Retro Porn Review - Babyface

Alex de Renzy’s Babyface is somewhat of a cult hit. One thing that stands out about Babyface is that neither the “baby” whose face served as the film’s title (Lyn Cuddles Malone as Priscilla), nor the actual lead character of the story (Dan Roberts) ever had any other roles. This is their only known time on camera.

Dan was a big dude, and we first see him while getting groomed right before a job interview at a male brothel. As the new man in the joint, he is paraded in front of rich aggressive women that have no problem telling a nervous Dan what to do. He likes the attention and the sex, but not being ordered around. As he is fucking one of the women, he starts reminiscing about how he got there.

A few weeks before, Dan saw a couple of 15-year-old girls lost around the pier where he worked. As a legit creepy douche, he quickly made a move and escorted the willing one inside an abandoned building, while they ditched her friend. Young Priscilla wasn’t some naïve virginal girl; she couldn’t stop flirting and showing her shaved pussy to anyone who’d pay attention.

Their post-coital bliss lasted very little, though, as Priscilla’s mom came to “save” her, and found a running Dan escaping the scene, while a cop shot at him. Down and out, an ailing Dan gets rescued by a couple of kind souls who bathe him and give him a lovely threesome. But since he can’t stay with the girls, he needs a place to lay low as, you know, he’s hiding from the police while hoping his statutory rape would be forgotten or something.

The Training Camp is (allegedly) an upscale male brothel, and as one of their loyal customers describes it to another wealthy horny woman, it is “very clean and just the thing for a woman on the go.” The rest of the movie has a suitable location now.

Most of the clientele looks for specific things. Tasha (Sandy Pinney) is a successful female race-car driver (which in 1977 was a lot less common) with an appetite for S&M — especially if she has just lost a race. Shirley (an uncredited actress with only one other role to her name) is really into young boys. Of course, none of the guys here look all that young, so to see a fully mustachioed Joey Silvera play an awkward teenager feels a little silly.

Kristine Heller has probably the most memorable scene of the movie. She plays Marina Randolph, a somewhat vague celebrity (I guess that was also less common then) who has no time to lose and wants to get laid without the everyday hassle. As she walks into the Training Camp, she quickly starts picking guys up, and goes “for the record” in a gangbang that features every single male talent involved with this production — and perhaps even a crew member or two.

Some acting performances were good, especially Marion Eaton (who was also known for several mainstream roles) as Priscilla’s creepily religious man-hating mother; also known as “The Nutcracker”, a fierce unstable MILF who might change your perception of cellophane wrap after watching this movie.

Clocking at one hour and 46 minutes, Babyface is one of the longest feature porn films around, which is not necessarily a great thing. Having said that, the movie did use its resources and budget well. Most sex scenes are good, intense and well shot. There’s a lot of variety in terms of the genres played with, as well as the performers. Having a non-linear storytelling format also made it somewhat special within adult cinema.

It might not be de Renzy’s best film, but it’s up there.

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