Private Gold 52: China Box Review

China Box
(Private Gold)
Directed by Antonio Adamo
Starring: Laura Angel, Sandra Kay, Dora Venter, Melinda, Petra Short, Veronica Carso, Alyssa, Barbarella, Black Widow, Luisa Lili, Sydnee, Leslie Taylor, Nick Lang, Mike Foster, George, David Perry

In the prologue to this tale of an elaborately constructed revenge, the enigmatic, shadowy, mysterious, etc Mr X (Mike Foster) issues instructions by telephone to make sure invitations have been issued to a party, swiftly followed by a montage of shots apparently showing women arguing with Foster.

Melinda and Black Widow, with David
Three years later, so the voiceover says, and David Perry calls up a couple of girls to help take his mind off work. Melinda, a slim blonde who is no great beauty but has really found favour with me by dint of her sensational attitude (not that she gets to show that here), and Black Widow (what kind of name is that?), a gorgeous brunette with a fabulous tanned body, bring their sexy little selves over to Perry's flat. Ms Widow watches her friend and David get acquainted, and soon has her pussy planted on his face while Melinda sees to his cock. The action flows smoothly as each girl tries his prick for size and Melinda goes as far as to accept it into her tight ass. Ultimately she takes his come in her mouth and shares a sexy sperm-smeared kiss with her friend.

Barbarella and Sydnee
Elsewhere, Barbarella and her friend Sydnee pursue similar ways of relieving work-related stress. Their gym and swim session soon turns more intimate, but not before Sydnee has received a similar little oriental-decorated box to one Perry had in his possession. This apparently contains an invitation to a party at a discotheque, but this can wait until after the girls have their own private fun. What follows is a soft and gentle but extremely good-looking scene with the cunnilingus performed on Barbarella's sweet slot by Sydnee being especially alluring. I know one or two people who have been enchanted by Barbarella's beautiful face for some time, but I hadn't seen her in motion, till now. Believe me, it's worth making the acquaintance of this exceptionally pretty young brunette. Her playmate Sydnee is also delightful, with her slicked-down short hair giving her a gently butch look.

Sandra and Luisa, with Nick
The ever-glamorous Laura Angel arrives home, and finds one of the boxes waiting for her too, but events presently move to a photographic studio where Nick Lang is snapping some shots of PVC clad Sandra Key (a tall, buxom brunette who looks at her best here) and Luisa Lili (who has a slightly harsh look, but a very sexy physique). He receives a call from his girlfriend (Dora Venter). She too has received an invitation. After agreeing to accompany her to the party, he returns to what he laughably calls "work". Seeking inspiration from the girls to change the mode of the shoot, he soon has his hands all over them and they drop down and suck his cock. The ensuing sex again looks tremendous but I can't deny that I found my attention wandering as they plough a well-worn furrow from oral to vaginal to anal sex, which admittedly is quite spicy but generally lacks that little spark. Nick comes in Sandra's mouth and the girls kiss tentatively.

While quizzing a barman about some girl he is seeking, Jack, a gigolo played by George, receives a call from "Mr X" - evidently George is the man who has been tasked with inviting all the girls to the special party, where Mr X also requires George's attendance.

Laura, with Nick
In a club where the shady Mr X lurks in the background, moodily swigging his drink, Nick soon becomes entranced with one of the dancers. Understandably so when you consider she is none other than top European glamour girl Laura Angel. Wearing an outfit of black basque, panties and heels, she dances provocatively for him and, as if by magic, Nick finds himself alone in a room with her dancing privately for him. Soon enough he has his tongue buried in her slot, and they start to screw. At several points during the sex that follows, I experienced a strong sense of déjà vu. The positions change, but haven't we seen that move before? Hmm. Frankly, it's uninspiring, no matter how many nasty looks Laura shoots at the camera. Maybe it's because Nick is a bit of a personality black hole, I don't know. Whatever, it did little for me, even with anal and a come shot that trickles off Laura's tongue and down her ample, "enhanced" cleavage. Sadly for Nick, it was too good to be true. Yes, you guessed it: it's only a dream!

Petra and George
The tale jumps location once more - this time to George and Petra who is pleading with him to retire from the gigolo business as they bowl along the country lanes in their Audi TT. In order to prove his love, I guess, he takes her to a nice riverside spot where they have a smoochy encounter that almost makes you believe they're into each other - that is till Adamo's insistence on having the girls play to the camera kills the mood. Anyway, it's still a hotter scene, in part because I find Petra so beautiful - her face is just perfect. She and George also perform nicely together, and when she conclusively jerks him off on to her tongue, I was thinking how little difficulty she'd have in persuading me to give up my career as a gigolo!

At the disco on the appointed evening, all the protagonists are assembled anxiously awaiting news of exactly what it's all about. The club compere, Alex Mantegna, announces that the anonymous owner of the place wishes to give a $100, 000 prize to the girl who can fuck the best. Anyone who isn't interested can leave. Surprise, surprise, there's no rush for the door!

Laura, with David and Leslie
Leslie, who has been firing unsubtle lecherous glances in Laura's direction, chats to David in the toilets about her. Unknown to him, in a few striking shots, she sneaks in and makes her advance to David. Leslie quickly moves in. This scene, set in a white room with the performers all in black and dark grey, is beautifully presented, but surprisingly raunchy. Laura drops down and shows off patented oral skills, and what do you know, is that perspiration I see despoiling Adamo's faultless vision, as the chaps give Laura a proper seeing-to? I believe it is! With a double penetration and a pair of messy facials (shame David had to restrain giggles for some reason), it's unexpectedly hot stuff.

Orgy - Dora, Veronica, Sydnee and Alissa, with George, Nick and Mike
Finally, in the main disco area, the dancers, a few familiar faces among them, shed their clothes, inspiring the partygoers to get to grips with each other. Sexy little blonde Dora is paired with George, the lovely Veronica Carso with Nick, and Sydnee with the exceptionally pretty young blonde Alissa (Sydnee does lick Alissa's pussy so sweetly!), that is until the masked Mr X inveigles himself in their action. Again, the sex is a little harder than I expected, and George really does fuck Dora soundly up the ass and, with Nick's help, in DP too. Finally, pretty faces are showered with come, and Mr X reveals a "shocking truth" to the guests, concluding the movie with a twist that I thought was, at best, kind of neat as these things go, but ultimately not that impressive or important.

Overall
This is a visually outstanding production. Adamo's sympathetic lighting and soft focus camerawork makes skin glow and removes almost all traces of imperfections. By and large, China Box is visually superb all through, though the camerawork is perhaps too close up to give a really cinematic vision. Striving for this degree of perfection often eliminates a lot of the natural appeal of good, earthy sex - for much of the time, there's barely a sprinkling of perspiration to be seen, though a few good facials and uncouth spots of saliva do threaten the pristine ambience.

I dislike the fact the girls are made to look at the camera during sex, rather than at their partners. This is meant to be a feature film, telling a story, after all. And on that subject, it's pretty weak. No amount of marketing, presentation and packaging can give this lightweight tale the kind of depth or meaning that I could speculate Adamo or Private might desire. Sex scenes take precedence over storytelling - which may suit some viewers, but why bother with a story at all, then? As it is, it's not much of a yarn anyway, just a procession of beautiful people screwing beautifully, with a tiny scrap of plot to tie it together, however daintily. Most of the sex scenes have nothing to do with the story at all. All of this is no surprise to regular porn observers, but again, can't we expect even just a little more?

Also, be aware of dubbed dialogue, although I'd grudgingly admit that, in this case, it does partially enhance the otherwise extremely limited acting, and the sex actually has original sound. However, the use of black and white inserts makes the action predictable…next position, please! I know some people, me included, like to see more natural transitions during the sex. And it's a shame that Petra doesn't wear the outfit she sports on the box cover picture.

I guess I am quibbling over details like this because in so many areas China Box strives for excellence and has such attention to detail - it's just that in terms of passion, heat, raunch, however you might define it, China Box is often lacking. Though this audience might be unlikely to choose an Adamo movie, those watching for really uninhibited porn will be largely disappointed - it's very much a "cigar and cognac" movie, ideal for discerning gentlemen who wish to sit back and take in the immaculate views of beautiful ladies - and I must stress that the female cast is exceptionally well endowed in that regard, mainly the reason I bought it. So in conclusion, while I mustn't forget that the sex scenes didn't always grab me in the appropriate area, I generally liked China Box a good deal more than I expected - a pleasant surprise.

DVD Comments
The picture quality is absolutely superb, comparing favourably with mainstream products. The sound is also very good, and a range of audio languages is complemented by further language options via subtitles. Extras come in the form of photo gallery (this is one porn film where the movie is actually better looking than the stills), trailers and cast and production information. DVD-Rom only features are a DVD catalogue and a wallpaper picture.