Behind the Green Door (1972)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Directors:

Artie Mitchell
Jim Mitchell

Writer:

Anonymous (story)

Release Date:

17 December 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Adult | Drama

Plot:

Two men enter a fast food place. The owner asks them about a mysterious matter. After some considerations...

Plot Keywords:

Stage | Audience | Orgy | Lesbianism | Brunette

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Marilyn Chambers	...	Gloria Saunders
George S. MacDonald	...	Barry Clark (as George S. McDonald)
Johnny Keyes	...	African Stud (as Johnnie Keyes)
Lisa Grant	...	Matron
Yank Levine	...	Dudley
Toni Attell	...	Mime (as Toad Attell)
Ben Davidson	...	Porter the Bouncer
Adrienne Mitchell	...	Waitress
Dana Fuller	...	Cook
Dale Meador	...	Hotel Clerk (as Dale Meade)
Jim Mitchell	...	First Kidnapper (as James Mitchell)
Artie Mitchell	...	Second Kidnapper (as Art Mitchell)
Mike Bradford	...	Parking Lot Attendant
Tony Royale	...	Guard
Bunny Brody	...	Female Attendant

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:X | Australia:X | Finland:(Banned) (1995) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Jartech

Trivia:

Hadley V. Baxendale, given as a cast member, is actually a hallmark legal decision for liability in shipping matters.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Directors: The Films of David Cronenberg (#1.10)" (1999)

I Think I'll Go For The Jim Lowe Version, Thank You

I had the unique experience of seeing "Behind The Green Door", which is always brandied as a "classic from the Golden Age Of Porn", immediately behind "Manos, The Hands Of Fate", which is widely considered to be the worst movie ever made bar none of all times. Well, BTGD doesn't compare very favourably. Whereas "Manos" is a fairly ambitious but ultimately botched feature film, BTGD is a 15 minute stag movie spoof of Histoire d'O, set in the American boondocks instead of saucy France, which has been stretched by the factor 5 to bring it to feature length. Dash that, it's a gonzo shoot which has been racked beyond the point of tediousness, with some psychedelia, Histoire d'O and a pantomime thrown in. The movie consists almost entirely of one long orgy scene in a swinger club with former washing powder model Marilyn Chambers (who doesn't have a single line except "Eek!" and "Ugh!") and a handful of talent thrown in. Marilyn gets thoroughly eaten (15 minutes), she gives head (another 15 minutes), then there is a general orgy mêlée with not particularly attractive people (15 minutes), and eventually another stapled-on car sex scene (15 minutes). The remaining 15 minutes are filled by the flimsy background story, in which two lowlifes tell their mate about this classy swinger club, where the special attraction was a freshly abducted girl (Chambers) who had apparently warmed up to the whole idea of "ravishment" surprisingly quickly.

Overall, it's simply not a good film, although it holds a certain historic interest and, well, it's a hardcore porn movie. Chambers is its absolute highlight because of her natural good looks, and not least because she is one of the few porn actresses who actually made good money whilst not being loth to a good hard shag. So at least you don't have to feel guilty for getting off on someone getting traumatized for life.

By contrast, the other three golden-age-of-porn stalwarts are good movies: "Debbie Does Dallas" is a well made and very enjoyable porn movie, "The Devil In Miss Jones" can pass as an exploration into the darker niches of playing "hide the kreplach" and "Deep Throat" at least popularized a previously obscure technique. "Behind The Green Door", however, is two strip club owners venturing far out of their depth, with a camera.