December 29, 2006

Lucas vs. Fellini: “La Dolce Vita”

Lucas vs. Fellini: “La Dolce Vita”
by Jay Blodgett, http://jaycbird.blogspot.com

Lucas Entertainment’s opening credits from their gay porn version of "La Dolce Vita"occur over helicopter shots of New York City, which could be considered an homage to Fellini’s opening helicopter shot over Rome, though having the statue of Jesus hanging under the copter is an iconic image in the Fellini, but it would have been way out of place in Lucas’ opening, not to mention open up a world of subject matter that doesn’t necessarily need to be addressed in ‘adult entertainment.’

The film actually opens at a fashion show where ‘Max Todd’ (played by co-director Michael Lucas), a gossip columnist and frustrated novelist, is attending. This opening sequence at the runway show is perhaps the most highly produced scene within the video. Lucas uses dozens of extras for the audience as well as a good dozen models and stylists in the backstage moments. It is within this setting that Lucas inserts the first two sex scenes: one between a model and a patron; the second between the designer and his bodyguard. Also, Max has a cold meeting with ‘Rick Arnold’ (Pete Ross), who looms as a threatening figure throughout the video’s two parts, though we are never really sure what his position within this world is. Max also runs into an old friend, ‘Nick Cameron’ (Jason Ridge). It is during this conversation that Lucas cuts to the chase about the irony of “La Dolce Vita” in which Nick expresses his ennui about the lifestyle they are pursuing. It is a bit of screenwriting shorthand to toss the point of Fellini’s original at us so early. From here, Lucas allows his audience the choice of either enjoying the sexcapades that follow, or gather evidence to support Lucas’ stated theme in this bit of dialogue.

Max and Nick take off in Nick’s limo and pick up a young man (Derrick Hansen), who happened to be one of the models and is ‘waiting for a cab’. They go to Derrick’s crowded little apartment for a tryst. The scene is a direct reference to the Marcello Mastroianni and Anouk Aimee scene, where they pick up a hooker and go to her flooded cellar apartment.

Inter-cut with that hook up, Pete Ross and Jonathan Vargas end up at Ross’ apartment, which will be the setting for the next sex scene. What a scene it is! Heavy making out, lots of ‘oral action’, multi-camera shooting and/or great editing and continuity throughout, and includes one of the most enthusiastic analingus scenes I’ve seen. They also fuck like rabbits. Literally! With all of that action, the orgasm itself is rather anticlimactic.

We cut back to the three-way between Lucas, Ridge and Hansen, which takes it’s time, as these things do. The scene itself is not as well video graphed as the previous scenes and the staging is slightly awkward, which may be due to the cramped quarters in which the scene is taking place. Also, Lucas is in total control of the scene and becomes a bit distracting. This is also where Lucas takes a bigger leap away from the Fellini original. Marcello Mastroianni proves to be sexually impotent and really only an observer, if not a tease to the women around him, until his devastating climax at the end. Here, Lucas’s ‘Max’ is a sexual predator, ignoring the needs of his partners.

The next scene takes place in Max’s apartment, where a domestic argument takes place between him and his live-in boyfriend ‘Corey’ (Cole Ryan). Lucas mirrors the domestic arguments between ‘Emma’ (Yvonne Fureaux), the live-in girlfriend, and Mastroianni. However, Lucas’ scene does not reach the melodramatic pitch that Fellini does, in which Emma is introduced as having overdosed, and later in the film, Mastroianni tosses her out of the car, in the middle of nowhere, in an emotionally brutal scene where they completely call out each other and their relationship. Lucas doesn’t go into this emotional minefield, though the possibility exists, yet it would take the film into a depth that his audience probably might not appreciate in this context.

In Lucas’ version of this domestic set up, they discuss each other’s careers as writers and not about the emotional bond, or lack thereof, between the two of them, though it is obvious that Max’s late night carousing bothers the partner. However, this is the last scene of "Michael Lucas’ La Dolce Vita, Part 1” and to leave it on such a negative note as Maestro Fellini would, would challenge Lucas’ audience to proceed to the next disc.

“Michael Lucas’ La Dolce Vita, Part 2” opens with the same title sequence as Part 1, before entering a press conference with ‘Ralph and Nicole,’ who are actors (played by Savannah Samson and Ray Star). ‘Nicole’ would be Lucas’ Anita Ekberg and ‘Ralph’ would be his Lex Barker. Ralph and Max have some sort of history, as they chat after the press conference and the trio, Ralph, Nicole and Max, begin a day of shopping and partying. This is an extended montage in which we find Nicole becoming attracted to Max, as Ralph fades into the background. By the time they reach a strip club, Ralph is completely taken by a dancer (Brad Star), which will include the first sex scene of this second disc, and Nicole and Max are left to their own means.

After the next montage of Nicole and Max wandering the streets of New York at night, they will eventually end up at a fountain, in which they play out Fellini’s classic “Trevi Fountain” scene. Though they agree that there is not a sexual attraction between them, it is oddly one of the most romantic scenes in Lucas’ video. They return to Nicole’s hotel, where Ralph is waiting, and he jealously slugs Max in the face, to the glee of the attending paparazzi.

It is at this point in Lucas’ video that he edits, condenses and melds some of Fellini’s themes and scenes. Wisely, Lucas continues to excise any religious references, therefore Fellini’s scene of chasing the children’s Madonna has been cut. Lucas goes straight to the ‘salon scene,’ played here as a cocktail party for the publishing set. Whereas Fellini’s
‘Steiner’ (Alain Cluny) is married with children and the envy of Mastroianni, the Lucas character, ‘Preston Connors’ (Spencer Quest), appears philosophically advanced to Max, and Lucas and Quest handle the dialogue-heavy scene quite well. In the meantime, Max’s boyfriend has been monopolized by ‘Chance Murphy’ (Chad Hunt), and he will eventually end up at Chance’s apartment for a sex scene.

However, before that happens, Spencer Quest takes the opportunity to give Jamie Donovan (aka ‘Cute Party Guy’) an extensive tour of his apartment and they end up in a HUGE walk-in closet where they have an intense make-out session before the next sex scene of this video begins.

Max returns home, alone, which is where Cole Ryan’s scene with Chad Hunt is inter-cut.

Presumably, the next day, Max is working at the magazine, where he is ignoring his boyfriend’s phone calls. Max’ editor enters to announce that “Preston Connors is going to turn himself in for engaging in sex with a minor,” and assigns Max the story, even though they are good friends. This situation is an able substitute to Fellini’s scenario where ‘Steiner’ shoots his two children before shooting himself. The dialogue between Max and Preston is admirable, as it poetically refers to the legend of ‘Icarus,’ and is not too bad of a substitute to Fellini’s monologue for ‘Steiner’ in which he poetically discussed his impending doom with such over-intellectuality, that it becomes nearly satire. In Lucas’ version, Preston admits his guilt and is taken away, leaving Max to reflect on this, during a long, yet lovingly shot and edited walk through New York. (Again.)

Eventually, Max is back at home, drinking and writing the Preston story. He isn’t handling it well and goes bar hopping. Lucas cut’s Fellini’s ‘Castle and Séance’ scene altogether, and goes straight to the orgy. As in the Fellini, our ‘hero’ sexually debases and works out his angst upon his partner. Max is stalked by Rick Arnold (Pete Ross) into the sex club (which has suitably dark underscoring), where he will eventually photograph Max in the act.

After this, Max starts home, while Corey is moving out. Though Max arrives too late to stop or confront Corey, he begins to write his novel, using the events of the past week. He writes his novel with a tiny smirk on his face, which gives what is a psychologically complicated and dark video (as far as pornography would be concerned) a glimmer of hope at the end. This is a much more positive ending than the Fellini, who left his characters on a beach outside of the house where the orgy took place, staring at a beached manta ray and nearly paralyzed by their loneliness.

Michael Lucas’ idea of substituting Manhattan for the Via Veneto is not a far stretch. The themes of shallow celebrity chasing and the empty events that surround their gatherings are concisely scripted by Tony Dimarco, without becoming overtly lecturing. The insertion of the sex scenes is nearly seamless, though it is their length (ahem) that ‘Fellini Purists’ might find out of sync with the spirit of the original, as Fellini would never spend that much time on a single piece of action.

Posted by lavenderlounge at 12:55 PM

Comments

Posted by: JayCBird at December 30, 2006 5:06 AM

Post a comment