Januarius

Opening with a silly preface about the Roman god Janus - master of gates and doorways who was able to see simultaneously in two directions - and one of his female subjects, the mawkish but loveable JANUARIUS posits its story as what might happen if the legend were updated to modern times (ca. 1970). The result is underwhelming when judged by that metric, but impressive when taken on its own - for an early hardcore film, this is unusually ambitious and heartfelt.

JANUARIUS centers around pretty housewife Janice (see what they did there?), who's having marital problems with her handsome blond husband Bob. Not so keen to do much in the sack lately, Jan soon realizes why: she can't stop thinking about being with another woman! After a pretty young neighbor stops by looking for her dog, Jan masturbates about her, fantasizing they're first making love in the woods and then that the neighbor is whipping her, in a bizarre and impressive scene that finds an entire bed dragged outside for the couple to use under the leaves.

Meanwhile, both Jan and Bob have caught the eye of swinging neighbors Frank and Patti. Frank tries to get Bob to bring Jan over, but Bob rightly intuits she's not yet open to a swapping. Patti plays it cooler, discussing Jan's marital issues with her before recommending her psychiatrist to help Jan deal with her problem. Played by early hardcore vet William Howard (credited as George Peters), the doc and his nurse Miss Hargrove take a hands-on approach after Jan confesses she thinks she's a lesbian: Howard has her first try making it with his nurse, then with him! Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the swinger's orgy has begun: Bob kicks things off with his visiting cousin(!) Melinda, while everyone else lounges around naked. What will Jan think when she gets home? Will she join the orgy? (Few points for guessing correctly...)

Starting from the plot of a typical one-day wonder, JANUARIUS distinguishes itself with its delicacy of touch: while it will certainly come off as naïve to modern audiences, there's nevertheless a purity to its project that's charming. This is a bona fide artifact of the sexual revolution, and the film leans hard into the belief that love and self-understanding can cure almost any personal ill. The sex scenes demonstrate an impressive (if occasionally inept) experimentalism, overdosing on dissolves, cross-fades, superimpositions and the like. Likewise, the film goes the extra mile aesthetically, leaning heavily into sparkling filters as well as touches like the forest-bed fantasy above - flourishes that give the film a respectable touch of class and make it play more like a bawdy student project rather than a seedy storefront grinder.

In contrast to the type of often-tawdry sex flicks that proliferated in the early days of hardcore, JANUARIUS is graceful and restrained, featuring a surprising lack of ejaculations and a young, attractive cast that truly seems to be enjoying itself. Even if they're not the best thespians, they nevertheless seem wholly committed to the film's project, and their charm and exuberance is contagious. JANUARIUS may not reinvent the wheel, but it's a perfect example of an early sex film done right, the product of people who truly believed in the potential of a newly liberated American cinema. In that regard, it's a small but notable treasure, and well worth discovering for enthusiasts of vintage erotica.