Orgy in Black (Orgie en noir) Review

Distributor: Wicked Pictures / Marc Dorcel Edition Details: Standard DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Feature Film, Foreign (French) Also known as: Orgie en Noir Run Time: 90 minutes Rated: XXX Release Year: 2000 Director: Ovidie Written by: Ovidie Director of Photography: Serge de Beauvivage Cast: Ovidie, Daniella Rush (as Daniela Rush), Titof, Dora Venter (as Melinda Gaal), Marc Barrow (as Mark Barrow), Bruno SX, Chrystal (as Kristina), Sandra Russo, Karma, Szilvia (as Silvia), Christopher Lee (as Christopher), Juliette Dragon, James, Porto Calo Poulos, Reda, Diosa, Severin, Sydnee (as Barbara) Release Specs: Audio: French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (dubbed), German Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (dubbed), Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (dubbed), Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (dubbed), Polish Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (dubbed) Subtitles: Portuguese, Greek Video: Widescreen, 1.85:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1 Disc: DVD 9 (SS, DL) Special Features: Biographies, Photo Gallery, Internet, Fun Fun Sex, Extra Scene, Making of Orgie En Noir, Orgie En Noir Trailer, Making of Lilith, Lilith Trailer, Hardcore/Softcore Reversable Cover DVD-ROM Special Features: none

Synopsis:
A couple that enjoys freaky sex does the nasty in a reputedly haunted graveyard. They get abducted by the undead who have made the graveyard their home. They are made into sex slaves to appeal to the twisted desires of the Queen of the Dead. She decrees that they are forced to remain within the confines of the graveyard and the couple tries to find a way out of their sensual prison.

Video/Audio:
Orgy in Black is presented in a widescreen aspect ratio, 1.85:1, which is the original aspect ratio for the film. The picture is flawless with a sharp and clear presentation. No artifacts are to be found. The color levels are perfect. This is about as good as it gets.

The original audio track for the film is a 5.1 French Dolby Digital Surround track. From the sampling I did of that track, the sound is full and robust. There is also a 2.0 English Stereo dub track which, as I don't know French, was my track of choice for viewing. This track pales in comparison to the original French track. The dialog is easy to hear and the dubbing is well-done for an adult film, but the sound lacks the range of the original French track. There are also 2.0 Stereo dub tracks for German, Spanish, Italian and Polish and the subtitle options are Portuguese and Greek.

Chapters/Time Code:
There are seven chapters available from the main menu for Orgy in Black, which does little to allow easy navigation through the film, it does allow the ability to get to a general area though. There is a time code for this feature, so time searching is available.

Special Features:
This film is filled with extra features, first up, Internet is an advert for the Marc Dorcel Internet presence. Biographies contain text write-ups in French and English for Daniella Rush, Ovidie and Melinda Gaal. Photo Gallery contains 21 photos from the feature presentation that you flip. Fun Fun Sex is a funny French advert with animated condoms. I didn't understand a word they were saying but laughed my ass off. Extra Scene is a 13 minute scene with Sandra Russo and Reda featuring vaginal and anal sex. Making of Orgie En Noir is a 29 minute in depth look at the making of Orgy in Black. Unfortunately, it is only in French. Orgie en Noir Trailer is the trailer for the film in widescreen. Making of Lilith is a 21 minute in depth look at the making of Lilith. Unfortunately, it is only in French. Lilith Trailer is the trailer for the film Lilith in widescreen. Hardcore/Softcore Reversible Cover, the DVD cover has two sides, one with hardcore scenes and the other without. The extras here definately compliment the film well, but are a major bummer if you don't speak French. I hope that future releases from Marc Dorcel through Wicked will have an English dub track for them.

Review:
Orgy in Black, Orgie en Noir being its original foreign title, is made by Marc Dorcel and distributed in the US by Wicked. This stylish dark film will not be for all tastes, but for those who like a dark film, you will find yourselves greatly rewarded. This film was unlike any that I have seen before, and very likely will never see again, given that most companies seem to like to produce the “safe” film. My hat goes off to Marc Dorcel for giving this film a chance.

To begin with, the story for Orgy in Black is great. There isn't so much that it gets in the way of the sex, but the sex also doesn't seem out of place. The story is mostly set up, but it works. The sex is also very well done. The scenes, not at all predictable, have many different themes including vaginal, oral and anal sex, lesbian sex, titty fucking and a scene of implied DP. The cast is beautiful and appear to always be having fun. Ovidie has many pieces of body jewelry, which I normally don't find too appealing, but in this film it fit in and, at times, enhanced the mood.

The sets for the film are superb, I don't know if they were real or created in a studio, I probably would know if I knew French and could understand the making of documentary, but they looked great. Not one of them appeared to be a quickly assembled set, which kept in continuing the mood throughout the film. The cinematography in the film is above average. There are some occasionally off frame shots. The film is also filled with some great shots and excellent tracking shots. If you hadn't guessed, this film appears to have high production values.

If it wasn't for three small details, I would consider this the perfect adult disc. It has everything I am looking for in a disc, the film in the original widescreen aspect, a making of the film feature is present and the original trailer for the film is present and easy to find. The three small details that keep this from being a perfect disc are; there is no time code, the making of feature does not have an English dub track and, something that probably I am the only one who would want, there is no English subtitle track to allow you to watch the film in the original French language with English subtitles. Still, nice job Marc Dorcel, keep it up.

The Money Shot:
Orgy in Black is an excellent gothic adult film, which will definitely not appeal to all tastes. The sex is nastier than what is usually categorized as a couples film, so couples might want to think about it before renting or purchasing this one. If you are into dark or weird films and don't mind a dubbed audio track, or even better happen to be fluent in French, this is definitely a film to consider adding to your collection. The sex is great, the story new and interesting and the production values are high. What else can one ask for?

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