The Movie:

Voyeur Within is kind of a hard film to categorize. It's smutty, but just barely pornography. It's well shot and pretty pretentious at times, and it's not so much a feature as it is a collection of random images. The feature starts off with some black and white footage in which Sadie West and Tori Black are going at it, lipstick lesbian style. They take their time and go at it slowly, lots of ass cheek squeezing and kissing and fondling before they get down to eating one another out. Blake uses mirrors in the scene to nice effect as the girls go about their play time, but those expecting the extreme close up shots that is so common in pornography will be disappointed - they're here, but they're in frequent. It's almost as if Blake is putting us in the place of the titular voyeur, that we can only watch from so close - if that was the effect he was going for, it works, but then the occasional close up scene kind of breaks that wall.

As Torie and Sadie go about their lovemaking , the movie cuts to other clips featuring a cast of gorgeous women - Bobbi Starr, Aria Giovanni, Michelle Maylene, Ally Ann, Jade Hsu, and Kira Diane, with woodsmen Danny Mountain and Johnny Castle supplying the requisite erection fodder. Most of the clips that we see, in full color mind you, feature the girls masturbating. It's all shot in the same style as the black and white footage with Tori and Sadie, it's soft looking even when it's literally hardcore, and it's carefully lit and artistically shot. Again, there are a lot of mirrors used, which can be pretty trippy if you're trying to concentrate on the action, but it definitely looks cool and there's this recurring motif used throughout where it almost looks like the girls are fucking themselves this way.

Blake shoots his smut very carefully and paces it well, placing it against some interesting music and setting his scenes in interesting locations. While some of this stuff would definitely been hotter had we been able to hear the girls doing their thing, Blake really has had the privilege of working with some of the best looking women in the industry and that, in and of itself, keeps the heat level nice and high.

The scenes involving Castle and Mountain are also shot carefully and slowly. There are insertions and penetrations and some nice clips of the girls sucking their cocks but don't expect to see the ladies getting really and truly pounded. That's not a bad thing, mind you, if you need your hardcore to be paced that way, Blake isn't going to be someone whose work you'll likely have much interest in. This is art porn through and through and while it's hard to dispute its erotic qualities, there's just as much attention paid to the fashions, the lingerie, the settings, the lighting, the score, the camera work and the make up as there is to close up shots of penis' going into mouths and pussies.

Those unfamiliar with Andrew Blake's style may pop this disc in and be immediately baffled by what they see. There's a strokeability quotient here but it's not working, nor is it intended to be, on the same level as your typical adult movie. It's about atmosphere and tone and reflections and images more than it is about continuity and typical A to B formula fucking. It builds slowly, but very effectively and cuts back and forth with erratic fever. It sets a mood and sticks with it, as pretentious and snobby as it may sometimes be. That said, there are very few directors out there who can make a woman look as stunningly beautiful as Andrew Blake can or capture her in the heat of the moment like he can. There's a lot of that on display here and while some may feel that the overly artistic style may dilute that, for those who appreciate it there's a lot to admire here.

The DVD

Video:

The video quality on this release varies from scene to scene but generally the picture quality is quite good in this 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colors are nice and crisp, black levels are generally strong and there aren't any obvious issues with compression artifacts or edge enhancement to complain about. Blake's cinematography is always top notch so it's nice to see the visuals represented so nicely on this DVD.

Sound:

The sound mix is a decent Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound track. Most of Blake's work is shot without sound, meaning that there's only music overtop, no actual live audio, and the material presented on this DVD is no exception. The score used throughout sounds good, however. There isn't a ton of channel separation but there doesn't really need to be. There's a nice clarity to the mix and the levels are nicely balanced.

Extras:

The disc features trailers and promo spots for High Strung Women, Stove Top Filling (a scene from Night Trips, a trailer for Night Trips, a scene called The Villa from Made In Italy starring the gorgeous Justine Joli, a trailer for X2, a clip called Eternal Love from the movie Hard Edge, a clip called Best Friends from the movie Paid Companions, and a trailer for Paid Companions. Aside from that, there's menus and chapter selection - that's it.

Final Thoughts:

Voyeur Within is not a good starting point for those new to Blake's work and it's certainly not going to change the minds of any of his detractors. His fans, however, will no doubt appreciate the style and more subtle aspects of this hardcore presentation. Yes, it's artsy for the sake of being artsy, but there's nothing wrong with that and there's enough steamy and beautifully shot sex in here that it's hard not to recommend it to those who appreciate this director's style.