Imperial's Rating:

This is another of these fallen Gods of my adolescent memories. Henry Paris' kooky tale of a day in the life of a famous Xaviera Hollander-like "sex personality" (Annette Haven yet again) still contains some of the most brilliant premises ever to adorn a sex flick. The restaurant sequences in particular remain among the funniest, weirdest and most erotic in the history of adult movies. Unfortunately on second viewing Paris' famous picture degenerates into a patchwork of unrelated sex scenes, all of them nicely set up to be sure, but still unconnected and at times shoddily shot. A perfect example of the mentality behind the making of this film is the Jamie Gillis-Constance Money bondage scene that is attached at the end of the movie under the flimsiest of justifications. This scene was an outtake from the "Opening of Misty Beethoven" and attached to "Barbara Broadcast" in order to capitalize on Connie's immense popularity at the time.

That said, some of the scenes still remain intensely erotic despite occassionally poor camera work and Henry Paris' well known obsession with the blowjob. By no means a "perfect film" by the more refined standards I have been currently employing, but still a very decent film whose historical importance upgrades it to a must-rent.

Copyright © Imperial Reviews

Posted By Imperial, www.excaliburfilms.com | 10/5/06 1:58 PM

T-Bone's Rating:

Starring: Annette Haven, C. J. Laing, Wade Nichols, Constance Money, Bobby Astyr, Susan McBain, Sharon Mitchell, Jamie Gillis.
The two female leads in this film (yes, shot on film!) were torrid. The acting was flawless here, and the film demanded *real* acting since the premise is a peculiar one: imagine a restaurant, a discotheque, (a world!) where sex can nonchalantly be ordered off of a menu, where boffing on a table in the midst of a crowd is commonplace, if simply unnoticed, where sex itself is simply such a part of life that it is integrated perfectly into every imaginable aspect of a daily routine. This is it! Annette Haven and C. J. Laing have a great time moving from one scene to the next, tongues-in-cheek (when they aren't elsewhere!), and the rest of the cast is eminently professional. This feature comes off as though it were a Real Movie, with the nasty goodies just happening to be there, woven cleverly into the proceedings. The concept was revolutionary then, and still raises eyebrows now (I showed a buddy the video recently and we both remarked at how well this was pulled off). Mostly due to the seriousness the cast brings to the proceedings, and good direction to be sure. You can't go wrong with Annette Haven, though! There is a terrifically sexy blowjob sequence involving a waiter, a starlet, and C. J. Laing (along to add flourish): it's remarkable how just the milling around of restaurant patrons and help add a certain sense of realism to the whole proceedings. The facial is fantastic! The actors all seem to really be enjoying themselves thoroughly (a good sign in ANY feature), especially here where it's obvious they are being called on to do much more than just "have sex". Yes, "Barbara Broadcast" is easily mentioned as a "classic" for the genre, but it really IS a Must-See!

Production values are first rate here. The restaurant is shot in a large galleria in a building (not a "set") and again only helps to add realism to the actors' performances in character. The kitchen sequence is sultry as well, with cauldrons of steaming water adding terrific atmosphere to the sex that occurs right there on the counter, while servers mill around. There is an "office" scene which is the only really "set"-like vignette, and the finale in the discotheque is a great slice of late-1970s pop culture. This is a film made with skill, great attention to detail, and obviously sincere conviction in purpose. All of it comes off as top-drawer, and as mentioned previously, the seriousness that pervades the production and the way the film's concept is realized make "Barbara Broadcast" so successful, so legendary in adult cinema.

Ironically, the eroticism may take some by surprise. I mean that here's a busy urban restaurant, with folks enjoying their various lunches, engaging in conversation, and a waitress comes over to one gentleman to take his order, and he orders a certain dish off the menu, and the waitress then hikes her skirts up for him to feast. . . on her! Yep, that's what he's ordered! (after which he's asked whether he'd like anything else and he responds "just coffee. "!!!). There's healthy doses of humor injected into this film which plays entertainingly off of the hardcore sequences. Over at another table, Barbara (Miss Haven), engaged in conversation with Roberta (Miss Laing), orders a #17 for a friend yet to arrive, and the waiter makes the dish tableside: he produces a silver dish with some bib lettuce and then unzips his fly to produce a monster C**K which he jerks off all over the lettuce in the dish. When the friend arrives she's pleased with Barbara having ordered for her, but when she sees the "dish" she remarks "Oh I can't! That's my binge food. " Well thought out dialogue and gags frame the erotic moments, and pretty soon the pace becomes familiar, as unorthodox as it is. The sex all seems quite "natural" and so it works even better on an erotic level. No, the actors don't strip completely, there isn't a lot of oiled-up wall-to-wall mega-pounding. No, this is Erotic, with a capital "E" -- very classy in its way, and sort of like walking into a very sexy, decadent dream. The hardcore sequences are all well shot and lit, and there is plenty to see, mind you. It's the way it's pulled off, the atmosphere generated by the cast and the locales, etc. that add up to so much more than a film that was simply "gardenhosed" (where the actors are thrown into a yard, the cameras are turned on, and they just go at it with no premise or script). This feature is ideal for couples, for "romantics" or for folks like me that just can't get enough of the early, classy stuff. Miss Laing and her partner in the kitchen, the chef, make a pa

The music, actually. Very odd to admit, but there is a lot of really great vintage 70s "wakka-wakka" guitar and electronic keyboard to be relished here. I was particularly shocked, but elated, to hear the piece of music commonly associated with the t. v. program "The People's Court" (y'know, with Judge Wapner)!!! I guess all the music is "stock" but it's great. The majority of the first long scene in the restaurant takes place to Strauss waltzes, adding yet another layer of "class", and when the upbeat contemporary music kicks in it doesn't disappoint at all. That's a guilty pleasure. What I suppose folks really want to know is what was really hot about the film. Well, there's plenty. The following scenes can be watched over and over and still come off great: the blowjob on the stairs in the restaurant (with the hot facial). . . the humpy chef taking Miss Laing doggy-style on the kitchen counter. . . the moment Miss Haven lifts her skirt and leans forward to let the businessman ride her in his office (verrry sexy)!

I saw it was censored in at least one place. C. J. Laing, upon entering the kitchen stands over a large stainless steel bowl and provocatively urinates into it -- this part of the film was tampered with and it really shows. Too bad, really. I'm not into that, and I find it a turn off, but that it was censored burns me up. After all, isn't this America??

This film is known as a classic, and anyone who wants to see the way a classy porn-chic film looked (looks?!) should immediately shell out for it. I would give it an 8 since, despite its age (made in 1977!!) it still packs a punch, and delivers some of the most creatively sexy tableaux I've ever seen. It's novel, it's sexy, it's funny, it's a gas! Get your buddies together for "stag nite", pizza & beer & "Barbara Broadcast," and enjoy some great laughs (and hot sex), or bring it home for you and the wife to snuggle up to. They sure don't make 'em like THIS anymore (and it's a shame).

Posted By T-Bone, www.excaliburfilms.com | 10/12/06 1:58 PM