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Radley Metzger

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Radley Metzger
Born(1929-01-21)January 21, 1929[1]
New York City, New York,U.S.
DiedMarch 31, 2017(2017-03-31)(aged 88)[2][3][4][5]
New York City, New York, U.S.
EducationB. A. degree inDramatic Arts
Alma materCity College of New York;
Columbia University
OccupationFilm director
Years active1957–2010s
Known forArtistic,adult-oriented filmsand related works[2][6][7]
Notable work
Style"a Euro-centric combination of stylish decadence, wealth and the aristocratic".[6]
Childrendaughter[1]
Parent(s)Julius; Anne[1]
Relativesnephew, nieces[8]
Awards

Radley Metzger(also known asRadley Henry Metzger,Radley H. Metzger[14]and by thepseudonyms,"Jake Barnes","Erich Farina"and"Henry Paris")[15][16][17](January 21, 1929 – March 31, 2017)[18]was an American pioneeringfilmmaker[2][19]andfilm distributor,most noted for popularartistic,adult-oriented films,[20][21]includingThérèse and Isabelle(1968),Camille 2000(1969),The Lickerish Quartet(1970),Score(1974),The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann(1974),The Image(1975),The Opening of Misty Beethoven(1976) andBarbara Broadcast(1977).[22][23]According to onefilm reviewer,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".[24]Another reviewer noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral... and often featured gorgeouscinematography".[25]Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of theMuseum of Modern Art (MoMA)in New York City.[26][27]

Early life[edit]

Radley Henry Metzger was born on January 21, 1929, on theGrand ConcourseinThe Bronx,New York City, and was the second son ofJewishparents, Julius and Anne.[28][8]He claimed he found relief from hisallergiesinmovie theaters,especially at theAudubon Ballroomtheatre, while growing up.[29]Later, Metzger received aB.A.inDramatic ArtsfromCity College of New York,[24]where he studied with filmmakersHans RichterandLeo Seltzer.He also studied acting privately with directorHarold Clurman.During theKorean War,Metzger served in theU. S. Air Forcewith the 1350th Photographic Group, which interrupted hisgraduate studiesatColumbia University.[24]His older brother, now deceased,[8]had become aphysician.Metzger later married and had a daughter.[28]

Career[edit]

Early in his career, in the 1950s, Metzger worked primarily as afilm editor[30]and was a member of Local 771 of theIATSE.[24]He was employed in editing trailers forJanus Films,[5]a major distributor of foreignart films,especially those ofMichelangelo Antonioni,[24]Ingmar Bergman,[20]Federico Fellini,[31]Jean-Luc Godard[31]andFrançois Truffaut.[1]In 1953, Metzger was credited asassistant directorto William Kyriakis on the filmGuerilla Girl.[31]In 1956, he worked on the dubbing ofAnd God Created WomanstarringBrigitte Bardot.[28]His directorial film debut,Dark Odyssey(1961) (co-directed with Kyriakis), was a drama concerning the experiences of a Greek immigrant arriving in New York. The film was favorably reviewed byThe New York Times[32]and others.[33][34][35]In 1959, he edited the filmThe Gangster StorystarringWalter Matthauand, in 1960, Metzger was apresenterfor the Japanese filmThe Warped Ones.[36]

Later, in 1961, along with film distributor Ava Leighton, Metzger founded Audubon Films. The company was named after theAudubon Ballroomtheatre, one of his favorite movie theaters while growing up.[29]The newly founded distribution company specialized in importing international features, some of which were marketed into the gradually expandingadult erotic filmgenre.Metzger's skills as an editor were employed in re-cutting and augmenting many of the features Audubon handled, includingThe Twilight Girls(FR,1957) and, their first runaway success,Mac Ahlberg'sI, a Woman(DN/SW,1965).[37]

Andy Warhol

Metzger's second directorial effort,The Dirty Girls(shot in 1963 and released in 1965), marked his emergence as a majorauteurin the adult erotic film genre. His subsequent films were often shot in Europe[38]and adapted fromnovelsor other literary sources, includingCarmen(byProsper Mérimée),La Dame aux Camélias(byAlexandre Dumas),L'image(byCatherine Robbe-Grillet),Naked Came the Stranger(byPenelope Ashe),[39]Pygmalion(byGeorge Bernard Shaw),Six Characters in Search of an Author(byLuigi Pirandello),[31]The Cat and the Canary(byJohn Willard),[38]andThérèse et Isabelle(byViolette Leduc).[40]He citesJohn Farrow,Claude Lelouch,[21]Michael Powell,Alain Resnais[41]andOrson Wellesas influencing his work.[38]Metzger worked with the French film directorJean Renoir,as well as the American actorHal Linden.[24]Andy Warhol,who helped begin theGolden Age of Pornwith his 1969 filmBlue Movie,was afanof Metzger's film work[24]and commented that Metzger's 1970 film,The Lickerish Quartet,was “an outrageously kinky masterpiece”.[42]In 1972, Metzger directed the filmScore,[43]based on an eroticoff-Broadway playthat includedSylvester Stallone.[44]Films directed by Metzger included musical scores composed byGeorges Auric,Stelvio Cipriani,Georges Delerue,andPiero Piccioni.[38]Metzger's signature film style of his "elegant erotica"[45]had developed into being "a Euro-centric combination of stylish decadence, wealth and the aristocratic".[6]

Under thepseudonym"Henry Paris," Metzger also directed several explicit adult erotic features during the mid- to late-1970s. These films were released during the Golden Age of Porn (inaugurated by the 1969 release ofAndy Warhol'sBlue Movie) in the United States, at a time of "porno chic",[46][47]in whichadult eroticfilms were just beginning to be widely released, publicly discussed by celebrities (likeJohnny CarsonandBob Hope)[48]and taken seriously by film critics (likeRoger Ebert).[49][50]Metzger's films are typified by high production values, especiallyThe Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann(1975)[6]andThe Opening of Misty Beethoven(1976), and are generally critically celebrated.[1][51][52]Some historians assessThe Opening of Misty Beethoven,based on the playPygmalionbyGeorge Bernard Shaw(and its derivative,My Fair Lady), as attaining a mainstream level in storyline and sets[53][54][55]and is considered, by award-winning authorToni Bentley,the "crown jewel" of the Golden Age of Porn.[14]

When I was coming of age, eroticism was always in films, but eroticism was punished. The promiscuous girl never got the leading man, the woman who sold her charms, always had a bad fate. The “good girl” always achieved ends the bad girl never did. As a reaction to that, I tried to do the opposite. You could have a free attitude and behave in a free way and not be punished. A parallel to that is that it could also be light. It didn’t have to be tragedy. You could look at [sex] in a fun way. That was a personal thing, to work against the clichés in cinema when I was growing up.

— Radley Metzger, January 8, 2014, "Interview: Radley Metzger, film director ofScore (1974)"[43]

Some of the adult erotic "Henry Paris" films, includingScore(1974),[56][57]have also been presented insoftcoreversions.[21]Many of Metzger's films, includingScore(1974),The Image(1975),The Opening of Misty Beethoven(1976) andBarbara Broadcast(1977), as well as his earlier softcore films,Camille 2000(1969) andThe Lickerish Quartet(1970), have been released inBlu-rayversions.[58]

With his 1978 featureThe Cat and the Canary,[41]Metzger distinguished himself as one of the fewadult filmauteurs to direct a dramatic feature outside of the adult erotic film genre. The film starredHonor Blackman,Edward Fox,Dame Wendy HillerandCarol Lynley.[1]

Later life[edit]

In the 1990s, as a result of the passing of his long-time partner, Ava Leighton, due tocancer,Metzger produced several videos onalternative health care,including one oncancer treatmentand a five-part video series onhomeopathywithDr. Andrew Weil.According to Metzger: "I felt that in the 1990s, people needed more information on an intelligent approach to health and disease — that they needed to know about alleviating guilt. That was my emphasis."[24]

Later in life, Metzger considered several "Henry Paris" -like film projects, including one titledSolarium,[59]another one based on the bookThe SurrenderbyToni Bentley,and a third one based on his own original script, using Shakespearean dialogue, tentatively titledThe Heat of the Midnight Sun.However, all of these film projects were ultimately left unfinished.[60]

According to film reviewer Adam Schartoff ofFilmmaker Magazinein April 2017, Metzger was a "truly unique and exquisitely talented director", his films had "strong visuals and narratives... whimsical, funny, intelligent and always ambitious stories", his treatment of female characters were "way beyond his time". Schartoff and a producing partner, Judith Mizrachy, considered making a documentary overview about Metzger and his films, but the project currently is unfinished.[4]

Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of theMuseum of Modern Art (MoMA)in New York City.[61]

Death[edit]

Metzger died of undisclosed causes in New York City on Friday, March 31, 2017, at the age of 88.[3][62]

Awards (selected)[edit]

In 1977, Metzger's filmThe Opening of Misty Beethovenwas the recipient of the firstAdult Film Association of America awardsfor Best Direction (as Henry Paris), Best Film, and Best Actor (Jamie Gillis)[9][10][11]and, as well, won theX-Caliber awardfor Best Direction (as Henry Paris).[12]

In 2001, Metzger's film work was the subject of aretrospectiveinBoston,Massachusetts.[31]

In 2002, Metzger's filmThe Opening of Misty Beethovenwon Best Classic Release on DVD by the Adult Film Association of America.[63]

In 2010, Metzger was also the recipient of aLifetime Achievement Awardfrom theOldenburg International Film Festival,where he served as a judge in 2011.[13]

In 2011, Metzger's film work was the subject of a retrospective at theUCLA Film and Television Archive.[64][65]

In 2014, Metzger's film work was the subject of a retrospective at theFilm Society of Lincoln Center.[20]

Partial filmography (director)[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefSandomir, Richard (April 4, 2017)."Radley Metzger, Whose Artful Erotica Turned Explicit, Dies at 88".New York Times.RetrievedApril 5,2017.
  2. ^abcMetzger, Juliette; Feldman, Caryl; West, Ashley (April 2, 2017)."Press Release: Radley Metzger, pioneering filmmaker, dies at 88".The Rialto Report.RetrievedApril 2,2017.
  3. ^abcdWest, Ashley (April 2, 2017)."Radley Metzger – A Friendship Remembered".The Rialto Report.RetrievedApril 2,2017.
  4. ^abSchartoff, Adam (April 5, 2017)."Radley Metzger, 1929 – 2017".Filmmaker.RetrievedApril 16,2017.
  5. ^abHudson, David (April 2, 2017)."Radley Metzger, 1929-2017".Fandor.Archived fromthe originalon April 3, 2017.RetrievedApril 6,2017.
  6. ^abcdStaff (April 3, 2017)."'The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann' (1974): The Birth of 'Henry Paris'".The Rialto Report.RetrievedApril 3,2017.
  7. ^Vermuellen, Dries (May 29, 2019)."The X-Rated World of Radley Metzger".ReprobatePress.RetrievedNovember 12,2019.
  8. ^abcStaff (August 29, 2017)."Paid Notice: Deaths Metzger, Anne".New York Times.RetrievedApril 2,2017.
  9. ^abHilton, Thomas H. (August 1, 1977)."The Porn Awards".Adam Film World.Vol. 6, no. 6 (issue=66). pp. 16–17.
  10. ^abHilton, Thomas H. (December 1, 1977)."The First Annual Erotica Awards".Adam Film World.Vol. 6, no. 8 (issue=68). pp. 18–21.
  11. ^abStaff (March 14, 1984). "AFAA - 8th Annual AFAA Erotic Film Awards — official program".Adult Film Association of America.
  12. ^abStaff (2016)."Henry Paris".IAFD.RetrievedFebruary 9,2016.
  13. ^abStaff (October 8, 2010)."Oldenburg International Film Festival honors a master of erotic cinema Radley Metzger".Oldenburg International Film Festival.Archived fromthe originalon February 2, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 28,2016.
  14. ^abBentley, Toni(June 2014)."The Legend of Henry Paris"(PDF).ToniBentley.RetrievedJanuary 26,2016.
  15. ^Bentley, Toni(August 7, 2014)."The Art Cinema Erotica of Radley Metzger".The New York Review of Books.RetrievedFebruary 10,2016.
  16. ^Staff (2017)."Radley H. Metzger".Complete Index to World Film.RetrievedApril 4,2017.
  17. ^Staff."Filmlexikon - Radley Metzger".zweitausendeins.de(in German). Archived fromthe originalon April 5, 2017.RetrievedApril 4,2017.
  18. ^Kernes, Mark (April 3, 2017)."Pioneering Adult Director Radley Metzger Passes".AVN.RetrievedNovember 12,2019.
  19. ^Hudson, David (August 7, 2014)."This Is Softcore: The Art Cinema Erotica of Radley Metzger".Fandor.Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 29,2016.
  20. ^abcDollar, Steve (August 5, 2014)."Radley Metzger Retrospective Opens at Film Society of Lincoln Center".Wall Street Journal.RetrievedMay 23,2015.
  21. ^abcStaff (August 7, 2014)."This Is Softcore: The Art Cinema Erotica of Radley Metzger".Film Society of Lincoln Center.RetrievedMay 23,2015.
  22. ^MacFarlane, Steve (August 6, 2014)."Interview: Radley Metzger".Slant Magazine.RetrievedMay 23,2015.
  23. ^West, Ashley (April 7, 2017)."'The Opening of Misty Beethoven' (1976): Jamie Gillis and Constance Money ".The Rialto Report.RetrievedApril 7,2017.
  24. ^abcdefghGallagher, Steve (August 7, 2014).""This is Softcore": The History of Radley Metzger ".Filmmaker Magazine.RetrievedMay 23,2015.
  25. ^Simpson, Claire (October 2, 2013)."Adults Only: 5 Films By Radley Metzger".WhatCulture.Archived fromthe originalon May 24, 2015.RetrievedMay 23,2015.
  26. ^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)
  27. ^Lehman, Peter (2006).Book - Pornography: Film and Culture.Rutgers University Press. p. 9.ISBN9780813538716.RetrievedFebruary 29,2016.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  28. ^abcBentley, Toni(June 2014)."The Legend of Henry Paris".Playboy.Archived fromthe originalon February 10, 2018.RetrievedDecember 6,2021.
  29. ^abWest, Ashley (April 6, 2017)."Radley Metzger's Beginnings: The Audubon Ballroom".The Rialto Report.RetrievedApril 6,2017.
  30. ^Staff."Dreams of Desire – The Films of Radley Metzger".Mondo-Digital.RetrievedMay 23,2015.
  31. ^abcdeStaff (2015)."Radley Metzger – TCM Archive Materials".Turner Classic Movies.RetrievedJune 15,2015.
  32. ^Thompson, Howard (June 26, 1961)."Screen: 'Dark Odyssey':Low-Cost Drama Has Premiere at Cameo".New York Times.RetrievedApril 10,2017.
  33. ^Morris, Gary (1998)."Radley Metzger - Dark Odyssey and Little Mother".ImagesJournal.RetrievedApril 10,2017.
  34. ^Georgakas, Dan (1998)."Dark Odyssey".Senses of Cinema.RetrievedApril 10,2017.
  35. ^Hasan, Mark R. (2011)."DVD: Dark Odyssey (1961)".KQEK.RetrievedApril 10,2017.
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  37. ^Gallagher, Steve (Summer 1997),"The Libertine",Filmmaker Magazine,retrievedMay 24,2015
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  39. ^abStaff (April 5, 2017)."'Naked Came the Stranger' (1975): The Hoax, The Film ".The Rialto Report.RetrievedApril 5,2017.
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  60. ^West, Ashley (April 9, 2017)."'The Heat of the Midnight Sun': The Untold Story of Radley Metzger's Last Film Project ".The Rialto Report.RetrievedApril 9,2017.
  61. ^Staff (2016)."Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) - DadaBase Search Results - Radley Metzger".Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).RetrievedFebruary 29,2016.
  62. ^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.RetrievedNovember 12,2019.
  63. ^Staff (January 11, 2002)."Adult Video News Awards - Winner - Best Classic DVD".AVN Award.RetrievedJanuary 28,2016.
  64. ^Staff (June 2, 2011)."Smooth Operator: The Opulent Eroticism of Radley Metzger".UCLA Film and Television Archive.RetrievedJanuary 28,2016.
  65. ^King, Susan (June 2, 2011)."Around Town: Radley Metzger's erotica, Tim Burton's exotica, Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock and more".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedFebruary 21,2016.
  66. ^Staff (2019)."La baie du désir".FilmAffinity.RetrievedNovember 11,2019.
  67. ^Morris, Gary (November 1, 1999)."Radley Metzger: The Dirty Girls, Carmen Baby, The Princess and the Call Girl on DVD".Bright Lights Film Journal.RetrievedApril 13,2017.
  68. ^Staff (October 11, 1967)."'Carmen' Updated ".New York Times.RetrievedApril 13,2017.
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  70. ^West, Ashley (June 23, 2019)."'The Sins of Ilsa' (1985): The Untold Story of Radley Metzger's Unreleased Last Film ".The Rialto Report.RetrievedNovember 3,2019.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Barbara Broadcast(04:09);Camille 2000(02:23);
Lickerish Quartet(02:45);Misty Beethoven(03:01);
Pamela Mann (02:55);Score(03:38);The Image(11:07)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Radley_Metzger&oldid=1226652734"