LAS VEGAS - Video-X-Pix, the New York-based studio known for its extensive archive of Golden Age porn films, has introduced its Platinum Elite collector's DVD series. The line debuts this month with an impressive 2-disc special edition of Radley Metzger's Maraschino Cherry.
AVN caught up with company head Steven Morowitz on Friday at the 2009 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, where Video-X-Pix is exhibiting with distributor Pure Play Media. The son of adult industry pioneer Arthur Morowitz has spent the last year digging into the family film vault with a renewed focus on preserving and archiving this treasure-trove of vintage adult cinema.
"Our new deal Pure Play will allow us to concentrate on doing what we do best: producing new transfers, added value features, and packaging," Morowitz told AVN. "Nobody else in the classic porn field is doing what we've done with Maraschino Cherry; we spent well over $25,000 on this release, because we really want to deliver quality."
Morowitz's efforts are truly laudable. Where most companies are content to dump old X-rated movies to DVD from one-inch, 3/4", or even VHS masters, Video-X-Pix is doing it right by going back to the original 35mm film elements. It's an expensive process, but taking the time to properly transfer the films from the negative ensures the best possible picture quality.
"A lot of consumers were really dogging the quality of our old release of Maraschino Cherry on the boards like Adult DVD Talk," Morowitz said. "We listen to what the fans have to say, and I know that everyone is going to be knocked out when they see what we've done here."
The deluxe treatment extends to the DVD bonus features, as well. The Platinum Elite edition of Maraschino Cherry includes a 45-minute interview with star Gloria Leonard, a six-page booklet with liner notes by XXX historian Benson Hurst, an amazing gallery of rare stills transferred from the original chromes, and two bonus scenes featuring Gloria in her MILF-y prime. The discs also come with collectible 35mm frames clipped from theatrical prints. It's all packaged in a beautifully embossed O-card showcasing the original poster art.
Video-X-Pix has deep roots in the porn business, reaching back to the 1960s era of Arthur Morowitz's sexploitation house Distribpix. While some of these films saw VHS and DVD-R release through Mike Vraney's Something Weird Video, the recharged Video-X-Pix now plans to issue the Distribpix library as it has never been seen before - fully loaded with extras and presented in pristine digital transfers from 35mm negs.
This is exciting news for fans of classic X-rated cinema. In addition to the forthcoming Platinum Elite edition of Inside Seka (with the full participation of director Joe Sarno) and Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle, grindhouse buffs can look forward to early gems from Ron Sullivan, Michael and Roberta Findlay, and other East Coast auteurs from the bygone era of 42nd Street sleaze.
On the hardcore front, Video-X-Pix will present films by Carter Stevens, Chuck Vincent, Shaun Costello, Armand Weston, Jonas Middleton, and Gerard Damiano. Morowitz plans to cherry-pick the very best and rarest titles from the catalog for the Platinum Elite treatment; call it the Criterion Collection of porn.
"I've really become much more of a film archivist by looking into all the history of what we have in our company vault," Morowitz said. "It's fascinating stuff, and there is a market out there of people with a strong interest in the history of the business. And pleasing that audience is our top priority."
Expect great things from Video-X-Pix in 2009. Keep an eye on AVN.com for more exclusive scoops on all the sexploitation madness from one of the companies that started it all. For more information, keep a jaded, bloodshot eye on the official website video-x-pix.com.
