We are all familiar with Joe Sarno's softcore classics, and know that he
is a master of the genre, has a strongly pro woman slant, and focuses
on women's reaction to sex more than the actual sex, but Joe was not
exclusively a softcore director. He would apply his talents to hardcore
material
when he was in a place or an era where he felt he could do so without
fear of arrest. The After Hours Cinema branch of AI has unearthed a
classic example of Sarno hardcore, a spoof of I Dream of Jeanie called A Touch of
Genie, a treasure which has long been presumed to have been lost forever.
Genie is played by Chris Jordan, and the master, Melvin Finkelfarb,
by Douglas Stone, a stage performer making his only film appearance.
Melvin lives with a classic Jewish mother (Ultramax), owns a small
second hand shop, and sneaks out at lunch to watch porno films in
Times Square. He finds a magic jar, sticks his schlong into it, and
thus summons the Genie. She grants him five wishes. He thought three was the
usual number, but she explained that that was back when three wishes
actually went somewhere, pre-inflation. He keeps wishing to have sex
with porno actresses, and to look like porno stars in the process. Genie hopes he will choose her
instead.
Sarno felt that
hardcore was best performed by hardcore professionals, so he hired
the best: Harry Reems, Eric Edwards, Sandy Foxx, John Ashton, Tina Russell, Lynn
Stevens, Marc Stevens, Ro Tasha and Ultramax. (The film's acting
stars, Chris Jordan and Douglas Stone, keep their clothes on!) Not
only is this film from the classic era of hardcore and stars all the
biggest names from 70s porn, but it is hilarious and professionally
assembled. This is one of Sarno's favorite films, and for good reason. He combines
Yiddish theater humor from his childhood, a spoof of a popular TV
show, and hardcore performers to create something that has to be seen to
be believed. I couldn't decide if the comedy schtick or the sex was the best part
of the film. This is a romantic comedy, and has an appropriately happy
ending, but the getting there was all of the fun.
If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to
read the
explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by
our definition, a
C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs
and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a:
C+
At the absolute top of the genre! It's a full-featured release of a
entertaining hardcore classic which was thought lost until recently.
If you are like me, and have an affection for classic porn, and/or
porn with a sense of humor, this is a must-own.
