Paris Hilton sex tape combines scandal with signature sleaze
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With the advancement of technology for motion picture production, only one genre has stood up to the evolution of filmmaking and regressed: the porno. Instead of adopting computer special-effects wizardry, recent porn harks back to the day when the use of night vision was innovative and exciting. And leading the way is the “Titanic” of the sex tape genre, “The Paris Hilton Sex Tape.”
While the sex tape is often seen as more intimate kind of filmmaking, meant only for the privacy of the couple involved or their snooping friends, it has also seen an explosion in popularity thanks to the Internet and, more importantly, celebrities-turned-sex-tape-directors.
However, the sex tape industry has undergone massive changes as the majority of the industry’s output now falls under the Webcam sub-genre. Masterpieces of mise-en-scene and marketing soon proved that pure spectacle alone was not enough for a successful sex tape; a true blockbuster needed scandal more than celebrity.
This is the market in which “The Paris Hilton Sex Tape” has entered. Reportedly shot in May 2001 when hotel heiress/star Paris Hilton was 20 and Shannen Doherty’s ex-husband/costar Rick Salomon was 32, the pair successfully vaulted the film from the public’s eye for two years. Then rumors spread around Hollywood of its existence and with a leak to the Internet the “Passion of the Christ”-like fervor truly began.
For a long time the only way the average Joe could get a hand on the film was through illegal Internet downloads of a night-vision highlight reel running around two minutes and 50 seconds. Now, after a series of lawsuits between the self-described entrepreneur Salomon and the Hilton estate, Salomon has launched his own website, Trustfundgirls.com, where he offers five different download options, each for an arbitrarily expensive price.
Salomon’s film jumps right into action with a close-up of pulsing pelvises and intimate intercourse. The tight close-up may be immediately stirring, especially with the pan across Hilton’s breasts and body and the joint moaning on the soundtrack, but the shot feels all too derivative of Orson Welles’ early close-up of a pair of lips mouthing “Rosebud” in his classic “Citizen Kane.” The night-vision also takes some getting used to, but Salomon’s handheld POV keeps the frame steady enough and almost clear.
With no narrative at work, the highlight of the film comes from the middle sequence featuring a distant wide-shot of the king-sized bed. It is here that Hilton’s natural charisma comes through. With Salomon acting as director in the rear of the screen, casually petting his unit to keep himself strong, Hilton toys with the camera, staring into it, giggling and all around acting out the role of a spoiled little girl. Her cell phone rings and the audience never saw it coming.
Concluding with an intimate moment between Hilton’s mouth and Salomon’s penis, Salomon’s leading lady not only shows Salomon the attention the obvious narcissist probably doesn’t deserve, but she also supports him in his TV watching as she turns around to get a glimpse of the stand-up comedian whose jokes dominate the soundtrack. While neither original nor all that sexually adventurous, “The Paris Hilton Sex Tape” still seems worthwhile as it so easily confirms all your malicious thoughts of the talentless girl who boldly described herself in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit as a model and actress.
Video Review: 2 out of 5 stars