The decade of the 80’s saw a lot of changes taking place in our lives and around the world. What do you remember? Let’s take a look back thirty four years ago and see what 1985 brought our way.
As always we start with the cost of living. The average income was just $22,000 a year, a new 3 bedroom home averaged $89,000 and the average price of a new car was around $9,000. A gallon of gas had finally gone over the dollar mark at a $1.09 (and we thought that was outrageous!). You could a buy a Bean Bag lounger (remember those?) for just $40 and you could go to a movie for just $2.50. Women’s chemise dresses were in as was the insignia beret and for men the sweater vest was a big item. In some news headlines in 1985………….TWA Flight 847 is hijacked by Hezbollah on June 14th…….In Malta Egypt Air flight 648 is hijacked and ends with the loss of 56 passengers during the commando raid to rescue them………. The Unabomber kills his first victim and Mafia boss Paul Castellano is shot on orders of John J. Gotti………In the UK, Live Aid pop concerts in London, as well as in Philadelphia raise over $50 million for famine relief in Ethiopia……..Insurance companies begin screening for AIDS for life insurance causing an outcry by civil liberties groups………..Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0……….Coca Cola introduces the New Coke and it is a disaster, the original is back 6 months later…….The music compact discs (CD’s) are introduced to American consumers……..The Nintendo Entertainment System makes its debut……The space shuttle Atlantis is launched.
In the world of entertainment among the big Hollywood hit films were The Color Purple, Cocoon, Back to the Future and Out of Africa. In the music world hit makers included Dire Straits, Duran, Duran, Madonna and ” We Are The World ” By USA For Africa” featuring many artists. As for the hit TV shows they included Cheers, Dynasty, Miami Vice, Murder, She Wrote and Family Ties. In 1985 we lost many celebrities among them actor Yul Brynner, comedienne Selma Diamond, actor/director Orson Welles, baseball player Roger Maris, actor Rock Hudson and singer/actor Rick Nelson.
In adult, just about all production was now being done on the west coast. While the old look (natural breasts and bush) were still common, the new enhanced and clean shaven look began to take hold. New technical advances with equipment and cameras bring major changes to the style of filming. One of the year’s top adult films is the one we look back at today “Corporate Assets”.
Corporate Assets – Essex Video -Director: Thomas Paine – Cast – Harry Reems, Eric Edwards, Jamie Gillis, Tish Ambrose, Amber Lynn, Paul Thomas, Rachel Ashley, Herschel Savage
“This was one of the adult blockbusters of 1985 when the Golden Age was drawing to a close. It was the directorial debut of Thomas Paine, who had been working on the mainstream side of the movie industry. This presented one of the best possible combinations of plot and porn ever concocted. The always-underrated Tish Ambrose delivers a career performance as Jill mother hen to a handful of call girls used by wicked Robert Bolla for corporate blackmail schemes. The other girls are fan favorites all, ranging from unusually sweet and sensuous Amber Lynn to the elegantly debauched Rachel Ashley. Most memorable is the multi-award winning Sheri St. Claire as new kid Babette who soon learns the ins and outs of Bolla’s set-up the hard way.
The plot centers on a group of women whose sexual tricks are utilized to reward corporate achievement and repay political favors. As the corporate prostitutes respond to their inhuman domination by a boss who merely views them as objects for business gains, the film takes shape. Writer/director Thomas Paine uses common sense to incorporate veteran post-war trauma, the coupling of big business and government and the sacrifice of emotional morals for material security, without drastically burdening the film or creating a grossly contrived product. The situations appear realistic and the dialogue natural; the plot’s realism is the film’s greatest asset.
Corporate Assets is essentially a sex film and an exceptional one in that respect, as well. The love scenes are vividly arousing and entertaining. The utilization of sex as a major cinematic component enhances the film’s enjoyment. Paine also uses sex to inject humor and symbolize emotional awareness. Meanwhile, the hot performances of Amber Lynn and Tish Ambrose are among the year’s best.
The film does tend to be less erotic toward the end, in order to build up to a dramatic climax. Still, Paine’s film must be acknowledged for its astounding technical quality, high level of realism, and for its innovative use of sex not just as a turn-on, but as a major storytelling device. I most certainly recommend finding the DVD of Corporate Assets, it is a classic you will enjoy it
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
