''Resurrection of Eve '' is a 1973 American feature-length
pornographic film
Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, and 18+ films are films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse and satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include eroticall ...
produced by the
Mitchell brothers
Brothers James Lloyd "Jim" Mitchell (November 30, 1943 in Stockton, California – July 12, 2007 in Petaluma, California) and Artie Jay Mitchell (December 17, 1945 in Lodi, California – February 27, 1991 in Marin County, California) were Ameri ...
and starring
Marilyn Chambers
Marilyn Ann Taylor (née Briggs; April 22, 1952 – April 12, 2009), known professionally as Marilyn Chambers, was an American pornographic actress, exotic dancer, model, actress, singer and vice-presidential candidate. She was known fo ...
, who had become a star in the Mitchell Brothers' previous picture, ''
Behind the Green Door
''Behind the Green Door'' is a 1972 American feature-length pornographic film, widely considered one of the genre's "classic" pictures and one of the films that ushered in The Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984).Williams, p. 299 Featuring Maril ...
''. ''Resurrection of Eve'' was directed and written by Jon Fontana and
Artie Mitchell. Though less successful commercially and critically than ''Behind the Green Door'', it is considered one of the films of
The Golden Age of Porn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki_talk:Spam-whitelist/Archives/2018/01#Another_Worthy_Journal_Article_on_Wordpress --->
The term "Golden Age of Porn", or "porno chic", refers to a 15-year period (1969–1984) in commercial American porno ...
. Like ''Behind the Green Door'', it featured
interracial sex
Ethnic pornography is a genre of pornography featuring performers of specific ethnic groups, or depictions of interracial sexual activity. Though productions can feature any type of ethnic group (e.g., Caucasian, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latino, ...
, including a reprise of Chambers' coupling with her ''Green Door'' co-star
Johnnie Keyes
Johnnie Keyes (February 21, 1940 – June 3, 2018) was an American pornographic film actor.
Keyes had a lead role in ''Behind the Green Door
''Behind the Green Door'' is a 1972 American feature-length pornographic film, widely considered one ...
, but broke new ground in a film targeting a
heterosexual audience by included shots of
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
fellatio
Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another person by using the mouth, throat, or both. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may ...
.
Plot
Eve, a victim of childhood
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...
, and her lover Frank, a
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
, live in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
. They have a fight triggered by Frank's jealous nature. Frank is dismayed that Eve has gone to a boxing match featuring African American pugilist Johnnie Keyes. Eve tries to console Frank with sex, but they fight and he tells her, “Perhaps you need some of that black stuff.” Eve leaves the house, gets into her car, and has a terrible accident whilst driving, winding up in the hospital, wrapped in bandages. After the bandages are taken off, she surprisingly is much prettier. This is her first resurrection.
After Eve returns home, Frank suggests they attend a swinger's party, and she reluctantly agrees. At the ensuing orgy, Frank happily enjoys the charms of a friend's wife, but Eve is horrified by the hedonism and they fight afterwards. Frank berates her for harboring sexual inhibitions and blamed for trying to make him feel guilty. The brow-beaten Eve decides to try swinging again.
After attending a couple more swing parties, a role-reversal begins to take place. Eve becomes an enthusiastic swinger, and Frank's jealousy comes out at a party in a 1950s themed party in which he sees his wife fellating an African American. Frank becomes the reticent partner as Eve becomes unfettered sexuality, and he loses his control over her. At an orgy featuring all manners of sex, gay, straight and interracial, Eve couples with an African American gentleman while the jealous Frank watches. She announces after coitus that she is leaving Frank. The second resurrection of Eve is complete.
Themes
''Resurrection of Eve'' has a more detailed plot than is normal for the era. The film touches on issues of sexual politics and race-based sexual envy. There is less sex than would be expected from the Mitchell Brothers, after viewing ''Behind the Green Door'', a basically plotless sextravaganza.
The Supreme Court's 1973
Miller v. California
''Miller v. California'', 413 U.S. 15 (1973), was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court modifying its definition of obscenity from that of "utterly without socially redeeming value" to that which lacks "serious literary, artistic, politi ...
decision, which was decided on 21 June 1973, adversely affected the mainstream release of porn films, including ''Behind the Green Door''. The Miller decision redefined obscenity from that of “utterly without socially redeeming value” to that that lacks "serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value" and substituted contemporary community standards for national standards, as some prior tests required. Miller continued to hold that obscenity was not protected by the
First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
, which gave leeway to local judges to seize and destroy prints of films adjudged to violate local community standards.
When ''Behind the Green Door'' opened in
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County () is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York. It is mainly located on the eastern end of Long Island, but also includes several smaller islands. According to the 2020 United States census, the county's populatio ...
in 1973, it was successfully prosecuted, as it was in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
along with the 1973 porn film ''
The New Comers
''The New Comers'' is a 1973 pornographic film that was banned in New York City for violating state obscenity statutes. The movie was directed by Lloyd Kaufman and starred Jamie Gillis, Harry Reems, and Georgina Spelvin. The film was part of the ...
''. In addition to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, ''Behind the Green Door'' was banned in California, Colorado, and Georgia.
''Resurrection of Eve'', which was released in the United States on 13 September 1973,
See also
*
List of American films of 1973
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
Sources
*
*
External links
''Resurrection of Eve'' info, trivia and photos*
Marilyn Chambers dance scene from Resurrection of Eve(73)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Resurrection of Eve
1973 films
1970s pornographic films
1970s English-language films
Films shot in San Francisco
Obscenity controversies in film
Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area
American pornographic films
1970s American films