Private Penthouse Box Set Review

Expectations

The Private/Penthouse series was really the showcase of the talents of Antonio Adamo. He released 12 DVDs in this series. This box set captures 6 of them. I know the movies well, but I can't wait to see how the box has come out.

Capsule Review

All I can say is WOW! I am going to approach this review a little differently than I normally do, and I will dwell a while in this section. Also, I am not going to do a scene by scene review, but rather a disc by disc review.

First off, let's broach the subject of Adamo. He is a very highly stylistic director that has a unique trademark feel to his movies. Some folks love his stuff, and others seem to hate it. I don't think there is a lot of middle ground. There have been comparisons drawn to Blake and Ninn, but other than the fact that those directors are also highly stylized, I don't think there are a lot of parallels.

Adamo shoots porn as though it were a fashion magazine. Everything is bright, colors are deep and rich, wardrobe and sets are perfect, the women are made up. Think of the Victoria's Secret fashion show... the girls were not warm and inviting, rather they were dressed to the nines and on a mission to show off. Similarly, Adamo's flicks are not realistic, inviting, or warm. They are cold, visual and stunning. If you require passion in your porn, avoid this at all costs. On the other hand, if pure visual stimulation cuts it for you, you are about to find ecstacy!

This set easily deserves aybesea's Whackmeister Seal of Approval!

Technical

Adamo's Penthouse movies are amazing technically. The video is razor sharp. The lighting is superb. The colors are fully saturated, bright and rich. About the only gripe I have is that they use Private's typical dubbed audio.

Director

Antonio Adamo

Extras

Reports, behind the scenes, photo gallery, bios

Target Audience

Adamo Fans

Disc Review

Disc 1 - Call Girl

Sylvia Saint and Kate More team up in Adamo's first movie. The scenes revolve around having gorgeous sex in lavish TV studio sets. A visually appealing film featuring two amazing performers. Whack Factor: 10

Disc 2 - Fashion

Adamo's sophomore outing produced his second best film ever. The highly stylistic Fashion revolves around a world Antonio knows very well. His previous career as a fashion photographer shows through with a purity that is lacking in 99% of all porn. Plus the stellar line-up of Sophie Evans, Mercedes, Wanda Curtis, Kate More and Claudia Jameson combine to produce a near perfect movie. Whack Factor: 10

Disc 3 - Dangerous Things

The third Adamo film is his first to explore outdoor settings. Since Adamo is a lighting fanatic, his previous flics were shot indoors where he could control every nuance of the set. But this outdoor shooting still shines admirably and the colors are still rich and lavish. Many of the scenes are shot on the beach and don't feature as much heavy emphasis on wardrobe and makeup, yet it is still visually appealing. Sylvia Saint is absolutely lovely and carries much of the movie. Think of it as "stripped-down" Adamo. Whack Factor: 9

Disc 4 - Dangerous Things 2

The response to Dangerous Things was strong enough to prompt this sequel. It truly looks like an extension of the original film and was probably shot at the same time. Again, the inclusion of Sylvia Saint and Lea De Mae make this another winner. These 2 discs, DT1 and DT2 provide much of the stylistic basis for many of Adamo's more recent outdoor shoots. Whack Factor: 9

Disc 5 - Italian Flair

Simply put, this movie is Adamo's tour de force! It features the strongest cast he has ever assembled: Sophie Evans, Daniella Rush, Nikki Anderson, Laura Angel, Lynn Stone, Sandra Russo and Eva Falk. The sets are perfect. The shoot is flawless. The movie drips erotica. The sex is hard. A truly amazing movie! Whack Factor: 10

Disc 6 - The Last Muse

Italian Flair saw Adamo take on a new level of maturity. The Last Muse explores that new adept grasp and refines it. While it does not have the same aura about it as Flair, this is another stellar movie. The cast is excellent including Lynn Stone, Nikki Anderson and Krystal DeBoor. The sets are amazing as are all of the technical details of the shoot. Whack Factor: 10

In Conclusion

All 12 of the Private/Penthouse discs are worth owning. They are one of the strongest lines I have had the pleasure to watch. This box collects up 6 of them, including the 2 best ones. It packages them beautifully in a collector's slipcase featuring a fold out digipac. The digipac has beautiful pictures and the set contains a collector's booklet detailing the productions. There is no new material on any of the discs, in fact they are identical pressings to the previously released copies. But at $48 street price, this is only $8 a disc for some of the finest porn this reviewer has ever seen! All in all this is an absolute must buy for the Adamo collector.

Overall Whack Factor: 10

If you have any questions or comments about this review, please contact me at aybesea@my.adultdvdtalk.com

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