FORBIDDEN LOVERS has specialist in lesbian erotica Nica Noelle expanding her horizons to include a sympathetic portrait of transsexuals' explicit sex performance. Video inaugurated a new label TransROMANTIC from her Girl Candy Films producer Jerry Anders and is extremely impressive.
In mainstream cinema Neil Jordan's THE CRYING GAME was a breakthrough on screen with its effective shock scene reveal of co-star 's Jaye Davidson's package, yet Jaye was not a transsexual but instead represented an androgynous but male screen character. In porn I recall seeing an occasional film like those starring Sulka that dealt with the subject of transsexuals plus various European movies where such particulars were integrated into the action. And of course as a regular watcher in Manhattan of Robin Byrd's amusing late night cable access show on Channel J, I was treated nightly to her "Chicks with Dicks" guests stripping and chatting with the bikini-clad host.
But FORBIDDEN LOVERS takes an important new stance by removing the gimmickry associated with this niche entertainment. Video is in two parts, and the most interesting is the 45- minute opening short subject entitled "Meeting the Parents".
Christian, a bald porno stud who Nica frequently employed in her Sweet Sinner line of realistic straight porn features, is very sympathetic as he takes his girl friend home to meet his aged mom & dad, noting to ma (Erica Lauren) that Lisa is an old-fashioned girl -they haven't even been to bed together.
A storm causes them to stay overnight and the big unveiling scene does not go in the usual shock value direction -instead as Christian undresses Lisa (transsexual actress Amy Daly), he reaches out to her still hidden in panties crotch and doesn't bat an eyelash as the ensuing XXX sex scene unfolds just as if we were watching a routine porn film. Except there is her cock for all to see and the missionary position involves anal sex rather than vaginal intercourse for obvious reasons.
Amy has a low voice and is tall but otherwise looks like any other woman clothed, and the parents never find out, so the romantic sex scene is Nica's way of showing that what most people would take to be the big difference here doesn't really matter. It's a laudable, highly effective plea for tolerance that for me was a thousand times more powerful than any soapbox or "problem film" approach to a social issue.
Making this segment even more of a classic was a very pleasant surprise. Opening credits listed Ian Whitcomb in the vignette's cast, ringing a bell as I recalled that was the name of a British singer from my youth. Sure enough, there is the former hit-maker playing Christian's dad and pleasantly after dinner picking up his ukulele and briefly entertaining the guests singing a song. Looking it up "You Turn Me On" was a novelty hit in 1965 which got tons of airplay and was as catchy back then as Pharrell's "Happy" was last year.
Majority of the video (3 of its standard issue of 4 sex scenes) is devoted to "Office Affair", more conventional in porn terms but still quite interesting in its detail. Much-tattooed, tall plain-Jane Brittany (Brittany St. Jordan) is taken with her Black stud of a co-worker (Robert Axel) so when they go for a drink after work it isn't surprising they end up in the sack for some mixed combo action.
As with the Christian/Amy preceding segment Robert doesn't react at all at the surprise package, but the switch here is that instead of cunnilingus as would be normal procedure in a Sweet Sinner or Nica's lesbian Sweetheart Video line, he gives Brittany's little dick a thorough blow job before she reciprocates and sex follows.
Part 3 introduces a truly beautiful blonde TS actress Sarina Valentina, playing Robert's girlfriend Sarah, who he's planning to leave for Brittany. She is much prettier than similar looking Adult superstar Jesse Jane, and even with her extra added attraction of a dick plays more feminine. I wish this sort of film had been made back in the day, as it would be fascinating to witness an audience's reaction to her performance, which basically defuses those hard & fast lines between "straight" and alternative Adult entertainment. (These lines remain quite rigid regarding Gay and Straight porn, as even Nica has not dared to inject boy/boy porn scenes into her straight features yet, and the old Sharon Kane-oriented Bi/Bi porn of the '90s seems not to have advanced much in the 21st Century.)
Sarina has a roll in the sack with white boy Spencer Fox, who urges her to break off now with Robert, but the video's finale has Sarina and Robert's angry fight over both their acts of infidelity (obvious to both of them) quickly giving way to sensual sex between them. As with her other features, Nica leaves the issues hanging at the end, unresolved.
Obviously not for all tastes, FORBIDDEN LOVERS spawned a followup from Nica titled SECRET DESIRES that I will be reviewing soon, bringing back several key cast members. And prior to this Amy Daly wrote and starred in AMY DALY THE TRANSLESBIAN! which even without its exclamation point shows there is still uncharted territory for Nica Noelle to explore.
In mainstream cinema Neil Jordan's THE CRYING GAME was a breakthrough on screen with its effective shock scene reveal of co-star 's Jaye Davidson's package, yet Jaye was not a transsexual but instead represented an androgynous but male screen character. In porn I recall seeing an occasional film like those starring Sulka that dealt with the subject of transsexuals plus various European movies where such particulars were integrated into the action. And of course as a regular watcher in Manhattan of Robin Byrd's amusing late night cable access show on Channel J, I was treated nightly to her "Chicks with Dicks" guests stripping and chatting with the bikini-clad host.
But FORBIDDEN LOVERS takes an important new stance by removing the gimmickry associated with this niche entertainment. Video is in two parts, and the most interesting is the 45- minute opening short subject entitled "Meeting the Parents".
Christian, a bald porno stud who Nica frequently employed in her Sweet Sinner line of realistic straight porn features, is very sympathetic as he takes his girl friend home to meet his aged mom & dad, noting to ma (Erica Lauren) that Lisa is an old-fashioned girl -they haven't even been to bed together.
A storm causes them to stay overnight and the big unveiling scene does not go in the usual shock value direction -instead as Christian undresses Lisa (transsexual actress Amy Daly), he reaches out to her still hidden in panties crotch and doesn't bat an eyelash as the ensuing XXX sex scene unfolds just as if we were watching a routine porn film. Except there is her cock for all to see and the missionary position involves anal sex rather than vaginal intercourse for obvious reasons.
Amy has a low voice and is tall but otherwise looks like any other woman clothed, and the parents never find out, so the romantic sex scene is Nica's way of showing that what most people would take to be the big difference here doesn't really matter. It's a laudable, highly effective plea for tolerance that for me was a thousand times more powerful than any soapbox or "problem film" approach to a social issue.
Making this segment even more of a classic was a very pleasant surprise. Opening credits listed Ian Whitcomb in the vignette's cast, ringing a bell as I recalled that was the name of a British singer from my youth. Sure enough, there is the former hit-maker playing Christian's dad and pleasantly after dinner picking up his ukulele and briefly entertaining the guests singing a song. Looking it up "You Turn Me On" was a novelty hit in 1965 which got tons of airplay and was as catchy back then as Pharrell's "Happy" was last year.
Majority of the video (3 of its standard issue of 4 sex scenes) is devoted to "Office Affair", more conventional in porn terms but still quite interesting in its detail. Much-tattooed, tall plain-Jane Brittany (Brittany St. Jordan) is taken with her Black stud of a co-worker (Robert Axel) so when they go for a drink after work it isn't surprising they end up in the sack for some mixed combo action.
As with the Christian/Amy preceding segment Robert doesn't react at all at the surprise package, but the switch here is that instead of cunnilingus as would be normal procedure in a Sweet Sinner or Nica's lesbian Sweetheart Video line, he gives Brittany's little dick a thorough blow job before she reciprocates and sex follows.
Part 3 introduces a truly beautiful blonde TS actress Sarina Valentina, playing Robert's girlfriend Sarah, who he's planning to leave for Brittany. She is much prettier than similar looking Adult superstar Jesse Jane, and even with her extra added attraction of a dick plays more feminine. I wish this sort of film had been made back in the day, as it would be fascinating to witness an audience's reaction to her performance, which basically defuses those hard & fast lines between "straight" and alternative Adult entertainment. (These lines remain quite rigid regarding Gay and Straight porn, as even Nica has not dared to inject boy/boy porn scenes into her straight features yet, and the old Sharon Kane-oriented Bi/Bi porn of the '90s seems not to have advanced much in the 21st Century.)
Sarina has a roll in the sack with white boy Spencer Fox, who urges her to break off now with Robert, but the video's finale has Sarina and Robert's angry fight over both their acts of infidelity (obvious to both of them) quickly giving way to sensual sex between them. As with her other features, Nica leaves the issues hanging at the end, unresolved.
Obviously not for all tastes, FORBIDDEN LOVERS spawned a followup from Nica titled SECRET DESIRES that I will be reviewing soon, bringing back several key cast members. And prior to this Amy Daly wrote and starred in AMY DALY THE TRANSLESBIAN! which even without its exclamation point shows there is still uncharted territory for Nica Noelle to explore.