Hard Edge Review

Studio
Studio A

Genre
Artistic Vignette

Director
Andrew Blake

Starring
Kelle Marie, Nika, Adriana Sage, Justine, Nicola, Faith Adams, Julia Taylor, and Julian

Running Time
1:56

DVD Format
Double Sided, Single Layer (DVD-10)

Aspect Ratio
1.78:1 (anamorphic widescreen)

Special Features
Anamorphic widescreen video, Dolby 5.1 soundtrack, 9 solo and girl-girl vignettes (49 minutes total), and a 49-minute behind-the-scenes video

Typical Watchers
Andrew Blake fans and folks who think Andrew Blake is incapable of hardcore erotica

Typical Haters
The crowd that could care less about art and would rather see a wall-to-wall cock fest

Replay Value
High

Themes
Elegant pornography, solo masturbation, lingerie, girl-girl, domination/submission, smoking, pantyhose, sex with fruit, wet & messy, shaving, spanking

Condoms
None used

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Blond & Brunettes

Andrew Blake's choice of titles for his early 2003 project doesn't leave much doubt as to his intentions.  HardEdge is arguably Blake's most explicit film since 1993's Les Femmes Erotique, venturing back to his former explicit detail without sacrificing his artistic vision.  Shot on film in Paris and Beverly Hills and presented in anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, its 25 vignettes run the gamut of rare boy-girl to fetish to explicit girl-girl--all set to a Raoul Valve's dissonant, Philip Glass-esque instrumentals.

Just how explicit am I talking about?  Extended vaginal shots instead of Blake's normal fleeting ones.  Multiple finger penetration.  Anal stimulation.  Actual cunnilingus that is slightly beyond what I would consider "lipstick."  Dildo play.  Sex with fruit (yep, bananas).  A golden shower martini (don't ask).  And two hardcore boy-girl scenes with well-hung stud Julian (though his tattoos seem out of place in such an elegant production), both with excellent pop-shots.  But I don't want to mislead anyone into thinking that Blake is turning over a new leaf--the sex is far from the explicitness and heat of, say, Michael Ninn, especially since the scenes only range in length from about 100 seconds to a few minutes at most.  However, Hard Edge is much more hardcore than anything he's done in a decade.

Still, Blake doesn't stray too far from his familiar formula.  The naturally-breasted cast is shot with utmost attention to glamour and beauty. Production sound is missing, replaced by the musical soundtrack.  In addition to the slowed-down frame rate, he relies a lot on washed out color and black and white footage--a technique that I know will drive some viewers completely batty. The style is unmistakably Andrew Blake, so if his cinematography or editing are not your cup of tea, you still will be disappointed with Hard Edge.  Even I wish that he would take a risk and do something unexpected with one of his movies instead of sticking to the porno chic look.

The girls are gorgeous, with ivory skinned Justine my favorite of the bunch.  It's also nice to see them engaged in more than the hard-R stuff that normally dominates most of Blake's films.  In this case, even though the scenes are very short, there's a lot of penetration and a good amount of oral sex.  And unlike other "artistic" films, it doesn't seem like either the sex is fake or that the setup is just there to get to the sex.  Still, I wouldn't be disappointed if Blake went back to the 5-7 minute scenes from his "traditional" porn days so we can see more of the women in action.

On the flip side of the DVD, you'll find ten "featurettes," which include solo scenes of the girls featured in the movie, girl-girl scenes, and a rare behind-the-scenes video shot by Celeste (who is HardEdge's assistant director).  Since we rarely get to see on the set of a Blake production, it's an incredible treat and worth the purchase of the DVD for this extra if you're a fan.  At 49 minutes running time, this is perhaps the best supplement that Studio A has ever included on their generally no-frills discs.  Hell, I'd gladly pay $20 just for the stuff on the second side of the DVD!  It's a hell of a bargain, considering you are getting about three-and-a-half hours' worth of elegant pornography in total.

HardEdge is one of my favorite Blake films of the Studio A era, not only because of the harder sex, but also because the film still retains everything that I like about Blake's decadent style.  With the bonus footage on the flip side of the disc, this is a must-own for Blake fans and it's a great DVD to pick up if you've never seen an Andrew Blake film. Until someone comes out with decent versions of Blake's early movies, you're not likely to find a better representation of this master's talent than HardEdge.

- Saki (saki@sakivision.com)