Private Castings 23: Regina

Private

Genre: Compilation, Foreign

Director: Pierre Woodman

Cast: Nora, Margareth, Sylvia Beaugeon, Joy, Jean Pierre Armand, Yves Le Prince, Regina, Melanie, Alain Deloin, Suzan, Yvette Marco, Pierre Woodman, Andrea

Length: 150 minutes

Date of Production: 7/03 (compilation only)

Extra's: 15.5 minute interview with Pierre Woodman from 7/25/97,
Production Notes, trailers, biographies with photogalleries, double sided dvd cover, subtitles, languages (both are optional)

Audio/Video Quality: The picture was presented in 1.33:1 ratio full frame color. Like in Volume 22, the movie started off with a warning about below average technical matters due to the footage being shot in less than favorable conditions. If it had been posted on the dvd case, I'd have even given them credit for truth in advertising. In any case, the show was full frame and the technical matters varied a lot. Much of the footage was older and taken with crummy equipment with low lighting. I think it was important to release, given the historical significance of the material but keep in mind that the grain, colors, and other problems were far below what I've come to expect from Private. The sound varied as much with some really weak dubbing but the English subtitles were very clear and added later.

Body of Review: The Private Casting series is something of a
casting
couch where Pierre would interview a gal and sometimes do her. The interview
format allows a viewer to learn something about the women before the world of porn jaded them. There are subtitles that show most of what's said and then the gals are shown in behind the scenes action on photoshoots and movies. In Private Castings 23: Regina, we get another batch of gals, most of whom went to work for Private afterwards. Here's a breakdown of the scenes:

Scene One: Nora: 1/97: The show started with the usual interview by Woodman and then proceeded to show Nora's action from the Backstages of Private 144 Magazine, 142 Magazine, and Tatiana 3. She was a lean hotty that claimed to be 18 years old and had a sweet body.

Scene Two: Margareth: 5/97: After the interview, there were the Backstages scenes from Sex 10 and Sex 17 Magazines. She started off being really shy and reserved but eventually warmed up a bit. Her blonde hair and pretty eyes combined with her girl-next-door looks made her a good gal to watch for me.

Scene Three: Sylvia: 3/95: The interview was pretty good here and followed by her scene from The Gigolo with Joy, Jean, and Yves. She was 19 years old during the interview and had an attractive face and body but the scene was too short.

Scene Four: Regina: 3/96: There was the interview and the Backstage show from Pyramid and Sex 8 Magazine. The grain during this scene was among the worst but I liked the interview as she seemed very natural.

Scene Five: Melanie: 5/98: After Pierre's screening interview, we are treated to her scene from African Dream with Alain and then the Backstage Triple X 29 Magazine. She was an attractive 20 year old that I'd have jumped on if given the chance (and her permission of course).

Scene Six: Suzan: 8/96: After the interview, the section displayed the Backstage from Private 138 Magazine. She claimed to be 20 years old as well but looked closer to 28 with her lighter colored hair. She wasn't the most attractive gal either but seemed more at ease than most of the others too.

Scene Seven: Yvette Marco: 5/99: The interview included a scene between her and Pierre. She claimed to be 18 years old and that her name was Anita. She seemed to not know what was about to happen, and watching Pierre talk her into it, via a translator of course, was interesting. This was the longest scene of the show, probably because he got some action.

Scene Eight: Andrea: 6/98: The interview was pretty good but apparently she didn't make the cut or didn't want to since this was the shortest scene of the bunch and had no material outside of the interview. I thought she looked a lot like singer/dancer Toni Basil (in her youth of course).

Summary: I found this volume fairly interesting although it contained perhaps the least amount of sex in any of the volumes released to date. If you'd like to get a fascinating look at adult performers before they become so insulated by the ins and outs of what amounts to a "system" where they find it makes more sense to hide themselves, this might be a good start but if you're looking for sexual activity, be forewarned that there wasn't much here. I'm rating it as a Rent It for those who might want to see behind the scenes interviews BEFORE the gals get into the business but most will want to pass it up.