Viva Vanessa (1984)

This showcase for the stunning Vanessa del Rio is an interesting play on the idea of the daily life of a porn star. Vanessa also tells the "real" story of her rise to fame. This is a surprisingly sexy casting couch encounter with R. Bolla and a pair of panties, followed by a not-so-sexy (deliberate) casting couch encounter with Jose Duval, ending in a hilarious (probably not deliberate) argument. If this scene wasn't parodied anywhere else I would be surprised.

A running theme seems to be the mechanical, joyless nature of most of her film-within-a-film encounters - her first guy can't remember his lines and just wants to get off, and her second is only interested in what light most flatters him. Most of the "offcamera" encounters seem designed to shock the viewer; this works in some cases (she talks about what made her decide to do girl/girl scenes, leading to a surprising flashback with pre op transsexual Angelique Richard), while others don't (a men's room threesome with Adam Ladd and Jerry Butler descends into an awkward sandwich with Butler leaning over a toilet bowl, with Vanessa behind him, awkwardly trying to do something - the final closeup of cigarette butts flushing down the commode says it all).

The film is bookended by her threesome with Eric Edwards and Tiffany Clark. In the early scenes, she can barely acknowledge them as she gets ready for her day, and it seems that they're paying her for sex. In the last scenes, they seem to move beyond money and just want to be with each other. This scene has some of the intensity and genuine connection earlier moments don't, and Vanessa manages to make moments that often look like parlor tricks seem incredibly erotic.

It's rare to see a porn star who manages to seem so glamorous and sensuous, and this movie capitalizes on Vanessa's appeal as well as providing a detached view of a porn star's life.

Watch for a cameo by Henri Pachard, who has more screen presence than much of the male cast in the film. And say it with him - Viva Vanessa!