THE FASHIONISTAS
DVD Region 0. Evil Angel

The Fashionistas pretty much swept the board at the 2003 Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, and deservedly so. For not only is this one of the most ambitious hardcore movies ever shot, but also sets new standards for DVD presentation. In fact, this package puts most mainstream 'collectors editions' to shame, coming on no less than four discs - three DVD's and one soundtrack CD. When you realise that two of those DVD's are taken up with the movie itself - a staggering four and a half hour epic - it becomes clear that this will be unlike any other adult movie you've seen.

Director John Stagliano is best known as Buttman - the king of Gonzo and the man who - if not responsible for inventing the genre - defined its style. Yet he has also shot a number of acclaimed features, most notably Facedance and Buda. This epic films seemed ground-breaking in themselves, but were clearly paving the way for this epic production.

The film tells the story of Italian fashion designer Antonio, who is in America to create a new line of fetish-influenced clothes. He begins a collaboration with Fashionista, a fetish clothing company run by pushy designer Helena, but is intrigued by hidden 'easter egg' footage he finds on her promotional DVD, showing intense SM rituals. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Helena's assistant Jessie is not the shy, retiring type she at first seems, and a battle commences for Antonio's affections as he is drawn further and further into the SM underground.

This is a stunning production. Beautifully shot on 35mm film, it positively drips with decadent opulence. The fetish costuming is impressive, and the SM scenes reach a level of intensity unseen in mainstream XXX movie making for years. In fact, this is the most effective marriage of straight porn, SM and cinematic production values since Radley Metzger's The Image (aka The Punishment of Anne) back in 1975!

The performances are uniformly excellent, both sexually and in acting terms (though the male leads do suffer from rather heavy Italian accents, which tend to make their dialogue difficult to follow). Special credit should go to Belladonna, who is incredible as the masochistic Jessie... but all the cast are excellent. The sex is astonishing, and certainly doesn't hold back - in fact, the levels of cock-gagging and anal plundering are remarkable, sometimes even disconcerting (just what is the fixation with choking in modern porn?). What's more, the story holds your attention as well as the sex. Only a weak, inconclusive ending lets the film down.

The extra material on the DVD package are as impressive as the film. There's an entertaining and informative commentary track with cast and crew. A two hour documentary about the film production is genuinely fascinating, and as if the feature itself didn't provide enough, you get an extra forty-plus minutes of sex. Plus trailers, photo shoots and more, including - appropriately - hidden easter eggs. Even the soundtrack CD is good, providing a sub-industrial and trance beat that you just might find a use for in your own sex lives!

In short, this is a remarkable film and a remarkable package. If you believe that porn can be more than simply disposable wank material, then I suggest you snap it up immediately and give it pride of place on your shelves.

LES DE MONZE

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