Maraschino Cherry is an American hardcore pornographic film and comedy released in 1978. The film was directed by Radley Metzger (as "Henry Paris")[1][2] and filmed in several locations in New York City;[3][4][5][6] it was his fifth and final hardcore film.[4]
| Maraschino Cherry | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Radley Metzger (as "Henry Paris") |
| Written by | Radley Metzger (as "Jake Barnes") |
| Produced by | Morton Berman |
| Starring | Annette Haven C. J. Laing Constance Money Eric Edwards Gloria Leonard Lesllie Bovee Michael Gaunt Susan McBain Wade Nichols |
| Cinematography | Chico Carter Larry Revene (uncredited) |
| Edited by | Harvey Katz |
| Music by | Music Sound Track Service |
| Distributed by | Mature Pictures Corporation (as Maturpix) Video-X-Pix (USA) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editMaraschino Cherry (Gloria Leonard), the owner of a high-class escort service in New York City, teaches her younger sister, Penny Cherry (Jenny Baxter), about the business.[3][4] The two sisters reflect on a series of erotic episodes related to the service and its clients,[4] replete with humorous puns and innuendos.
Cast
edit- Gloria Leonard as Maraschino "Mara" Cherry
- Jenny Baxter as Penny Cherry, Maraschino Cherry's younger sister
- Lesllie Bovee as Maraschino's personal assistant
- Annette Haven as the Piano Bar Girl
- C. J. Laing as a Slave
- Constance Money as an Escort
- Eric Edwards as a Client
- Michael Gaunt as a Client
- Susan McBain as an Escort
- Wade Nichols as a Boyfriend
Background
editMaraschino Cherry was released during the Golden Age of Porn (inaugurated by the 1969 release of Andy Warhol's Blue Movie) in the United States, at a time of "porno chic",[7][8] in which adult erotic films were just beginning to be widely released, publicly discussed by celebrities (like Johnny Carson and Bob Hope)[9] and taken seriously by film critics (like Roger Ebert).[10][11]
Reception
editOne film reviewer notes that "[Maraschino Cherry] may not be [Metzger's] finest moment", but that it is "... still a beautifully shot film ... the dialogue is well written, the humor genuinely funny ...".[4] Another reviewer writes, "Most of Metzger’s films are known for their offbeat humor and witty dialog. Maraschino Cherry is filled [with] many amusing comedy set pieces ...".[3]
Notes
editAccording to one film reviewer, Radley Metzger's films, including those made during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984), are noted for their "lavish design, witty screenplays, and a penchant for the unusual camera angle".[12] Another reviewer noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral ... and often featured gorgeous cinematography".[13] Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.[14][15][16][17]
Remastered version
editIn 2009, DistribPix released a complete remastering of the film, with the full cooperation of the director.[18] The result had a limited exhibition in theaters, but the main outcome of the project was the first-ever official remastered DVD version.[18] A listing of the music on the film soundtrack was released earlier.[19][20]
Music soundtrack
edit| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Man Alone[19][20]" | Alan Hawkshaw | 4:23 |
| 2. | "Disco King" | Keith Mansfield | 3:01 |
| 3. | "Get Ready, Get Set, Fly!" | Alan Hawkshaw | 1:58 |
| 4. | "Hombre Solo" | Simon Munting | 2:08 |
| 5. | "Man Of Means" | Alan Hawkshaw | 3:16 |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Midnight Blue" | Simon Benson | 3:17 |
| 7. | "Night Drive" | Simon Benson | 3:00 |
| 8. | "Private Thoughts" | Steve Gray | 2:16 |
| 9. | "Take It Steady" | Brian Bennett | 2:18 |
| 10. | "Theme Maraschino Cherry" | Nick Ingman | 1:59 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Bentley, Toni (June 2014). "The Legend of Henry Paris". Playboy. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ Bentley, Toni (June 2014). "The Legend of Henry Paris" (PDF). ToniBentley.com. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ a b c Wood, Cliff (February 7, 2010). "Maraschino Cherry (Platinum Elite Collection)". 10kBullets. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e The Mooninite (February 25, 2016). "Maraschino Cherry (Platinum Elite Collection 2-Disc Set)". XCritic. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ Houston, Don (November 24, 2010). "Maraschino Cherry (Platinum Elite Collection 2-Disc Set)". XCritic. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ Staff (2016). "Maraschino Cherry (1978)". IMDb. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (January 21, 1973). "Porno chic; 'Hard-core' grows fashionable-and very profitable". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ Porno Chic (Jahsonic.com)
- ^ Corliss, Richard (March 29, 2005). "That Old Feeling: When Porno Was Chic". Time. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (June 13, 1973). "The Devil In Miss Jones - Film Review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (November 24, 1976). "Alice in Wonderland:An X-Rated Musical Fantasy". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ Gallagher, Steve (August 7, 2014). ""This is Softcore": The History of Radley Metzger". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
- ^ Simpson, Claire (October 2, 2013). "Adults Only: 5 Films By Radley Metzger". WhatCulture.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
- ^ Rist, Ray C. (January 4, 1974). Book - The Pornography Controversy: Changing Moral Standards in American Life. Transaction Publishers. p. 124. ISBN 9781412838467. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ Lehman, Peter (2006). Book - Pornography: Film and Culture. Rutgers University Press. p. 9. ISBN 9780813538716. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ Staff (2016). "Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) - DadaBase Search Results - Radley Metzger". Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ Staff (March 4, 2017). "Obituary Of The Righteous - The Porn Of The Fabulous 60s And 70s Loses One Of Its Pioneers And Masters: Radley Metzger - Photographer Of War, The MOMA Presents A Retrospective: His Erotic Films Made History - Video: 'Score', On The Relationships Of Couples Of The 70s, In An Uncensored Version". DagoSpia.com. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Staff (2009). "Maraschino Cherry: Platinum Elite Collection 2 Disc Set (2009)". Distribpix.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ a b Staff (2016). "Maraschino Cherry - Original Soundtrack Music listing". IMDb. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- ^ a b Staff (1978). "Maraschino Cherry (1978) - OST Music Soundtrack". Ringostrack.com. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
Further reading
edit- Cook, David A. (2002). History of the American cinema. Vol. 9. University of California Press. pp. 274–275. ISBN 0-520-23265-8.
- Heffernan, Kevin, "A social poetics of pornography", Quarterly Review of Film and Video, Volume 15, Issue 3, December 1994, pp. 77–83. doi:10.1080/10509209409361441.
- Lehman, Peter, Pornography: film and culture, Rutgers depth of field series, Rutgers University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-8135-3871-8.
- Williams, Linda, Hard core: power, pleasure, and the "frenzy of the visible", University of California Press, 1999, ISBN 0-520-21943-0.
