Droid (film)
Encyclopedia
Droid is a 1988 direct to video science fiction film
. Its origins are intentionally obscured on its packaging, crediting direction of the film to "British director Peter Williams" and the starring roles of Taylor to "Kevin Jean" and his ex-wife Nicola to "Raquel Rios" on the front cover and Rebecca Lynn on the back cover. The end credits reveal that these roles are played by Greg Derek and Krista Lane
. The film is, in fact, an edited version of a hardcore
pornographic film called Cabaret Sin (originally released July 1, 1987) marketed to a science fiction audience, and its director is actually Philip O'Toole, from a screenplay with Nacada O'Toole and Christopher Saint. The film was released on VHS
by Even Steven Productions, and bore a stamped decal warning of sexual situations, nudity, violence, and adult language, although the film has no MPAA rating. The storyline is an imitation of Blade Runner
, while one character is blatantly modeled on Anthony Daniels
as C-3PO
. The executive producer is Kirdy Stevens
.
in 2020, the crime rate is up 200%. The police are known as Eliminators, and they fight against the Droid Warriors of Azteca (Lorrie Lovett), who dresses in Nazi regalia. The Droid were created as servants, and Taylor has one, Rochester (played by Kevin James, in a very close approximation of Daniels's speech patterns). Taylor, who was once the best Eliminator but more than anything wants to get back with his ex-wife, Nicola, is blackmailed into attempting to steal a digital decoder to shut down Azteca's forces. Much of Taylor's time, however, is spent at a club watching various sexual couplings featuring adult film stars such as Herschel Savage
, Bunny Bleu
(as Tammy Dorsey
, who masturbates with a trombone
), Candie Evans, Tom Byron
, Keisha, and Kristara Barrington
. Third-billed is an assassin called the Blade (Steven Densmore) who is hired by a man he interrupts masturbating.
Eventually, Taylor's apartment is attacked while he is in the shower, and his Droid goes haywire. He gets the decoder and uses it, and is reunited with Nicola. Azteca is not really destroyed however, and "to be continued" looms.
is credited to "Cinema Symphony's" [sic] and is claimed to have been released on Motion Records. The packaging claims that the film is "a rollercoaster ride of special effects, award winning cinematography, and original motion picture soundtrack." No mention is made of what awards, if any, its cinematography (credited to Sly Burns) received.
The only non-background characters who do not engage in sexual situations in the edited version are Rochester and the Blade (whose end credits billing is much lover than his billing on the box or opening credits). The Taylors' sex scene is almost subliminal--several minutes spent on the two characters just slow dancing with flash cuts to their romantic lovemaking. Presumably, in the uncut version, the dancing and sex were given closer to equal weight.
One character is a virgin pleasure model that is threatened with termination for being a virgin. Taylor agrees to have sex with her after she says, "you're not married, are you?" another blatant moment revealing the film's pornographic origins.
and Star Wars
, as well as Café Flesh
. It described the film as a mood piece with hardcore missionary and oral sex. It assessed the film as "definitely worth a look," and that response probably led to it being edited for mainstream release.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
. Its origins are intentionally obscured on its packaging, crediting direction of the film to "British director Peter Williams" and the starring roles of Taylor to "Kevin Jean" and his ex-wife Nicola to "Raquel Rios" on the front cover and Rebecca Lynn on the back cover. The end credits reveal that these roles are played by Greg Derek and Krista Lane
Krista Lane
Krista Lane is a former pornographic actress who achieved prominence as a lead during the mid to latter part of the 1980s.-Awards:*1987 AVN Award – Best Couples Sex Scene – Blame it on Ginger...
. The film is, in fact, an edited version of a hardcore
Hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often displayed in magazines or on the Internet, or films. It can also...
pornographic film called Cabaret Sin (originally released July 1, 1987) marketed to a science fiction audience, and its director is actually Philip O'Toole, from a screenplay with Nacada O'Toole and Christopher Saint. The film was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
by Even Steven Productions, and bore a stamped decal warning of sexual situations, nudity, violence, and adult language, although the film has no MPAA rating. The storyline is an imitation of Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
, while one character is blatantly modeled on Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels is an English actor. He is best known for his role as the droid C-3PO in the Star Wars series of films made between 1977 and 2005.-Early life:...
as C-3PO
C-3PO
C-3PO is a robot character from the Star Wars universe who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games...
. The executive producer is Kirdy Stevens
Kirdy Stevens
Kirdy Stevens is an American pornographic film director.He was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2003.-External links:*...
.
Plot
In Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 2020, the crime rate is up 200%. The police are known as Eliminators, and they fight against the Droid Warriors of Azteca (Lorrie Lovett), who dresses in Nazi regalia. The Droid were created as servants, and Taylor has one, Rochester (played by Kevin James, in a very close approximation of Daniels's speech patterns). Taylor, who was once the best Eliminator but more than anything wants to get back with his ex-wife, Nicola, is blackmailed into attempting to steal a digital decoder to shut down Azteca's forces. Much of Taylor's time, however, is spent at a club watching various sexual couplings featuring adult film stars such as Herschel Savage
Herschel Savage
Herschel Savage is an American pornographic actor and porn movie director.He was born Herschel Cohen to Russian Jewish parents in New York City....
, Bunny Bleu
Bunny Bleu
Bunny Bleu is an American pornographic actress.She was discovered by William Margold, and entered the porn business in 1983, initially working as a fluff girl. She later found work in films and worked alongside notables such as Traci Lords and Christy Canyon...
(as Tammy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
, who masturbates with a trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
), Candie Evans, Tom Byron
Tom Byron
Tom Byron is an American pornographic actor and director. He is of Italian descent and is an alumnus of the University of Houston. He has also been credited as Tom Byrom, Tim Byron, Tom Bryon, Tom Bryan, and Tommy Byron...
, Keisha, and Kristara Barrington
Kristara Barrington
Kristara Barrington is a former pornographic actress of Korean-European ancestry. Her appearance allowed her to switch between playing Asian and European roles....
. Third-billed is an assassin called the Blade (Steven Densmore) who is hired by a man he interrupts masturbating.
Eventually, Taylor's apartment is attacked while he is in the shower, and his Droid goes haywire. He gets the decoder and uses it, and is reunited with Nicola. Azteca is not really destroyed however, and "to be continued" looms.
Production
The original scoreFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
is credited to "Cinema Symphony's" [sic] and is claimed to have been released on Motion Records. The packaging claims that the film is "a rollercoaster ride of special effects, award winning cinematography, and original motion picture soundtrack." No mention is made of what awards, if any, its cinematography (credited to Sly Burns) received.
The only non-background characters who do not engage in sexual situations in the edited version are Rochester and the Blade (whose end credits billing is much lover than his billing on the box or opening credits). The Taylors' sex scene is almost subliminal--several minutes spent on the two characters just slow dancing with flash cuts to their romantic lovemaking. Presumably, in the uncut version, the dancing and sex were given closer to equal weight.
One character is a virgin pleasure model that is threatened with termination for being a virgin. Taylor agrees to have sex with her after she says, "you're not married, are you?" another blatant moment revealing the film's pornographic origins.
Reception
Adult Video News praised Cabaret Sin for "time and effort (and apparently money)" put into the production. It mentions the plot's similarities to Blade Runner but says that aesthetically it is more comparable to Mad Max Beyond ThunderdomeMad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a 1985 Australian post-apocalyptic film directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie, written by Miller, Doug Mitchell and Terry Hayes, and starring Mel Gibson and Tina Turner. It is the third installment in the action movie Mad Max franchise...
and Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, as well as Café Flesh
Café Flesh
Café Flesh is a 1982 post-apocalyptic cult pornographic science fiction film designed and directed by Stephen Sayadian and co-written by Sayadian and Jerry Stahl...
. It described the film as a mood piece with hardcore missionary and oral sex. It assessed the film as "definitely worth a look," and that response probably led to it being edited for mainstream release.
External links
- Droid on The Internet Movie Database
- Cabaret Sin on Adult Video News