Best of Gregory Dark, The

It's hard to believe in a title which proclaims to be THE BEST OF GREGORY DARK, when in fact, memorable moments from his undisputed classics like the NEW WAVE HOOKERS and BETWEEN THE CHEEKS series (among other titles) are not included - for obvious copyright reasons - on this Evil Angel compilation. Any "greatest hits" package which is limited to materials under license by a particular studio is bound to be incomplete and somewhat disappointing. Such is the case with this DVD, which features some very hot sex scenes, but isn't necessarily the director's "best" work. However, for viewers who have not yet been exposed to his videos (especially since he has long left porn for a mainstream career), THE BEST OF GREGORY DARK is a good place to start.

Within a two-hour, eighteen minute running time, this disc presents eight scenes from THE SHOCKING TRUTH (spotlighting Chloe with Tommy Gunn, Ken Dahl, Red, Blake Palmer, Claudio, Star Chandler and Gregory Dark), LIVING ON THE EDGE (Jill Kelly, Billy Glide, Eric Price and Marshall Moorehead, as well as a final scene with La Tigra and Billy Glide), SNAKE PIT (Laura Palmer and Mia Ciccero and T.T. Boy), SEX FREAKS (Missy, Nici Sterling, Alex Sanders, Rip Hymen and Dave Cummings), FLESH (Lisa Ann, Alex Sanders, Melanie Anton and Bon, and different scene with Lisa Ann, Ember Haze, Kimberly Kummings, and Tom Byron) as well as THE SHOCKING TRUTH 2 (Sahara Sands, Claudio, Mr. Marcus, Jeremy Steele, Star Chandler and Gregory Dark). Strangely, all titles are available from NuTech Digital (at bargain prices, might I add) though I seem to recall that the original VHS releases were produced under the Evil Angel label. Whatever the source, the sex is as hard as one can imagine, and unlike today's headline-making pornographers, Gregory Dark's work titillates not through cheap shocks or violence, but by the surrounding characters, the intentionally bizarre set-ups, and the overall production.
Presently a director of music videos and straight-to-video erotic thrillers, Mr. Dark (along with his brother) is one of adult's true cinematic artists, known for his wild and wacky style as he is for his blistering hardcore. Novel costume designs, over-the-top dialogue, and goofy acting are all part of the package of any Dark flick. Some will find all the costumes (including masks of pigs, skulls, donkeys and even Ronald Reagan) as well as the MTV-style editing a bit much, but that's what makes his flicks so creatively memorable.

But more importantly, a compilation such as this offers viewers the opportunity to revisit some of the best talents of years gone by, including beauties like Lisa Ann (who sizzles during her segments from FLESH) and Missy (who is out of control during her threesome with Nici Sterling and Alex Sanders from SEX FREAKS). Even relatively unknown actresses like the late Laura Palmer and La Tigra shine in their own very nasty scenes. Sexy La Tigra rims and gets analyzed by Billy Glide for a slam-bang ending, and it's a pity bad that she had such a short career in adult. VCA contract girl Chloe also gives it her all in the opening scene from THE SHOCKING TRUTH, and save for a controversial appearance and act in one of Seymore Butts video, she has never been nastier than when under the direction of the esteemed director.

Along with a Cast List By Scene (a very useful reference guide for fans as well as reviewers), a Fetish Menu and a Chapter Menu, viewers are provided with cursory Filmographies of Laura Palmer, Missy, Jill Kelly, Ember Haze, Sahara Sands, Star Chandler and La Tigra, along with a Photo Gallery. Unfortunately, not much information is given about the director himself, or his legacy for that matter. An interview or Behind The Scenes featurette (assuming one existed) would really have made this compilation DVD extra special, but you can't have everything.

If you happen to own any of the NuTech Digital releases, I can't imagine why one would need to add this disc to his or her Gregory Dark collection. The audio and video is not greatly improved, though I will say that it's nice to see select scenes without the "multiple angles" icon imprinted on the NuTech versions. (Incidentally, the multiple angles were merely mirror images of the original scene, which was not an uncommon practice during the early days of DVD.) Some excerpts look grainier and more washed out than others, which is probably the result of the original video or film source than due to any DVD transfer problems.

THE BEST OF GREGORY DARK is a well-compiled DVD of the director's post-VCA works, but true pornophiles would probably be better off buying the original titles outright.