Give Me Your Soul...

Laconically-narrated doc about the modern porn biz; it's none too flattering and I doubt any halfways honest movie could be. A few obvious sad stories are followed, which tend to only get more dire as they go on - particularly the story of an eager young starlet whose mother supports her decision through a look of barely-suppressed worry, which piles on one saddening climax after another until I just about felt sick. Nothing even remotely erotic is featured; the making of porn is by all accounts about as sexy as watching a dishwasher in action.

Lots of interesting people are featured, very few of which could be described as likable. Of the women who are shown in any depth, one can't miss the impression that they all wish they'd stayed far away from the industry. The most powerful moments were courtesy not of a performer, but of a performer's sister, who shares some insights and disappointments.

Not ham-fistedly judgmental - there's certainly enough simpleminded propaganda about the evils of the industry, rooted in the assumption that pornography is inherently evil - but not by a long shot the kind of apologism one might expect from an attemptedly serious doc about porn.

Give Me Your Soul... (2000)

*** (out of 4)

Documentary takes a look inside the porn business is pretty standard stuff and nothing new is brought up here so it gets rather old pretty quickly. You get the typical questions of why a girl would end up working here and the same dumb answers are usually given. I also love the fact that these women enjoy putting down hookers, strippers or various other sexual jobs. You also learn that women make more than men and that the business can eat your soul up. Everything in this doc has been covered before but you might find this interesting if you've never seen anything else.

I would really like to own this movie, however, I can't find it anywhere. Can anyone post a comment that tells me where I can find it? Thanks!

I thought the movie is a compelling and a revealing look into the American pornography industry.

Many girls get into this business thinking they are becoming stars and not realizing that they will be used to make money and thrown out on the street by the time they are 30.

I think this movie should be shown to every girl who graduates high-school and decides to become a stripper.

It certainly was an ambitious effort though there was a heavy-handed effort at making the industry a little too sad.

It would have been better served with a little more balance-not everyone who enters the business gets sucked up and spat out by it. In truth, all industries do that-when they are done with you-you are out. Some handle it better than others.

I most enjoyed William Margold, and Kimberly Jade. They seemed to be the most straight-forward of the crowd of those interviewed.

Of all the "names" listed as uncredited, none of those (who seemed to be successful at life in general, reasonably happy with their choice of work-despite the controversial nature of it)persons, perhaps with the exception of Randy West, and Richard Pacheco, had any sort of interview time.

Like all lines of work, some have a good life with what they do while others allow themselves to get destroyed by it.

Of the slew of documentaries on this subject, I've seen better.

If you are curious about this industry, I suggest watching it. Not great but not bad either.

I just got a little impatient with the attempts to paint the participants in a certain light.