You forgot to mention THE IMMORTAL STORY, which I found profoundly erotic (Jeanne Moreau’s presence may cater for a large portion of that sentiment, though).
December 10, 2007 at 8:19 pm
No, I was going to rent JEKYLL but I have no idea if the version available here is uncut.
IMMORTAL STORY is certainly part of the erotic awakening of Welles’ cinema. Although the earlier films are far from sexless: LADY FROM SHANGHAI is quintessential Hollywood glamour, and a riposte to same, and TOUCH OF EVIL has a weird, sweaty, curdled sadism to it.
December 10, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Correction: I have a tatty VHS of JEKYLL that I think is uncut. It’s not available in the UK but the Jess Franco one is. There’s justice for you!
December 11, 2007 at 8:33 pm
The UK version of JEKYLL is cut by almost 2 minutes (according to the BBFC website), I found an uncut import but it’s likely to get impounded if I order it from the usual sites.
I actually prefer the coldness of Anne Baxter in THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS. Similarly, Kim Novak’s “blank” performance and bland clothing never put me off.
December 11, 2007 at 8:34 pm
*in VERTIGO (away from Welles)
December 11, 2007 at 8:40 pm
That’s cause you’re a necrophile!
December 11, 2007 at 9:01 pm
True. I still do not understand why Daniel Baldwin(?)’s character in VAMPIRES (*shudder*) did not take advantage of the fully nude Sheryl Lee, who was tied to the bed. That scene causes me great discomfort… well, the whole film does, but that in particular.
December 11, 2007 at 11:03 pm
I never made it that far! Maybe he’s meant to be a nice guy?
December 12, 2007 at 8:41 am
A nice guy? Irrelevant, we want a “complete” character, not a Spielberg Machiavellian borefest.
In other news: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7139898.stm
December 12, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Well, you won’t get many complete characters in John Carpenter films. Even his best work isn’t particularly complex psychologically.
Would love to know the full story of the Oscar…was it Gary Graver who was given it as payment?