This week we really dug one out of the vault. This a porn classic from 1974 and we did this review back around 1995. So be sure to check out the review and if you can find this gem to watch please do. From time to time I’ll bring back some of these reviews of the classics from the golden age. I hope you enjoy it.
Marriage and Other Four Letter Words – Caribbean Films – Director: Richard Robinson – Cast – Rainbow Robbins, Brigitte Maier, Sandy Dempsey, Nancy Schwartz, Tom Cantrell, Pete Krump, Paul Castano, Sherman Richmond, Franklin Anthon, Keith Nicholson, Rick Cassidy, Keith Erickson.
This film had no major star names and one most people might not remember unless you are a real porn aficionado. Still, it ranks as one of the true classics from the golden age. While the story is rather simple, the way it is directed and carried out packs a good wallop. It revolves around a young married couple ( Rainbow Robbins and Tom Cantrell) who seem to have it all going for them in every way. After an opening sex scene it is now one year later. Over the past year things have changed and become very dull at home. Hubby has an affair and as payback his wife has a sexual fling with the pool boy.
A lot of different characters and their lives are introduced in the film and the couple decide maybe the swinging lifestyle which was very popular in the 70’s (and still is today), is a way to get that “spark” back. Brigette Maier and Peter Krump are the couple who introduce Rainbow and Tom to this new open style of living. They jump right in and take to it quickly and the sex flows freely as our young couple gets very involved in the lifestyle. There is one scene in the film done as a flashback that has Maier and Krump being terrorized by a biker trio that adds some roughness to the film and how this may have led this couple to explore even more about their sexuality and what they really like. It is a different scene for this film but it plays well and figures into how their lives changed.
What makes this film a pleasure to watch is the extraordinary cinematography that you experience right from the beginning. We mentioned the opening sex scene and after some still shots, it is captured in three different ways, the shower, bed and underwater in the pool. Then add in the slo mo pop shots and it is some very masterful filming for the time. It has a very artsy, mainstream look and feel that brings the story and characters full circle. Richard Robinson created a fast paced, creative portrait in his spot on direction. The cast does an excellent job from an acting standpoint as they bring the characters to life giving the subject matter total realism. As for the sex scenes there are plenty of them, but most are very short to the point and do what they are intended to do.
In many ways this film was the beginning of porn films being much more than just sex, but having a solid story, settings, locations and a mainstream look and feel. I definitely suggest getting the DVD as “Marriage and Other Four Letter Words” is a film that you will be completely entertained by.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN