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The Opening of Misty Beethoven

The Opening of Misty Beethovenis an Americanpornographiccomedyfilm released in 1976. It was produced with a relatively high budget and filmed on elaborate locations inParis,New York CityandRomewith a musical score, and owes much to itsdirectorRadley Metzger(directing this film as "Henry Paris" ).[1][2][4]According to authorToni Bentley,The Opening of Misty Beethovenis considered the "crown jewel" of theGolden Age of Porn(1969–1984).[1][2]

The Opening of Misty Beethoven
Original film poster
Directed byRadley Metzger
(as "Henry Paris" )[1][2]
Written byRadley Metzger
(as "Jake Barnes" )
Produced byRadley Metzger
StarringConstance Money
Jamie Gillis
Jacqueline Beudant
Gloria Leonard
Terri Hall
CinematographyPaul Glickman
(as "Robert Rochester" )
Edited byBonnie Karrin
Music byGeorge Craig
Gioacchino Rossini
Distributed byCatalyst Productions
Joy Bear Pictures
VCA Pictures[3]
Release date
  • 19 March 1976(1976-03-19)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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Anadult erotictake onGeorge Bernard Shaw's1913 playPygmalion,and its 1956 musical adaptationMy Fair Lady,the film follows asexologistwho tries transforming a low-skilledprostituteinto a goddess of passion. Her instruction includes seducing agay maleart dealer (played by gay porn actorCasey Donovan), pleasing three men at once,pegginga man, and similar sexual conquests.[5]Shaw's character of Henry Higgins here becomes the sexologist Dr. Seymour Love, played byJamie Gillis.[4]Shaw's character ofEliza Doolittlehere becomes Dolores "Misty" Beethoven, played byConstance Money.[4]Shaw's Colonel Pickering here becomes Geraldine Rich, played by Jacqueline Beudant. As events unfold, Misty achieves "elevation" better than Love and Rich had hoped, and then cuts them off. Misty returns however, running the "school" and taking over for Dr. Love, leaving him in a very subservient position.

Cast

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Notes

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The film was released during theGolden Age of Porn(inaugurated by the 1969 release ofAndy Warhol'sBlue Movie) and the phenomenon of "porno chic"[6][7]in the United States, in whichadult eroticfilms were just beginning to be widely released, publicly discussed by celebrities (such asJohnny CarsonandBob Hope)[8]and taken seriously by film critics (such asRoger Ebert).[9][10]

In this Golden Age era, most films of the time were expected to have at least minimal plots.Misty's plot was more elaborate than most; it was based directly onGeorge Bernard Shaw's play,Pygmalion,as well as theBroadwayandHollywoodsuccessMy Fair Lady.Some historians assessThe Opening of Misty Beethovenas attaining a mainstream level in storyline and sets.[11]AuthorToni Bentleycalled the film the "crown jewel" of the Golden Age.[1][2]The film is alsosatirical,with many added comic touches and dialogue designed for laughs. It includesMark Margolis's first role.The Opening of Misty Beethovenhas the distinction of being the first widely released porn movie to feature female-on-malepegging.[12]

The Italian Edition by Noctuno is an extended version ofMisty Beethovenwith footage not seen in the original film. Some of the extra footage was used in Barbara Broadcast (Misty's bondage sequence) and Maraschino Cherry (Misty with the matador). All other cutting room floor footage can be found in the DistribpixMisty BeethovenDVD extras. The film was initially rejected for UK cinema by the BBFC and released in a heavily pre-edited form with an additional 1 min 55 secs of censor cuts in 1983. The fully uncut hardcore print was passed with an R18 rating by the BBFC in 2005. It is rumored that the full uncut version was released in the U.S on Laser Disc by Lorimar Home Video. It was also said the Laser Disc Print runs at 87 minutes and has 1:33 ratio. The cool (softcore) version adds several scenes to pad the running time. They include: the servants celebrating at the Italian villa in cave-person outfits, Lawrence and Barbara watchingKojakon TV, Misty and Geraldine together in a tub and, last but not least, cigar guy's female partner on the plane talking to a dejected Seymour Love.

According to reviewer Steve Gallagher, Radley Metzger's films, including those made during theGolden Age of Porn(1969–1984), are noted for their "lavish design, wittyscreenplays,and apenchantfor the unusualcamera angle".[13]Claire Simpson noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral... and often featured gorgeouscinematography".[14]Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of theMuseum of Modern Art (MoMA)in New York City.[15][16][17][18]

2012 restoration

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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 officialDVDandBlu-rayreleases.[19][20]

Awards

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Awards from theAdult Film Association of America:

Other awards

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Music soundtrack

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The Opening Of Misty Beethoven Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack albumby
Various
Released2012
Genre1:10:56
LabelDistribpix Inc.

During the 2012 restoration of the film, a fully annotatedCDsoundtrackwas released.[28]

No.TitleLength
1."The Absolute Nadir Of Passion"0:25
2."Mighty Atom"2:55
3."Let's Get You Undressed"0:45
4."Bourbon"3:37
5."New York vs. Rome"0:05
6."William Tell Overture - Finale"3:44
7."Happy Landings"0:14
8."Glass Tubes"3:20
9."Ripe Mango, Take Two"0:05
10."Confunktion"4:33
11."Regarding Aquarians"0:11
12."The Fuzz"0:15
13."Say We Had Fun"2:47
14."Heat Haze"2:47
15."Hyman Mandell"0:44
16."Ippica / Going Great"2:28
17."Jamaican Cigars"0:12
18."Giovane Flirt"3:21
19."That Perilous Journey"0:13
20."Rebel"4:11
21."Stay! You Can Have Caesar!"0:11
22."Teorma / Thin Ice"2:04
23."Is That Your Real Name?"0:11
24."Door To Paradise"2:43
25."Birth Of A Generation"2:44
26."The Big One"4:07
27."Hombre Solo"2:04
28."George Craig Interview"20:00

Remake

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In 2004,Misty Beethoven: The Musical!,amusicalremake, was released. It featuredSunset Thomas,Randy Spears,Julie Meadows,Asia Carrera,Chloe,Dave Cummings,Mike Horner,Evan Stoneand Tyce Bune. It was directed byVeronica Hart.The film won the 2004XRCO Awardfor "Best Comedy or Parody"[29]and the 2005AVN Awardfor "Best Sex Comedy".[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdBentley, Toni(June 2014)."The Legend of Henry Paris".Playboy.Archived fromthe originalon February 4, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 26,2016.
  2. ^abcdBentley, Toni(June 2014)."The Legend of Henry Paris"(PDF).ToniBentley.com.Archived(PDF)from the original on February 1, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 26,2016.
  3. ^"VCA Pictures".Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2017.RetrievedJune 29,2018.
  4. ^abcdWest, Ashley (April 7, 2017)."'The Opening of Misty Beethoven' (1976): Jamie Gillis and Constance Money ".The Rialto Report.Archivedfrom the original on April 30, 2019.RetrievedApril 7,2017.
  5. ^"Blu-ray Review: THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN, The Porno Pygmalion, Is A Revelation In HD".Screen Anarchy.February 17, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on October 21, 2019.RetrievedOctober 20,2019.
  6. ^Blumenthal, Ralph (January 21, 1973)."Porno chic; 'Hard-core' grows fashionable-and very profitable".The New York Times Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on March 13, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 20,2016.
  7. ^"Porno Chic (Jahsonic.com)".Archivedfrom the original on July 19, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 22,2016.
  8. ^Corliss, Richard(March 29, 2005)."That Old Feeling: When Porno Was Chic".Time.Archivedfrom the original on February 24, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 27,2016.
  9. ^Ebert, Roger(June 13, 1973)."The Devil In Miss Jones - Film Review".RogerEbert.com.Archivedfrom the original on July 26, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 7,2015.
  10. ^Ebert, Roger(November 24, 1976)."Alice in Wonderland:An X-Rated Musical Fantasy".RogerEbert.com.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 26,2016.
  11. ^Mathijs, Ernest; Mendik, Xavier (2007).The Cult Film Reader.Open University Press.ISBN978-0335219230.Archivedfrom the original on August 31, 2024.RetrievedOctober 20,2020.
  12. ^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).Archivedfrom the original on March 3, 2016.RetrievedApril 18,2013.
  13. ^Gallagher, Steve (August 7, 2014).""This is Softcore": The History of Radley Metzger ".Filmmaker Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on August 9, 2016.RetrievedMay 23,2015.
  14. ^Simpson, Claire (October 2, 2013)."Adults Only: 5 Films By Radley Metzger".WhatCulture.com.Archived fromthe originalon May 24, 2015.RetrievedMay 23,2015.
  15. ^Rist, Ray C. (January 4, 1974).Book - The Pornography Controversy: Changing Moral Standards in American Life.Transaction Publishers. p. 124.ISBN9781412838467.RetrievedFebruary 29,2016.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  16. ^Lehman, Peter (2006).Book - Pornography: Film and Culture.Rutgers University Press. p. 9.ISBN9780813538716.RetrievedFebruary 29,2016.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  17. ^Staff (2016)."Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) - DadaBase Search Results - Radley Metzger".Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).Archivedfrom the original on March 1, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 29,2016.
  18. ^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.Archivedfrom the original on November 15, 2023.RetrievedNovember 12,2019.
  19. ^"The Opening of Misty Beethoven - Blu-Ray | DistribPix".www.distribpix.com.Archived fromthe originalon September 8, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 7,2021.
  20. ^The Opening of Misty Beethoven Blu-ray,archivedfrom the original on September 7, 2021,retrievedSeptember 7,2021
  21. ^abHilton, Thomas H. (August 1, 1977)."The Porn Awards".Adam Film World.Vol. 6, no. 6 (issue=66). pp. 16–17.RetrievedAugust 27,2016.
  22. ^abcHilton, Thomas H. (December 1, 1977)."The First Annual Erotica Awards".Adam Film World.Vol. 6, no. 8 (issue=68). pp. 18–21.RetrievedAugust 27,2016.
  23. ^abcStaff (March 14, 1984). "AFAA - 8th Annual AFAA Erotic Film Awards - official program".Adult Film Association of America.
  24. ^Frank Thistle, "The Second Annual Erotica Awards,"Adam Film World,January 1979, pp. 24-27, 72.
  25. ^AFAA, "Seventh Annual Erotica Awards," official program, June 23, 1983.
  26. ^Staff (January 11, 2002)."Adult Video News Awards - Winner - Best Classic DVD".AVN Award.Archivedfrom the original on March 23, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 28,2016.
  27. ^Transcriptof AVC video,A Night of Legends: First Annual XRCO Adult Film Awards,1985
  28. ^The Opening Of Misty Beethoven Motion Picture Soundtrack (2012, CD),archivedfrom the original on September 7, 2021,retrievedSeptember 7,2021
  29. ^Staff (2016)."XRCO Award".Memim Encyclopedia.Archivedfrom the original on March 5, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 22,2016.
  30. ^"Best Sex Comedy".Archived fromthe originalon January 18, 2014.RetrievedMarch 2,2014.

Further reading

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