The Movie:

A late eighties effort from Gerard Damiano, the man who brought us Deep Throat and The Devil In Miss Jones among countless other seventies and eighties era smut film classics comes Cravings. Starring eighties porn princesses Sharon Kane, Tasha Voux and other notables such as Barbie Dahl and Chelsea Blake, the plot of the film may be a little on the light side but in typical Damiano fashion, that's made up for with some fantastic cinematography and genuinely unique sex scene set pieces.

Here's the obligatory breakdown of who does what to who:

Scene 1 - Sharon Kane And Johnny Nineteen: This quick opening scene starts off with a bit of oral before Johnny slips it into Sharon. He fucks her from a few different angles, gets her on all fours, fucks her from behind and then pulls out and shoots his load onto the top of her ass.

Scene 2 - Tasha Voux And Michael Gaunt: This scene is edited in with the third scene and it's basically Tasha giving Michael a pretty hefty blowjob that finishes up with a facial.

Scene 3 - Tasha Voux, Nikki Wright, Scarlet Scarleau And Michael Gaunt: Again, cut in and edited in with the second scene, this orgy features Nikki, Tasha and Scarlett giving head for a while. After a bit of that, Nikki gets fucked up the ass by Michael, who pulls out and ends the scene by squirting onto her ass.

Scene 4 - Sharon Kane: Sharon finds herself in the mood with no one to play with but a shower head! Thankfully, shower heads are always ready and never need a warm up. She masturbates with the shower head until she climaxes.

Scene 5 - Melanie Scott And A Guy: After masturbating, Melanie's boy toy walks into the room. She gets him hard and gives him head until he comes all over his cock and onto her face.

Scene 6 - Barbie Dahl And A Trio Of Guys: Barbie and her new friends start off with some oral and manual pleasure. After she's sucked them off the guys take turns fucking her mouth and her pussy from a few different angles. One guy pulls out and blows his load onto her face while the other two keep fucking her pussy and her face, pulling out one at a time to spunk all over her back.

Scene 7 - Sharon Kane And Three Guys: In this final scene, Sharon gives three different men blowjobs. Two of them finish on her face while the third one doesn't finish up.

Beautifully shot, Cravings is an interesting movie that deals with fantasy fulfillment and voyeurism in a genuinely erotic manner. The scenes are all filmed with Damiano's eye for composition and as such, everything has a very welcome 'artsy' feel to it. Shot on location in New York City, there's some nice footage of the Big Apple of the era but the bulk of the film was obviously shot in doors in various swanky apartments around the city or on some strange sets (one of which looks a bit like a dungeon). Daminao's little touches are scattered throughout the film - at one point two female characters amuse one another by playing with puppets (a reference to one of his earlier and more off beat films, perhaps?) - but at the core of all of this weirdness is a sincerely sexy porno that plays well and at a nice pace. Both erotic and well made on both a technical and artistic level, Cravings may not be as well known as a few of the director's other films but it's still very definitely a movie worth seeing, particularly by those with an affinity for classic era adult movies.

The DVD

Video:

This feature was shot on 35mm film and is presented on this DVD fullframe, which appears to be its original aspect ratio. Unfortunately the transfer is interlaced. For a movie that's roughly twenty-five years old, Cravings looks alright even if its obvious no serious restoration has been done. The colors are a little faded and there's some aliasing in some scenes and there are minor problems with the contrast but the picture is clean and clear and stable for the most part. Skin tones look lifelike and natural and detail levels are about average. It's far from reference quality but for an older production, it's perfectly watchable, like most of the entries in VCA's Gold Classics line.

Sound:

The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound mix is in English and is pretty standard stuff, no better, no worse. Dialogue comes through clear enough and there I didn't notice any problems as far as synching or levels are concerned. It's hardly an Earth shattering mix in any way, but it serves the film just fine and the cheesy Casio soundtrack sounds alright.

Extras:

Extras are limited to an internet link, some Hustler ads, and still menus. There isn't even a chapter selection menu supplied for the feature, and that's it. No trailers. No still gallery. Nothing. What a disappointment!

Final Thoughts:

A nicely shot and well put together film from the late great Gerard Damiano, Cravings should have been treated better on DVD than it has been here. That said, the movie is definitely worth seeing and seeing as this is really the best way to make that happen right now, this release comes recommended on the strength of the feature itself.