An omnibus of the adult films of Pete De Rome.An omnibus of the adult films of Pete De Rome.An omnibus of the adult films of Pete De Rome.
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- ConnectionsEdited from The Second Coming (1972)
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Entertaining erotic omnibus of some historic import
While director Peter de Rome takes a fair number of pot-shots at Wakefield Poole's BOYS IN THE SAND on the recent BFI rerelease of his EROTIC FILMS compilation, one suspects he doth protest too much, as one of the better points of comparison for his work is probably Poole's filmography. Much like BOYS, de Rome's eponymous omnibus is cobbled together from a variety of silent shorts with (largely classical) soundtracks applied post facto. Unlike most of Poole's films, however, de Rome's were initially produced for private exhibition, and as a result are more varied and playful, often suggesting sexed-up riffs on student shorts. Compared to Poole, I found de Rome's films overall more enjoyable, though neither director's work, in my opinion, represents the best of what gay hardcore has to offer.
Highlights include HOT PANS, which, despite being little more than a guy dancing and stripping out of short-shorts before achieving erection and ejaculation, is still very sexy; MUMBO JUMBO, a fantastic collage of erotic advertising and pornographic snippets overlaid with commercial jingles; and DOUBLE EXPOSURE, which plays like a more interesting version of the concluding number in BOYS IN THE SAND (it's even shot in the same house!). DAYDREAMS FROM A CROSSTOWN BUS is a sweet romantic idyll where a guy images a relationship with a hunky stranger glimpsed out the window when his bus stops at a red light (who hasn't been there?), while GREEN THOUGHTS is a disposable something-or-other about a dude cavorting and jacking off among some plants. UNDERGROUND is little more than a hot sex scene filmed aboard an operating New York subway train, but is memorable for its boldness, while THE SECOND COMING and PROMETHEUS, the most ambitious of the shorts, each contain some fantastic shots but are both stymied by overcomplicated stories and getting too far up their own asses.
Overall, EROTIC FILMS is probably most notable as a historical document, featuring, like Arch Brown's FIVE HARD PIECES, rare surviving glimpses of pre-Stonewall gay soft- and hardcore. Many of the films are fun when taken on their own terms, but at 95 minutes, the whole thing runs pretty long. It's worth a gander for the curious, and with the advent of DVD technology (and the BFI's sparkling - though unfortunately rescored - new restoration), it's easier than ever to take it in as a number of sips rather than one huge gulp.
Highlights include HOT PANS, which, despite being little more than a guy dancing and stripping out of short-shorts before achieving erection and ejaculation, is still very sexy; MUMBO JUMBO, a fantastic collage of erotic advertising and pornographic snippets overlaid with commercial jingles; and DOUBLE EXPOSURE, which plays like a more interesting version of the concluding number in BOYS IN THE SAND (it's even shot in the same house!). DAYDREAMS FROM A CROSSTOWN BUS is a sweet romantic idyll where a guy images a relationship with a hunky stranger glimpsed out the window when his bus stops at a red light (who hasn't been there?), while GREEN THOUGHTS is a disposable something-or-other about a dude cavorting and jacking off among some plants. UNDERGROUND is little more than a hot sex scene filmed aboard an operating New York subway train, but is memorable for its boldness, while THE SECOND COMING and PROMETHEUS, the most ambitious of the shorts, each contain some fantastic shots but are both stymied by overcomplicated stories and getting too far up their own asses.
Overall, EROTIC FILMS is probably most notable as a historical document, featuring, like Arch Brown's FIVE HARD PIECES, rare surviving glimpses of pre-Stonewall gay soft- and hardcore. Many of the films are fun when taken on their own terms, but at 95 minutes, the whole thing runs pretty long. It's worth a gander for the curious, and with the advent of DVD technology (and the BFI's sparkling - though unfortunately rescored - new restoration), it's easier than ever to take it in as a number of sips rather than one huge gulp.
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- Davian_X
- Sep 29, 2019
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What is the Spanish language plot outline for The Erotic Films of Peter De Rome (1973)?
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