Maraschino Cherry Review

Reviewed by SDC  on  10/22/2003

Maraschino Cherry is the final hardcore film directed by Radley Metzger (under his Henry Paris pseudonym) and, as such, is likely to be of considerable interest to porn and cult movie fans alike. However, those expecting something akin to The Opening Of Misty Beethoven are going to be disappointed. Maraschino Cherry, perhaps predictably given its place in the Metzger/Paris filmography, is actually little more than a vignette movie (or, as it would probably have been described at the time, a loop carrier). The movie revolves around Gloria Leonard, mistress of a New York brothel, discussing her business activities with her wide-eyed sister. Around this simple structure sit a variety of erotic encounters ranging from the strictly vanilla to some decidedly edgy dungeon sequences that bring to mind the Women In Prison movies of the period.

Like Barbara Broadcast, its predecessor in the Metzger cannon, Maraschino Cherry never really amounts to much despite a few standout moments. There are the usual verbal quips but it’s a far cry from richness of the aforementioned Misty, The Private Afternoons Of Pamela Mann or Naked Came The Stranger. Of course, it’s not worthless by any means - we’re talking about the work of one of the greatest directors of the Golden Age. However, this is a classic example of Golden Age filmmaking rather than a classic Golden Age film. Highlights include a sun-drenched Constance Money wading through a pond in pursuit of her prey, Annette Haven being ravished atop a grand piano and tense dungeon scene featuring Haven, Leonard and CJ Laing. It’s well worth a look but is undeniably minor Metzger.

The movie itself is something of a mixed bag and the same is true of the disk from Video.X.Pix. Apparently sourced from an old theatrical print, the image is presented widescreen (a real bonus) although I’m not sure if it’s original aspect ration; there is certainly visual information missing from the right of the frame but, whatever the explanation for this is, it’s not as damaging as cropping the whole thing to 1.33:1. The image is awash with scratches and has a slight magenta cast but fans of classic adult movies have endured worse. Less excusable is the fact that the Video.X.Pix logo appears on screen intermittently throughout the film. The audio is functional and audible throughout.

In terms of the completeness of this release, it’s hard for me to comment because I’ve never seen the film before. The Internet Adult Film Database indicates a running time of 83 minutes (as does the dvd cover) but I don’t know how reliable that is. The disk itself runs for 72 minutes and I didn’t notice any obvious signs of censorship.

SDC