''Resurrection of Eve '' is a 1973 American feature-length
pornographic film 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, who had become a star in the Mitchell Brothers' previous picture, ''
Behind the Green Door
''Behind the Green Door'' is a 1972 American 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). Featuring Marilyn Chambers, who became a mainstr ...
''. ''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. Like ''Behind the Green Door'', it featured
interracial sex, including a reprise of Chambers' coupling with her ''Green Door'' co-star
Johnnie Keyes, but broke new ground in a film targeting a
heterosexual audience by included shots of
gay fellatio
Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act consisting of the stimulation of a human penis, penis by using the mouth. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may also be termed ''fellat ...
.
Plot
Eve, a victim of childhood
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...
, 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 nightclubs or music fes ...
, live in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
. 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 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, 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, constituting the eastern two-thirds of Long Island. It is bordered to its west by Nassau County, to its east by Gardiners Bay and the open Atlantic Ocean, to its no ...
in 1973, it was successfully prosecuted, as it was in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
along with the 1973 porn film ''
The New Comers''. In addition to
New York, ''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
This is a list of American films released in 1973 in film, 1973.
Box office
The highest-grossing American films released in 1973, by domestic box office gross revenue as estimated by ''The Numbers (website), The Numbers'', are as follows:
...
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