Odyssey (1977)

Gerard Damiano (Deep Throat) shows sex as art in this visually stunning XXX flick from the golden age of porn. The story is a bit on the weak side since it shows different characters with no connection living out their sexual fantasies. Robert Kerman of Cannibal Holocaust shows up in the first segment as a miserable married man who finds satisfaction in a trippy brothel. The brothel is beautifully lit with Argento-esque colors and weird masks. We also have a unique transvestite sex scene which might have influenced Nazi Love Camp 27 which came out the same year and had a surprisingly similar scene.

The nice sets, lighting and camera work flows throughout the film keeping it interesting when others would tend to bore. Odyssey also offers up some more vagina shaving which Damiano has already so memorably unleashed on the world with Deep Throat and he also digs back to The Devil In Miss Jones with some suicide. This time around the weapon of choice is not a straight razor. Instead a gun is loaded, cocked and inserted into a freshly shaved vagina. The trigger is pulled and the credits roll. "In the beginning you are born... In the end, you will die... The rest is known as life..." I found it interesting that The Devil In Miss Jones opens with a suicide and Odyssey ends with one. Its obvious that Damiano has a dark side and its always interesting to see his portrayal of eroticism and bleakness. Vanessa Del Rio also pops up for a leather clad, bondage scene which is surprisingly tame. Maybe Damiano didn't appreciate the rough stuff so much.

Odyssey merges pornography and art into one tight package. Fans of this kind of cinema or those familiar with the work of Tinto Brass (Caligula, Trasgredire) will not be disappointed but those who need the fast paced and mindless onslaught of movies like Debbie Does Dallas are bound to be bored. Check it out if you don't mind a bit of art with your smut.