The Opening of Misty Beethoven

The Opening of Misty Beethoven

The Opening of Misty Beethoven movie poster
Directed by Radley Metzger
(as "Henry Paris")[1][2]
Produced by Radley Metzger
Written by Radley Metzger
(as "Jake Barnes")
Starring Constance Money
Jamie Gillis
Jacqueline Beudant
Gloria Leonard
Terri Hall
Music by George Craig
Gioacchino Rossini
Cinematography Robert Rochester
Edited by Bonnie Karrin
Distributed by Catalyst Productions
Joy Bear Pictures
VCA Pictures[3]
Release dates
 March, 1976
Running time
 86 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The Opening of Misty Beethoven is an American adult erotic film released in 1976. It was produced with a relatively high budget and filmed on elaborate locations in Paris, New York City and Rome with a musical score, and owes much to its fastidious director Radley Metzger (directing this film as "Henry Paris").[1][2] According to award-winning author Toni Bentley, The Opening of Misty Beethoven is considered the "crown jewel" of the Golden Age of Porn.[1][2]

The Opening of Misty Beethoven was released during the Golden Age of Porn (inaugurated by the 1969 release of Andy Warhol's Blue Movie) and the phenomenon of "porno chic"[4][5] in the United States, in which adult erotic films were just beginning to be widely released, publicly discussed by celebrities (like Johnny Carson and Bob Hope)[6] and taken seriously by film critics (like Roger Ebert).[7][8]

Films made by Radley Metzger, the film director, are noted for their "lavish design, witty screenplays, and a penchant for the unusual camera angle", according to one film reviewer.[9] Another film reviewer noted that Metzger's films are "highly artistic – and often cerebral ... and often featured gorgeous cinematography".[10]

Plot

In a adult erotic take-off of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion (and its derivative, My Fair Lady), the film is about a sexologist who tries transforming a low-skilled prostitute into a goddess of passion. While he tries to prepare her to seduce a homosexual artist, it is he for whom she develops feelings. In this film, Henry Higgins (of Pygmalion) is replaced by Dr. Seymour Love, the sexologist, played by Jamie Gillis. Eliza Doolittle (of Pygmalion) becomes Dolores "Misty" Beethoven, who is played by Constance Money, and Colonel Pickering becomes Geraldine Rich, played by Jacqueline Beudant. During the film, Misty achieves "elevation" better than Love and Rich had hoped but then cuts them off, as in George Bernard Shaw's play. However, this film then sees Misty return, take over for Dr. Love, and run the "school". Dr. Love is present but in a very subservient position. It is clearly Misty that is in charge by this time.

Cast

Notes

In an era, also known as the Golden Age of Porn, in which pornography was just beginning to be widely released, most movies of that time were expected to have at least minimal plots. Misty's plot was more elaborate than most; it was based directly on George Bernard Shaw's play, Pygmalion, as well as the Broadway and Hollywood success My Fair Lady. The film is also satirical, with many added comic touches and dialogue designed for laughs. It includes Mark Margolis's first role. The Opening of Misty Beethoven has the distinction of being the first widely released porn movie to feature female-on-male pegging.[11]

2012 restoration

In 2012, DistribPix oversaw a complete restoration of the film, with the full cooperation of the director. The result had a limited exhibition in theaters, but the main outcome of the project was the first-ever official DVD and Blu-ray releases. In addition, a fully annotated CD soundtrack was released. A listing of the music on the film soundtrack was released earlier.[12][13]

Awards

Awards from the Adult Film Association of America:

Other awards

Music soundtrack

No. TitleArtist Length
1. "Bourbon[12][13]"  Brian Bennett 03:36
2. "Confunktion"  Dave Richmond 04:37
3. "Glass Tubes"  Brian Bennett 03:22
4. "Giovane Flirt "  AAlessandroni 03:26
5. "Ippica / Going Great"  Franco Bonfanti 02:28
6. "Heat Haze"  John Cameron 02:52
No. TitleArtist Length
7. "Mighty Atom"  Steve Gray 02:54
8. "Rebel"  John Moran 04:09
9. "Teorema"  Brian Bennett 02:08
10. "The Fuzz"  Duncan Lamont 02:40
11. "William Tell Overture"  Gioachino Rossini 03:44

Remake

In 2004, Misty Beethoven: The Musical!, a musical remake, was released. It featured Sunset Thomas, Randy Spears, Julie Meadows, Asia Carrera, Chloe, Dave Cummings, Mike Horner, Evan Stone and Tyce Bune. It was directed by Veronica Hart. The film won the 2004 XRCO Award for "Best Comedy or Parody"[21] and the 2005 AVN Award for "Best Sex Comedy".[22]

Further reading

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bentley, Toni (June 2014). "The Legend of Henry Paris". Playboy (magazine). Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Bentley, Toni (June 2014). "The Legend of Henry Paris" (PDF). ToniBentley.com. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  3. ↑ VCA Pictures
  4. ↑ Blumenthal, Ralph (January 21, 1973). "Porno chic; 'Hard-core' grows fashionable-and very profitable". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  5. ↑ Porno Chic (Jahsonic.com)
  6. ↑ Corliss, Richard (March 29, 2005). "That Old Feeling: When Porno Was Chic". Time (magazine). Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  7. ↑ Ebert, Roger (June 13, 1973). "The Devil In Miss Jones - Film Review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  8. ↑ Ebert, Roger (November 24, 1976). "Alice in Wonderland:An X-Rated Musical Fantasy". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  9. ↑ Gallagher, Steve (August 7, 2014). ""This is Softcore": The History of Radley Metzger". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  10. ↑ Simpson, Claire (October 2, 2013). "Adults Only: 5 Films By Radley Metzger". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  11. ↑ Nault, Curran (Summer 2010). "Bend Over Boyfriend to Take it Like a Man: pegging pornography and the queer representation of straight sex". Jump Cut (52).
  12. 1 2 Staff (2016). "The Opening of Misty Beethoven - Original Soundtrack Music listing". IMDB. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Staff (2013). "The Opening of Misty Beethoven Soundtrack (1976) - OST Music Soundtrack". Ringostrack.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  14. 1 2 AFAA, "8th Annual AFAA Erotic Film Awards," official program, March 14, 1984.
  15. 1 2 Thomas H. Hilton, "The First Annual Erotica Awards", Adam Film World, December 1977, pp. 18-21.
  16. ↑ Adult Film Association of America - 1976 - AFAA Award - Best Director
  17. ↑ Frank Thistle, "The Second Annual Erotica Awards," Adam Film World, January 1979, pp. 24-27, 72.
  18. ↑ AFAA, "Seventh Annual Erotica Awards," official program, June 23, 1983.
  19. ↑ Staff (January 11, 2002). "Adult Video News Awards - Winner - Best Classic DVD". AVN Award. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  20. ↑ Transcript of AVC video, A Night of Legends: First Annual XRCO Adult Film Awards, 1985
  21. ↑ Staff (2016). "XRCO Award". Memim Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Best Sex Comedy". Retrieved March 2, 2014.

External links

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