Behind the Green Door
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| Behind the Green Door | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Artie Mitchell & Jim Mitchell |
| Produced by | Jim Mitchell |
| Written by | Anonymous (original story), Jim Mitchell (screen adaptation) |
| Starring | Marilyn Chambers |
| Music by | Daniel Le Blanc |
| Cinematography | Jon Fontana |
| Editing by | Jon Fontana |
| Release date(s) | 1972 |
| Running time | 72 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Behind the Green Door (1972) was the first hardcore pornographic movie widely released in the United States. Directed by the Mitchell brothers and starring Marilyn Chambers as Gloria Saunders, the movie depicts her abduction to a sex theater, where she is forced to perform various sexual acts with multiple partners in front of masked audience members. The Mitchell brothers appear in the film as her kidnappers. In a psychedelic and colorful key sequence, an ejaculation on Chambers' face is shown with sperm flying through the air for seven minutes.
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[edit] The Hype
Prior to the movie's release, Marilyn Chambers had modeled for Procter & Gamble and Ivory Snow detergent. After the release of the movie, Procter & Gamble recalled all products and advertising materials featuring her, unintentionally adding to the movie's hype. Along with Deep Throat, released later in the same year, the movie launched the "porno chic" boom and started what is now referred to as the "Golden Age of Porn." Made with a budget of $60,000, the movie ultimately grossed over $25 million (including its video release, which was controlled exclusively by the Mitchells).
[edit] Aftermath
In 1986, the Mitchells made a sequel to this film, Behind the Green Door, the Sequel, directed by singer Sharon McNight and starring a newcomer named Missy (who was Artie Mitchell's girlfriend at the time and reportedly demanded to be given the role). The film, in which all sex performers used condoms, Birth Control, and other protective paraphernalia, was a critical and commercial disaster and cost the Mitchells hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theatre, a strip club in San Francisco, contains a "Green Door room" which is named for the two movies and was the set of the sequel.
[edit] Origins
The film was made from an anonymous short story of the same title, which was circulated by means of numerous carbon copies. The story's title makes reference to the 1956 hit song "The Green Door".
[edit] In popular culture
Footage from the film is seen in the movie Cannonball Run, when Jackie Chan's character watches it in his high-tech car, almost leading to an accident. The theme of a sex theatre with masked guests sworn to secrecy pops up again in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.
[edit] References
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