Review of Aroused (1966) by Walter M — 18 Jul 2014

Some interesting, informative, and surprising revelations from porn stars smothered by a pretentious presentation. Director Deborah Anderson's monologues show an obnoxious arrogance and pompous self-importance over this project - hey lady, you take portraits of famous people, that's hardly on the same level of capturing the flag-raising at Iwo Jima. Her approach is even self-defeating: she wants to show how women in the adult industry are regular people and individuals, but by tightly focusing on a single body part (an eye, the lips, a hand) while cross-cutting interviews with sixteen subjects, it's impossible to sort out who exactly says what.

Despite this, certain distinct personalities emerge, with Asphyxia Noir, Misty Stone, Allie Haze, Katsuni, and Alexis Texas distinguishing themselves. The mood is predominantly positive, many of the women obviously enjoy what they do, and there are surprisingly few sob stories. I rather suspect that's a function of the nature of the interview as the women are asked questions while sitting in the makeup chair getting ready for a sexy photoshoot - you aren't going to want to upset your subjects then, right? The more pointed interview with a talent agent paints a bleaker picture.