Radley Metzger Explained

Radley Metzger
Birth Date:21 January 1929[1]
Birth Place:New York City, New York, U.S.
Death Date:[2] [3] [4]
Death Place:New York City, New York, U.S.
Education:B. A. degree in Dramatic Arts
Alma Mater:City College of New York

Columbia University
Occupation:Film director
Years Active:1957–2010s
Known For:Artistic, adult-oriented films and related works[5] [6]
Style:"a Euro-centric combination of stylish decadence, wealth and the aristocratic".
Children:daughter
Parents:Julius; Anne
Relatives:nephew, nieces

Radley Metzger (also known as Radley Henry Metzger, Radley H. Metzger[7] and by the pseudonyms, "Jake Barnes", "Erich Farina" and "Henry Paris")[8] [9] [10] (January 21, 1929 – March 31, 2017)[11] was an American pioneering filmmaker[12] and film distributor, most noted for popular artistic, adult-oriented films,[13] [14] including Thérèse and Isabelle (1968), Camille 2000 (1969), The Lickerish Quartet (1970), Score (1974), The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (1974), The Image (1975), The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976) and Barbara Broadcast (1977).[15] [16] According to one film reviewer, Metzger's films, including those made during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984), are noted for their "lavish design, witty screenplays, and a penchant for the unusual camera angle".[17] Another reviewer noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral ... and often featured gorgeous cinematography".[18] Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.[19] [20]

Early life

Radley Henry Metzger was born on January 21, 1929, on the Grand Concourse in The Bronx, New York City, and was the second son of Jewish parents, Julius and Anne.[21] [22] He claimed he found relief from his allergies in movie theaters, especially at the Audubon Ballroom theatre, while growing up.[23] Later, Metzger received a B.A. in Dramatic Arts from City College of New York,[17] where he studied with filmmakers Hans Richter and Leo Seltzer. He also studied acting privately with director Harold Clurman. During the Korean War, Metzger served in the U. S. Air Force with the 1350th Photographic Group, which interrupted his graduate studies at Columbia University.[17] His older brother, now deceased, had become a physician. Metzger later married and had a daughter.

Career

Early in his career, in the 1950s, Metzger worked primarily as a film editor[24] and was a member of Local 771 of the IATSE. He was employed in editing trailers for Janus Films, a major distributor of foreign art films, especially those of Michelangelo Antonioni, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini,[25] Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. In 1953, Metzger was credited as assistant director to William Kyriakis on the film Guerilla Girl. In 1956, he worked on the dubbing of And God Created Woman starring Brigitte Bardot. His directorial film debut, Dark Odyssey (1961) (co-directed with Kyriakis), was a drama concerning the experiences of a Greek immigrant arriving in New York. The film was favorably reviewed by The New York Times[26] and others.[27] [28] [29] In 1959, he edited the film The Gangster Story starring Walter Matthau and, in 1960, Metzger was a presenter for the Japanese film The Warped Ones.[30]

Later, in 1961, along with film distributor Ava Leighton, Metzger founded Audubon Films. The company was named after the Audubon Ballroom theatre, one of his favorite movie theaters while growing up. The newly founded distribution company specialized in importing international features, some of which were marketed into the gradually expanding adult erotic film genre. Metzger's skills as an editor were employed in re-cutting and augmenting many of the features Audubon handled, including The Twilight Girls (FR,1957) and, their first runaway success, Mac Ahlberg I, a Woman (DN/SW,1965).Metzger's second directorial effort, The Dirty Girls (shot in 1963 and released in 1965), marked his emergence as a major auteur in the adult erotic film genre. His subsequent films were often shot in Europe[31] and adapted from novels or other literary sources, including Carmen (by Prosper Mérimée), La Dame aux Camélias (by Alexandre Dumas), L'image (by Catherine Robbe-Grillet), Naked Came the Stranger (by Penelope Ashe),[32] Pygmalion (by George Bernard Shaw), Six Characters in Search of an Author (by Luigi Pirandello), The Cat and the Canary (by John Willard),[31] and Thérèse et Isabelle (by Violette Leduc).[33] He cites John Farrow, Claude Lelouch, Michael Powell, Alain Resnais[34] and Orson Welles as influencing his work.[31] Metzger worked with the French film director Jean Renoir, as well as the American actor Hal Linden. Andy Warhol, who helped begin the Golden Age of Porn with his 1969 film Blue Movie, was a fan of Metzger's film work and commented that Metzger's 1970 film, The Lickerish Quartet, was “an outrageously kinky masterpiece”.[35] In 1972, Metzger directed the film Score,[36] based on an erotic off-Broadway play that included Sylvester Stallone.[37] Films directed by Metzger included musical scores composed by Georges Auric, Stelvio Cipriani, Georges Delerue, and Piero Piccioni.[31] Metzger's signature film style of his "elegant erotica"[38] had developed into being "a Euro-centric combination of stylish decadence, wealth and the aristocratic".[5]

Under the pseudonym "Henry Paris," Metzger also directed several explicit adult erotic features during the mid- to late-1970s. These films were released during the Golden Age of Porn (inaugurated by the 1969 release of Andy Warhol Blue Movie) in the United States, at a time of "porno chic",[39] [40] in which adult erotic films were just beginning to be widely released, publicly discussed by celebrities (like Johnny Carson and Bob Hope)[41] and taken seriously by film critics (like Roger Ebert).[42] [43] Metzger's films are typified by high production values, especially The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (1975) and The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976), and are generally critically celebrated.[44] [45] Some historians assess The Opening of Misty Beethoven, based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (and its derivative, My Fair Lady), as attaining a mainstream level in storyline and sets[46] [47] [48] and is considered, by award-winning author Toni Bentley, the "crown jewel" of the Golden Age of Porn.

Some of the adult erotic "Henry Paris" films, including Score (1974),[49] [50] have also been presented in softcore versions. Many of Metzger's films, including Score (1974), The Image (1975), The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976) and Barbara Broadcast (1977), as well as his earlier softcore films, Camille 2000 (1969) and The Lickerish Quartet (1970), have been released in Blu-ray versions.[51]

With his 1978 feature The Cat and the Canary, Metzger distinguished himself as one of the few adult film auteurs to direct a dramatic feature outside of the adult erotic film genre. The film starred Honor Blackman, Edward Fox, Dame Wendy Hiller and Carol Lynley.

Later life

In the 1990s, as a result of the passing of his long-time partner, Ava Leighton, due to cancer, Metzger produced several videos on alternative health care, including one on cancer treatment and a five-part video series on homeopathy with Dr. Andrew Weil. According to Metzger: "I felt that in the 1990s, people needed more information on an intelligent approach to health and disease — that they needed to know about alleviating guilt. That was my emphasis."

Later in life, Metzger considered several "Henry Paris"-like film projects, including one titled Solarium,[52] another one based on the book The Surrender by Toni Bentley, and a third one based on his own original script, using Shakespearean dialogue, tentatively titled The Heat of the Midnight Sun. However, all of these film projects were ultimately left unfinished.[53]

According to film reviewer Adam Schartoff of Filmmaker Magazine in April 2017, Metzger was a "truly unique and exquisitely talented director", his films had "strong visuals and narratives ... whimsical, funny, intelligent and always ambitious stories", his treatment of female characters were "way beyond his time". Schartoff and a producing partner, Judith Mizrachy, considered making a documentary overview about Metzger and his films, but the project currently is unfinished.[54]

Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.[55]

Death

Metzger died of undisclosed causes in New York City on Friday, March 31, 2017, at the age of 88.[56]

Awards (selected)

In 1977, Metzger's film The Opening of Misty Beethoven was the recipient of the first Adult Film Association of America awards for Best Direction (as Henry Paris), Best Film, and Best Actor (Jamie Gillis)[57] [58] [59] and, as well, won the X-Caliber award for Best Direction (as Henry Paris).

In 2001, Metzger's film work was the subject of a retrospective in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 2002, Metzger's film The Opening of Misty Beethoven won Best Classic Release on DVD by the Adult Film Association of America.[60]

In 2010, Metzger was also the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oldenburg International Film Festival, where he served as a judge in 2011.[61]

In 2011, Metzger's film work was the subject of a retrospective at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.[62] [63]

In 2014, Metzger's film work was the subject of a retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Partial filmography (director)

See also

Further reading

External links

Barbara Broadcast (04:09)

Camille 2000 (02:23);
Lickerish Quartet (02:45); Misty Beethoven (03:01);
Pamela Mann (02:55); Score (03:38); The Image (11:07)

Notes and References

  1. News: Sandomir . Richard . Radley Metzger, Whose Artful Erotica Turned Explicit, Dies at 88 . April 4, 2017 . . April 5, 2017 .
  2. News: Metzger . Juliette . Feldman . Caryl . West . Ashley . Press Release: Radley Metzger, pioneering filmmaker, dies at 88 . April 2, 2017 . . April 2, 2017 .
  3. News: West . Ashley . Radley Metzger – A Friendship Remembered . April 2, 2017 . . April 2, 2017 .
  4. News: Hudson . David . Radley Metzger, 1929-2017 . April 2, 2017 . . April 2, 2017---> . dead . April 3, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170403014723/https://www.fandor.com/keyframe/radley-metzger-1929-2017 . April 6, 2017 .
  5. Web site: Staff . 'The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann' (1974): The Birth of 'Henry Paris' . April 3, 2017 . . April 3, 2017 .
  6. Web site: Vermuellen . Dries . The X-Rated World of Radley Metzger . May 29, 2019 . ReprobatePress.com . November 12, 2019 .
  7. Web site: Bentley. Toni. Toni Bentley. The Legend of Henry Paris . June 2014. ToniBentley.com. January 26, 2016.
  8. Web site: Bentley . Toni . Toni Bentley . The Art Cinema Erotica of Radley Metzger . August 7, 2014 . . February 10, 2016 .
  9. Web site: Staff. 2017. Radley H. Metzger. April 4, 2017. Complete Index to World Film.
  10. Web site: Staff . Filmlexikon - Radley Metzger . de . zweitausendeins.de . April 4, 2017 . April 5, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170405172557/http://www.zweitausendeins.de/filmlexikon/?sucheNach=personNr&wert=2541 . dead .
  11. News: Kernes. Mark. April 3, 2017. Pioneering Adult Director Radley Metzger Passes. AVN. November 12, 2019.
  12. Web site: Hudson . David . This Is Softcore: The Art Cinema Erotica of Radley Metzger . August 7, 2014 . . February 29, 2016 . March 5, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305061932/https://www.fandor.com/keyframe/daily-this-is-softcore-the-art-cinema-erotica-of-radley-metzger . dead .
  13. Web site: Dollar. Steve. Radley Metzger Retrospective Opens at Film Society of Lincoln Center. August 5, 2014. Wall Street Journal. May 23, 2015.
  14. Web site: Staff . This Is Softcore: The Art Cinema Erotica of Radley Metzger. August 7, 2014. Film Society of Lincoln Center. May 23, 2015 .
  15. Web site: MacFarlane. Steve. Interview: Radley Metzger. August 6, 2014. Slant Magazine. May 23, 2015.
  16. Web site: West . Ashley . 'The Opening of Misty Beethoven' (1976): Jamie Gillis and Constance Money . April 7, 2017 . . April 7, 2017 .
  17. Web site: Gallagher. Steve. August 7, 2014. "This is Softcore": The History of Radley Metzger. May 23, 2015. Filmmaker Magazine.
  18. Web site: Simpson. Claire. October 2, 2013. Adults Only: 5 Films By Radley Metzger. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150524154050/http://whatculture.com/film/adults-only-5-films-by-radley-metzger.php. May 24, 2015. May 23, 2015. WhatCulture.com. mdy-all.
  19. Book: Rist, Ray C. . Book - The Pornography Controversy: Changing Moral Standards in American Life . January 4, 1974 . The Pornography Controversy: Changing Moral Standards in American Life . 124 . Transaction Publishers . 9781412838467 . February 29, 2016 .
  20. Book: Lehman, Peter . Book - Pornography: Film and Culture . 2006 . Pornography: Film and Culture . 9 . Rutgers University Press . 9780813538716 . February 29, 2016 .
  21. Web site: Bentley. Toni. Toni Bentley. The Legend of Henry Paris. June 2014 . . December 6, 2021. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180210220441/http://www.playboy.com/articles/the-legend-of-henry-paris . February 10, 2018.
  22. News: Staff . Paid Notice: Deaths Metzger, Anne . August 29, 2017 . . April 2, 2017 .
  23. Web site: West . Ashley . Radley Metzger's Beginnings: The Audubon Ballroom . April 6, 2017 . . April 6, 2017 .
  24. Web site: Staff . Dreams of Desire – The Films of Radley Metzger. Mondo-Digital.com. May 23, 2015.
  25. Web site: Staff. 2015. Radley Metzger – TCM Archive Materials. June 15, 2015. Turner Classic Movies.
  26. News: Thompson . Howard . Screen: 'Dark Odyssey':Low-Cost Drama Has Premiere at Cameo . June 26, 1961 . . April 10, 2017 .
  27. Web site: Morris . Gary . Radley Metzger - Dark Odyssey and Little Mother . 1998 . ImagesJournal.com . April 10, 2017 .
  28. Web site: Georgakas . Dan . Dark Odyssey . 1998 . . April 10, 2017 .
  29. Web site: Hasan . Mark R. . DVD: Dark Odyssey (1961) . 2011 . KQEK.com . April 10, 2017 .
  30. Web site: Staff . The Warped Ones (1960) - Kyônetsu no kisetsu (original title) . . April 4, 2017 .
  31. Web site: Staff. A Talk With Radley Metzger. May 23, 2015. Mondo-Digital.com.
  32. Web site: Staff . 'Naked Came the Stranger' (1975): The Hoax, The Film . April 5, 2017 . . April 5, 2017 .
  33. News: Lezard . Nicholas . Thérèse and Isabelle by Violette Leduc – review . February 28, 2012 . . April 8, 2017 .
  34. Web site: Weston. Hillary. August 19, 2014. Porn Before It Was Chic: An Interview With Radley Metzger on Sex and Cinema. February 29, 2016. BlackBook.
  35. Web site: Staff . The Lickerish Quartet. August 8, 2014. Film Society of Lincoln Center. May 24, 2015.
  36. Web site: Kramer . Gary M. . Interview: Radley Metzger, dir. of Score . January 8, 2014 . Cinedelphia . April 4, 2017 .
  37. Web site: Staff. April 4, 2017. Radley Metzger's 'Score' (1974): Behind the Scenes. April 4, 2017. The Rialto Report.
  38. News: Nichols . Peter M. . Home Video; Elegant Exotica On Small Screen . November 21, 1997 . . April 13, 2017 .
  39. News: Blumenthal . Ralph . Porno chic; 'Hard-core' grows fashionable-and very profitable . January 21, 1973 . . January 20, 2016 .
  40. Web site: Porno Chic. 2020-10-06. www.jahsonic.com. May 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210517012404/https://jahsonic.com/PornoChic.html. dead.
  41. Corliss . Richard . Richard Corliss . That Old Feeling: When Porno Was Chic . March 29, 2005 . . January 27, 2016 .
  42. Web site: Ebert . Roger . Roger Ebert . The Devil In Miss Jones - Film Review . June 13, 1973 . . February 7, 2015 .
  43. Web site: Ebert . Roger . Roger Ebert . Alice in Wonderland:An X-Rated Musical Fantasy . November 24, 1976 . . February 26, 2016 .
  44. Web site: Staff . The Films of Henry Paris. January 17, 2012. Mondo-Digital.com. May 24, 2015.
  45. Book: Paasonen . Susanna . Saarenmaa . Laura . The Golden Age of Porn: Nostalgia and History in Cinema . July 19, 2007 . . May 1, 2017 .
  46. News: Hopkins . Brent . Porn: The Valley's secret industry . June 3, 2007 . . December 6, 2021 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180723182117/https://www.dailynews.com/2007/06/03/porn-the-valleys-secret-industry/ . July 23, 2018 .
  47. Web site: Rohit . Nitesh . The Opening of Misty Beethoven . June 6, 2008 . WindsFromThe East . April 6, 2017 .
  48. Book: The Cult Film Reader . Mathijs. Ernest. Mendik. Xavier . Open University Press. 2007. 978-0335219230 . 517 . December 6, 2021 .
  49. Web site: Morris. Gary. April 1, 1998. Seduction Is Universal: Thoughts on Radley Metzger. November 22, 2018. BrightLightsFilm.com.
  50. Web site: Morris. Gary. August 1, 1999. Four Metzger Classics on DVD: Therese and Isabelle; Camille 2000; The Lickerish Quartet; Score. November 22, 2018. BrightLightsFilm.com.
  51. Web site: Staff . Films of Radley Metzger on Blu-Ray. May 25, 2015 . VideoxPix.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304212809/http://videoxpix.com/catalog/1749 . March 4, 2016 . April 25, 2021.
  52. Web site: Staff. May 16, 2011. Radley Metzger: A UCLA Retrospective, New DVD & New Film. February 21, 2016. AVN.
  53. Web site: West . Ashley . 'The Heat of the Midnight Sun': The Untold Story of Radley Metzger's Last Film Project . April 9, 2017 . . April 9, 2017 .
  54. Web site: Schartoff . Adam . Radley Metzger, 1929 – 2017 . April 5, 2017 . . April 16, 2017 .
  55. Web site: Staff. 2016. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) - DadaBase Search Results - Radley Metzger. February 29, 2016. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
  56. Web site: Staff . Obituary Of The Righteous - The Porn Of The Fabulous 60s And 70s Loses One Of Its Pioneers And Masters: Radley Metzger - Photographer Of War, The MOMA Presents A Retrospective: His Erotic Films Made History - Video: 'Score', On The Relationships Of Couples Of The 70s, In An Uncensored Version . March 4, 2017 . DagoSpia.com . November 12, 2019 .
  57. Hilton . Thomas H. . The Porn Awards . 6 . 6 (issue=66) . 16–17 . August 1, 1977 . .
  58. Hilton . Thomas H. . The First Annual Erotica Awards . 6 . 8 (issue=68) . 18–21 . December 1, 1977 . .
  59. Staff . AFAA - 8th Annual AFAA Erotic Film Awards — official program . March 14, 1984 . .
  60. Web site: Staff . Adult Video News Awards - Winner - Best Classic DVD . January 11, 2002 . . January 28, 2016 .
  61. Web site: Staff . Oldenburg International Film Festival honors a master of erotic cinema Radley Metzger . October 8, 2010 . . January 28, 2016 . February 2, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160202031858/http://www.filmfest-oldenburg.de/en/news/newssingle/datum/2010/08/10/filmfest-oldenburg-ehrt-den-81-jaehrigen-radley-metzger-mit-retrospektive/ . dead .
  62. Web site: Staff . Smooth Operator: The Opulent Eroticism of Radley Metzger . June 2, 2011 . . January 28, 2016 .
  63. News: King . Susan . Around Town: Radley Metzger's erotica, Tim Burton's exotica, Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock and more . June 2, 2011 . . February 21, 2016 .
  64. Web site: Staff . La baie du désir . 2019 . . November 11, 2019 .
  65. Web site: Morris . Gary . Radley Metzger: The Dirty Girls, Carmen Baby, The Princess and the Call Girl on DVD . November 1, 1999 . . April 13, 2017 .
  66. News: Staff . 'Carmen' Updated . October 11, 1967 . . April 13, 2017 .
  67. Web site: Body Lust (1981) - Alternate title: The Tale of Tiffany Lust. https://web.archive.org/web/20160204005521/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/150944/Body-Lust/overview . dead . February 4, 2016 . Movies & TV Dept. . . 2016. June 15, 2015.
  68. News: West . Ashley . 'The Sins of Ilsa' (1985): The Untold Story of Radley Metzger's Unreleased Last Film . June 23, 2019 . . November 3, 2019 .

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