Monday, January 16, 2006
Speeding Down "Pacific Coast Highway"
Last night I rubbed one off to the William Higgins directed 1981 gay classic Pacific Coast Highway. This film is a cherished, even venerated high point in the history of gay porn. When mentioned in books, magazines and on-line, it is reverently placed on par with milestone flicks like Kansas City Trucking Company, Gold Rush Boys, Lance and Leo and Class of ’84.
With respect, I have to disagree. I was kind of bored by the film, until the final stunningly sexy scene. Sure it’s hot to see young, muscular twinks bare-backing, and shooting large gobs of cock snot. And, in fairness, the cinematography is the highest quality. Details are very clear here, every hair in sharp focus (and there’s a lot of hair, the film being made in the early eighties and all. And we all know how much I like hair!) The cum shots are shown three times, from three different angles, once at normal speed, and twice in slow motion, graphically displaying every spurt and splash. Bizarrely, one of the cum shots is shown backwards first, the sperm flying up and inserting itself into a hard, straining cock.
The film suffers from several problems however. The primary problem is the scenes become visually repetitive, and the actors tend to look a lot alike, making it difficult to figure out who is doing what to whom.
The first two sex sequences, although featuring different actors, look exactly alike, both taking place beside the same waterfall. First off are Buddy Preston and Dan Rockford. They’re fairly hot, but, like all but the last scene, I fast-forwarded through a lot of it. The remote was in my hand again for the second scene. By the same waterfall Kip Noll sucks and fucks Jeremy Scott.
Kip Noll is hot in this film, but again there are so many cute blonde boys in the movie Kip doesn’t have much of a chance to stand out. Sure he has a gorgeous cock and obviously knows what he’s doing in the sack (or in this case, on the moss), but at no point during Pacific Coast Highway do you say to yourself, "Wow! There’s a star! That’s the guy to watch!"
Kip Noll Then
In the next sequence Kip and Jeremy Scott are back for a three-way with Steve Richards in a jeep. Here the problem is that the positions they contort themselves into just look stunningly uncomfortable. There were sore muscles and odd crease marks in their skin the day after this scene was filmed. However, your cock will get stiff when the jizz starts flying, they each shoot a massive load on the windshield of the jeep. By the completion of the segment, cum has covered the glass, dripping down in obscene rivulets. In a surprisingly hot moment, cleaning fluid and the window wipers are employed to make the windshield usable again.
Then J.W. King and Troy Richards do it by a stream. Oddly enough, this is completely forgettable, although the loads of cum are huge, and Troy’s hairy ass is prominently displayed and mercilessly fingered and fucked. Next up Steve Richards, Scott Anderson and Jeff Hunter enjoy a menage on the beach. Here the actors look like they’re having a good time at least, and fuck and suck with gusto.
The final scene, however, is the best of the movie, and makes wading through the first segments well worth the slog. Troy Richards and Steve Savage are brothers, camping in a tent on the beach. After drinking a lot of beer, Troy complains he has a crick in his neck, and his brother agrees to give him a rub down. The orange track shorts come off and again Troy’s hairy ass is delivered to the viewer in amazingly detailed close-ups. The sex the brothers engage in is hot, sweaty, nasty and messy. It’s terrific, one of the best sex scenes I’ve ever had the joy to see, and it’s a scene I’ll be revisiting a lot in the future.
Watching the film it becomes apparent why William Higgins is considered on of the greatest porn directors in the history of Adult Cinema. He began his career in the late seventies, and, somewhat surprisingly, is still working today. He currently hosts his own website, as well as continuing to make videos, working with very hot Eastern European boys and getting them to do some of the hottest and most twisted things ever. I love his current DVDs, as well as much of his older porn. I just have trouble with this particular film.
William Higgins Today
Pacific Coast Highway is proof a film’s classic status lies in the eyes of the beholder. Certainly a lot of guys love this flick, and I won’t attempt to take that away from them. I’m sure there are many films I think of as essential porn that others couldn’t get a hard-on to if they tried. That’s art, that’s subjective thought. But even if ninety minutes of this film kept me fast-forwarding, the final scene in the tent on the beach will keep me coming back. And keep me cumming.
