Barbara Broadcast – Distribpix (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1977
Director: Radley Metzger (as "Henry Paris")
Writer: Radley Metzger (as "Jake Barnes")
Cast: Annette Haven, Bobby Astyr, C. J. Laing, Constance Money, Jamie Gillis, Michael Gaunt, Sharon Mitchell, Susan McBain, Wade Nichols, Zebedy Colt

Release Date: August 13th, 2013
Approximate Running Time: 82 Minutes 19 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English (Hardcore Version - Blu-ray Only), Dolby Digital Mono English (Both Versions - DVD Only)
Subtitles: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"Welcome to the world of Barbara Broadcast, a former high-class prostitute and now acclaimed author of sex books, as she burns up the screen in a series of the most erotic sequences ever filmed.

Played by the stunning Annette Haven, Barbara is interviewed by journalist C.J. Laing in an elegant restaurant where gourmet food and gourmet sex is on the menu. C.J. Laing then ventures into the kitchen for a smoldering encounter with Wade Nichols that may just be the greatest sex scene ever filmed. Other standout moments include an corporate office encounter and a sex scene set in a busy Manhattan night club, before an intense finale featuring the return of ‘Misty Beethoven’, Constance Money and her tormentor Jamie Gillis." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Blu-ray), 3.5/5 (DVD - Both Versions)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Both versions of the film have been scanned in 2k. The hard version has undergone major color correction and over 30 hours of digital scratch, dirt and dust removal."

Barbara Broadcast comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.4 GB

Feature: 19.5 GB

Barbara Broadcast was shot on super 16mm and blown up to 35mm for theatrical exhibition. The source looks excellent; any debris is very minor, flesh tones look healthy, colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with edge enhancement. When compared to this film's previous home media releases, this new transfer is a massive upgrade.

Barbara Broadcast (Hardcore Version) comes of a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 6.4 GB

Barbara Broadcast (Softcore Version) comes of a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 7.5 GB

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 3.5/5 (Dolby Digital Mono English)

Both versions of the film come with one audio option, mono. The Blu-ray is DTS-HD, while the DVD’s is Dolby Digital. All of the audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced and robust when they should. Included are removable English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Portuguese subtitles.

Extras: 

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a slideshow and ephemera gallery with music from the film playing in the background (stills/script pages/advertisements/articles), radio spots for Naked Came the Stranger, Barbara Broadcast, and Maraschino Cherry (6 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Barbara Broadcast (4 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a film facts subtitle track, and an audio commentary with director Radley Metzger and adult film historian Benson Hurst.

Extras on DVD disc one include an interview with actor Michael Datorre (30 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled The Making of Barbara Broadcast (15 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a film facts subtitle track, and an audio commentary with director Radley Metzger and adult film historian Benson Hurst.

Extras on DVD disc two include a slideshow and ephemera gallery with music from the film playing in the background (stills/script pages/advertisements/articles), radio spots for Naked Came the Stranger, Barbara Broadcast, and Maraschino Cherry (6 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (5 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Naked Came the Stranger (3 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for The Opening of Misty Beethoven (5 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Barbara Broadcast (4 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Maraschino Cherry (5 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Outtakes From the Vault Barbara Broadcast (36 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo, no dialog, music from the film playing in the background), a featurette about the cast titled A Tribute to The Players (17 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and a softcore version of Barbara Broadcast (74 minutes 53 minutes, 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital mono English with removable English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German subtitles).

Other extras include a slipcover, and a 28-page booklet with liner notes about Barbara Broadcast written by Benson Hurst, liner notes about the music written by Ian Culmell, an essay titled A Reminiscent of Barbara Broadcast written by Storm Rider and information about the transfer. 

Summary:

A reporter named Roberta interviews Barbara Broadcast, a world-famous sex expert who has just published a book about all of her sexual rendezvous. The interview takes place at a luxurious New York restaurant where sex is the main course on the menu. Barbara Broadcast's fans and friends constantly interrupt the interview.

All the Henry Paris films that preceded Barbara Broadcast had softcore versions; unlike those that trimmed footage and used alternate footage, Barbara Broadcast adds a voice-over narration.There are three areas where the narration comes into play: the beginning and end of the film, and throughout there’s internal dialog by the protagonist. The softcore version has another notable addition: there is a scene that takes place in an adult movie theater; this scene is not in the hardcore version.

Since its inception, adult cinema has been a business that quickly works its way through its talent. Though there have been a handful of directors who deserve the title of auteur, ultimately, it is Radley Metzger’s body of work under the pseudonym Henry Paris that remains the high-water mark in adult cinema. Radley Metzger was an accomplished filmmaker who had already directed ten films by the time he made The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann. To put into context how brief Radley Metzger’s time in adult cinema was, he would direct his five Henry Paris films over the span of 23 months.

Where most of Radley Metzger’s contemporaries were content to repeat themselves, he was a creative force who was always looking for ways to improve upon his previous film. Though The Opening of Misty Beethoven is widely regarded as Radley Metzger’s masterpiece, one must not overlook Barbara Broadcast. That said, instead of trying to top himself with Barbara Broadcast, Radley Metzger went the opposite direction and made a more intimate film.

Content-wise, Barbara Broadcast has all the elements that have become synonymous with the Henry Paris films like a well-executed narrative consisting of a series of vignettes that are enhanced by witty dialog that’s laced with sexual humor. Some examples of the dialogue include, “I’m Harvey, the Wallbanger,” “Where did you get such nice teeth?” and “One night, I caught the Tooth Fairy under my pillow, and I gave him the best fuck of his life.” There is a recurring sight gag where a maître d' gets a blow job every time a waitress or customer breaks something.

Though Barbara Broadcast has a solid cast, there are two performances that stand out: Annette Haven in the role of the protagonist and C.J. Laing, who portrays a reporter. C.J. Laing has the most memorable moment; it is a scene where her character goes down to the kitchen for a sexual rendezvous with the cook. C.J. Laing and Wade Nichols are electrifying in what is arguably the best sex scene Radley Metzger directed.

Other notable cast members are Bobby Astyr in the role of the maître d', Sharon Mitchell, who portrays a waitress, Constance Money, who portrays a bondage slave, and Jamie Gillis, who portrays Constance’s bondage master. The scene with Constance Money and Jamie Gillis is an outtake from The Opening of Misty Beethoven.

Barbara Broadcast’s soundtrack, like the other Henry Paris films, is a collection of recognizable library tracks that were licensed. Though the soundtrack features instantly recognizable classical music like Johann Strauss’ 'The Blue Danube', it is a track titled ‘The Big One’ that’s bound to catch most viewers' attention. Years later, ‘The Big One’ would become famous as the theme for The People’s Court.

Barbara Broadcast is another exemplary film from Radley Metzger, who was still at the top of his game. Though Radley Metzger had one more adult film left, Maraschino Cherry, it is a shame that he did not exit with Barbara Broadcast. Ultimately, Barbara Broadcast is a highly entertaining farce that fans of adult cinema’s golden age will thoroughly enjoy.

Though the Distribpix release of Barbara Broadcast raised the bar when it came to adult cinema home media releases, it is now long OOP. That said, it is criminal that a film like Barbara Broadcast remains out of circulation.

Written by Michael Den Boer