Insatiable

Insatiable was released in 1980 and marked the first comeback of Marilyn's career. Using the popularity she garnered from her notorious work with the Mitchell Brothers during the early 70s, Marilyn dabbled in mainstream theater and films for most of the disco years. Unfortunately, working in X-rated films came with an enormous stigma that she just couldn't shake. With the exception of appearing in David Cronenberg's 1977 horror film Rabid, mainstream film work was not forthcoming. After several years away from adult films, Marilyn accepted the lead role in Godfrey Daniels' new film.

Touting the benefits of a relatively large budget, Insatiable was shot on location in London and at a large mansion in central California. The London scenes depict Sandra (Marilyn) conversing with her aunt while walking past several recognizable landmarks. There's also a lengthy sequence as the two talk in the back of a chauffeured car while it drives through the city. However, everything else, including all of the hardcore scenes, were shot entirely in California at a mansion located in country. Some of the outdoor sequences (such as the Ferrari sequence) are even enhanced with by some very effective helicopter shots that immediately make the film stand out from its contemporaries.

Marilyn plays the film's lead, Sandra Chase, an actress/model who inherited her parent's fortune after their demise in an unfortunate accident in Europe. Except for the servants, Sandra has the big lonely mansion all to herself which seems to heighten her already raging libido. In the opening scene, Sandra is seen lying on her bed playing with herself while fanaticizing. She runs her hands over her pert nipples and down to her crotch as her manual stimulation and vivid imagination bring her closer to climax. The scene is cleverly intercut with flashes of her imaginary sexual encounter which takes place in a dark room. This fantasy is later revisited in it's entirety during the film's finale.

Every scene in the film is noteworthy, but I thought her blowjob scene with Richard Pacheco was extremely hot. One day while driving her black Ferrari, Sandra comes across a stranded motorist. The nerdy guy introduces himself as Artie Goldsmith (Pacheco) and states that he's in a hurry to get to a softball game. Sandra agrees to take him to get some gas, but ends up parking her car in a nearby vineyard. In a indescribably seductive manner, she tells him that he can siphon gas from her tank, and produces a rubber tube. The hose sucking innuendo eventually turns into the real thing when Sandra drops to her knees and starts sucking away on poor Artie's unsuspecting cock. She's totally successful at siphoning Artie's fluid as he shoots sticky load across her face. The sequence is well shot and written, making the lead-in just as erotic as the act itself.

Even more memorable than the Ferrari/Artie sequence (or even the John Holmes finale) is the remarkable pool table scene. The entire segment is a flashback of Sandra's virginal encounter with her father's gardener, played by the very lucky David Morris. Sandra enters her father's game room while Nick is on an unannounced break playing billiards. Apparently, Sandra has been subtly teasing him for some time. He's obviously at his breaking point and begins to fondle her. She protests at first, but not vigorously. Eventually, Nick pushes her down on the pool table and removes her dress. He's not too surprised to find she's wearing nothing underneath as he moves down to eat her out. After she fondles his cock for a while, he lowers his meaty cue and rams it into her while she lies sprawled across the table. Later, Sandra hangs her head over the table's edge, giving Nick full access to her mouth and esophagus. Nick screws her mouth without inhibition and eventually cums all over her face. Marilyn does an incredible job playing the coy teenager who tortures the gardener with her intentionally enticing clothing and subtle sexual demeanor. As scripted, there's nothing that makes this scene stand out, but it's Marilyn's nuances she brings to the character and performance which makes this a true classic.

I-Candy is known for their great DVD transfers, but Insatiable ends up lacking just a bit. I understand the film is pretty old, but the picture is more than a bit grainy. Quick motions leave slight ghost images behind, which I'm sure wasn't present in the film's original negative. The sound is pretty good considering the source material, but it too was a bit more bland than what I expected. The music may sound a little dated, but listen closely to hear Marilyn perform the main theme, "Shame on You." The repeated melody actually grows on you after a while, and does a good job of tying the film together. They tried pretty hard to bring together some good extras, and they did for the most part. But overall, it's a squandered opportunity. There is a commentary with Gloria Leonard, and an easy trivia game, but nothing too spectacular to mark the 20th anniversary of the film. Wouldn't it have been great to have a Marilyn Chambers commentary or even an interview? Still, the extras are better than those you'd find on most DVDs.

Insatiable is a movie that any real porn aficionado can't live without. In addition to being her personal favorite, it is arguably Marilyn's best film overall. Despite the lightweight story and one dimensional characters, the film features Marilyn in her prime performing each of her scenes with immense passion and expertise. Plus, she takes John Holmes' legendary cock up her ass...

A classic by any measure, INSATIABLE (1980) marked adult movie legend Marilyn Chambers' triumphant return to XXX filmmaking after a brief foray into softcore and "legitimate" cinema. This is an extremely well-made and handsomely mounted production, a real "movie movie" with a budget that obviously far exceeded what most studios are willing to spend on adult films, then and now. Several key scenes were shot on location in London, and there's extensive use of a helicopter-mounted camera to show the scope and magnitude of the grand mansions and sprawling estates where much of the story takes place.

INSATIABLE sure doesn't skimp on the hardcore action, either. Beautifully lit and photographed, this shot-on-film feature takes us deep inside Marilyn Chambers -- and what a steamy journey that is! Graced with a lithe, slender, and completely all-natural body, she performs sexually (in beds, a hot tub, a billiard table, a sports car, etc.) with the graceful, urgent strength of an Olympic gymnast; and her oral technique - demonstrated here in a wonderful scene in which she sucks one very lucky fellow to a spurting, shuddering climax (while he leans against the door of a black Ferrari) - is absolute perfection. A perfect 10! As fellow porn queen Gloria Leonard observes during her commentary on this DVD's alternate audio track, Chambers was "very good at siphoning."

But even more important than Chambers' skillfully athletic variations on the act of love is the personality and enthusiasm she brings to this role. She has a charming, unpretentious manner, and she's a fine actress to boot. She exudes a sort of girl-next-door wholesomeness -- which makes her gleeful approach to the hardcore scenes all the more dramatic by contrast. As Leonard states in the audio commentary, "Marilyn Chambers was - and is - the first leading lady of the adult industry. She brought something to these films that nobody had ever had before. It was a certain...energy and spirit...You knew this girl was havin' a good time doin' what she was doin'...She set a standard that a lot of the women in this business now aspire to. This represents an era of filmmaking that doesn't exist any more..."

Particularly notable here is a genuinely erotic seduction/sex scene between John Leslie and Jessie St. James, which is played out very slowly, under dark and romantic lighting which works well in the DVD format. It's just one of the many superlative touches which highlight this film. Car lovers will find much to enjoy here, even between the love scenes, as INSATIABLE parades out a fine collection of rolling stock that includes an elegant Rolls Royce, a vintage Jaguar, a Porsche and that gorgeous black Ferrari.

Gloria Leonard's insightful running commentary (which includes a funny first-person anecdote about filming a sex scene with John Holmes, who appears in INSATIABLE's final sex scene) is just one of the many extra goodies packed onto this DVD. Chambers fans can revel in several different slide show/still photo galleries included here, one of which even features the now-infamous Ivory Snow soap box cover that launched her modeling career (and which also makes a brief in-joke appearance during INSATIABLE), and there are other files containing cast biographies and trivia game.

You also get two long, excellent XXX preview trailers for a pair of films made in the same era: UP 'N COMING, a racy show biz drama starring Chambers as an aspiring country-western singer (which she also was in real-life), and NURSES OF THE 407TH, an elaborate hardcore parody of M*A*S*H (in which Chambers does not appear).

A new digital film-to-tape transfer and the Dolby Digital 2.0 (not 5.1, as stated on the back of the package) soundtrack deliver surprisingly good results. Notably, medium-fast bit-rates and savvy MPEG-2 encoding result in an overall picture that's clean and virtually pixel-free.

The disc is all-region compatible and supports parental lock. In addition to the usual, extras include a film-length commentary by AVN Hall of Famer Gloria Leonard and a nifty addition that's easy to miss: Clicking on Marilyn's nipples in the main menu will take viewers to a second slide show featuring a dozen behind-the-scenes shots from the film.

An excellent premiere offering from i-candy, and a no-brainer add-on sale with VCA's STILL INSATIABLE and i-candy's upcoming INSATIABLE 2.

Wow. Insatiable is the first 'classic' porno I've seen and it truly is classic. After watching this movie beginning to end (a porno rarity) I felt compelled to tell all of you how phenomenal it is. The increasing intensity portrayed so well by Marilyn Chambers mirrors the increasing intensity of a fist gripping, teeth clenching, heart pounding roll in the hay. The plot and the sex intermingle like a sensual story rather than a series of action sequences. Insatiable is more than a porno -it's a finely constructed, very erotic movie (not to mention the groovin' soundtrack.)

The initial 'sex scenes' aren't even really sex scenes -lots pleasing and teasing, no cum shots. Marilyn does a lot of masturbating while fantasizing which grows increasingly passionate as the film progresses (culminating in an unbelievable scene with John Holmes -seeing him in action gives porn a whole new meaning.)

The DVD quality is excellent. You can tell it is an old film by speckles here and there. But the image and the sound are both crisp. The audio commentary is interesting as are the bio and stills of Marilyn. The acting is one step above Charlie's Angels, judge that how you will. During the sex the acting, if it is acting, is exceptional. I truly believed they were all enjoying themselves and that the women were really having intense orgasms. There is kissing, foreplay and even talking during the sex.

When Marilyn is in a hot tub with another woman they lick each other how a woman would actually want to be pleased. Marilyn's memory of losing her virginity may be the most gripping sex I've ever watched. Whether you want to turn a woman on by watching the movie -or just learn how to turn a woman on, Insatiable is your key to success. I'm excited just thinking about it.

-Steph
Adult DVD Talk.com

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