Barbara Broadcast

A classy porn, to be sure, but for a real classic, check out Metzger's The Opening of Misty Beethoven. The opening scene of Barbara is set in a fantastically realized sex restaurant, where the items on the menu are the waiters and waitresses themselves. The plot is much less intricate than Misty Beethoven, but Metzger is still very clever in the ways he fills the screen with the requisite amount of flesh and fornication while maintaining a level of wit and sophistication. C. J. Laing, as the reporter, has an amazing scene with a beefcake-y dishwasher dude in the kitchen of the sex restaurant. You get the impression that these two people were really having sex with each other and enjoying it and the camera was simply recording. In most modern porn the sex seems like a contractual obligation rather than any real expression of sexuality. Hoo-rah for classic porn!

Radley Metzger is a director I will always know best for his fantastic 'The Punishment of Anne', which also happens to be one of my very favourite porn films of all time. He would go on to make Barbara Broadcast two years later and while it's certainly a good and interesting little film; it doesn't have much on Metzger's earlier masterpiece. The film does attempt to be a bit more than merely another porn flick and it seems like the director is trying to make some sort of social commentary, though of course the sex is always the star and for the most of the duration; I couldn't really care much less about what the film is trying to say. In terms of the sex scenes themselves; I have to say that there isn't much here that I haven't seen already in other porn films, but what makes this one stand out really is the music, which features throughout most of the film and gives it a feeling all of it's own. The film is a bit choppy and doesn't really follow a strict narrative - there are times when you are likely to know what is going on, and many when you won't have a clue. I can certainly recommend that hardcore fans check this one out because it is well worth seeing; but I wouldn't put it at the very top of the genre.

Barbara Broadcast is an erotic adventure set in a dystopian New York City. The film takes place entirely in a restaurant, but don't expect your typical dining experience! The menu features an unusual selection of sexual delights, with waiters and waitresses catering to their customers' desires.

The story follows Barbara, a high-class prostitute-turned-best-selling sex author, who is interviewed about her career. The interviewer, Roberta, is intrigued by the sexual acts unfolding around them and takes a break to explore the restaurant's steamy kitchen, where she encounters a handsome dishwasher.

Directed by Radley Metzger under his hardcore pseudonym, Henry Paris, Barbara Broadcast is a fun and erotic ride. It stars Annette Haven and showcases the talents of C. J. Laing, Shirley Peters, and Jamie Gillis, among others.

One of the most memorable scenes features the legendary C. J. Laing. She enters the kitchen, her eyes scanning the room with a mischievous glint. With a naughty smile, she hikes up her skirt, revealing her bare pussy, and proceeds to stand over a bowl, peeing, the golden arc glistening under the kitchen lights.

The film has a more elegant presentation than typical adult films of the era, with an emphasis on eroticism and immersive music. The sex scenes are well-crafted, and the film even attempts a plot, adding a layer of interest beyond pure physical stimulation.

However, the film's simplicity and focus on one location may limit its appeal. While it has fun and genuinely erotic moments, it lacks the ambition and scope of Metzger's previous work, The Opening of Misty Beethoven.

Overall, Barbara Broadcast is an enjoyable and well-crafted adult film. It stands the test of time as one of the better erotic films of its era, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of a classic.

I am sure that anyone interested in the production details about the filming of this striking film from the late 70s will find a lot of information on the Internet, so I will focus on the essentially cinematic aspect, if you can call it that, of a unorthodox film with overtones of Buñuelian surrealism (The discreet charm of the bourgeoisie).

The room of a restaurant (a real one, by the way, not a set) serves to offer on a silver platter any à la carte sexual demand that customers require from their waiters, to the rhythm of a waltz. Each with their own demands, the mistakes of the female servants are paid for with fellatio to the head waiter. All very strange and at the same time so magnetic.

I haven't really found a specific plot thread to intertwine the different scenes, but the majestic setting and the appearance of a spectacular Annette Haven seem like two essential arguments for reviewing this title once again. And then another.

P. S.- The sensational oral study that actress C. J. Laing performs on one of the waiters, and which ends with one of the most morbid facial discharges that I can remember, will be etched in your retina in perpetuity. You are welcome.

This is a pretty good porn film by any standard. The opening scene is one you will not forget, as restaurant patrons have their appetites filled. Annette Haven will always be the most beautiful actress of this era, perhaps even of the entire genre to this day. Her strength is establishing a foundation, through dialog, for her sex scenes. She can make you think that she absolutely wants to do what she is doing. Plus, that girl next door look gets me every time. One drawback, of this film and perhaps all of those from its period, to me, is that the guys look so strange. They look like that Roberto Benini (sp?) guy. Oh well. Check out this film. It's probably a good one for couples as well.