Wild Goose Chase opens with the credit "A John Stagliano Film." It's not an embellishment or stretch of the truth — the celebrated, ground-breaking Buttman, who infused porn with the DIY ethos of gonzo, shows off here with one of his rare forays into 35mm film.

Though his upcoming effort on film (and his first since the early '90s), The Fashionistas, is slated for release in late September, fans can get a taste of what's to come with this release. Shot over 10 years ago, the film oozes production value but keeps the asses of the female performers, all of whom have moved onto the relative anonymity of retirement, in focus. For fans of couples fare, there's the plot about Joey Silvera looking for a missing girl; for fans of Stagliano's work, there's the hot performances he's always been known for; and for fans of nostalgia, the furry pussies and girls sans tattoos and piercings are a treat.

Of note to all, however, is Stagliano's commentary. Rather than an audio commentary, Stagliano offers a video commentary with footage of the Buttman talking about the feature as it's playing on a monitor. He shows his technical knowledge about shooting on film as well as the in-jokes of the movie. Stagliano moves seamlessly between the practical aspects of shooting to his emotional attachment to the scenes, making for a commentary above the norm.

The transfer of the film, with style and execution that is reminiscent of adult films made in the 70s, is very well done, but some scratches on the film be seen.

With wins for Best Film and Best Cinematography in 1991, Wild Goose Chase receives its time again in the AVN spotlight with a pre-nom for Best Classic Release on DVD.

Ah, perfection. The throwback. The year is 1982 and adult films are good. They’re expensive, well produced, well acted, hot. It was fun writing for Adult Video News then, because the quality of the adult product far exceeded everything else being hoisted upon the home video market at the time. Then Nothing to Hide and Café Flesh came along, and it seemed that adult movies were going to continue in the same tradition.

The year is 1989 and the quality of adult video has shrunk to an all-time low. But, alas, this wonderful new cable market, known as pay-per-view, has forced some of the more talented adult producers and directors to return to film, as the foreign market also demands adult films actually shot on film. First the innovative Night Trips, then Pretty Peaches 3 and Secrets, The Masseuse, Radioactive, The Book, The Swap, Crossing Over. Soon, we’ll see New Wave Hookers 2 and X Factor II. To hell with the American video market, they say. Make the money in foreign and cable. In 1990, of course, House of Dreams broke new ground and we finally gave a film the elusive AAAAA rating.

Now there’s a second AAAAA film and it certainly brings you back to the golden days of porn. John Stagliano, a man who has helped make this addiction to the female posterior a national pastime with his Buttman videos has constructed an erotic masterpiece that compares favorable to any of the classic adult films of the past.

Wild Goose Chase provides the swiftest two hours and 19 minutes of adult viewing one can imagine, with an incredible array of beautiful women and creative sexual situations that redefines the term “erotic.” Angela Summers becomes a star here and Stagliano provides the perfect blend of hot sex and creative plot. I can’t find fault at all. I hope the video retailers out there are taking note.

Stagliano satirizes the detective genre of adult films as Joey Silvera plays the private dick on the trail of a missing girl, played by the lovely Julianne James in a steamy comeback. Silvera slithers into the world of lady wrestling video and become an unwilling participant. The Wild Goose Chase refers to Silvera’s deception, and he finds that this netherworld of sexual intensity is far more interesting than his own realty.

Two of the hottest sex scenes ever shot on film open the story, with Julianne James entering a mysterious Hollywood shop, only to be ravaged by an unseen voyeur, and Silvera and Angela Summers getting it on in his office. Summers is so pretty in a girl-next-door vein that when she yells in orgasm, it’s beyond realistic.

Once Silvera enters the wrestling world, run by Randy West for an unseen owner, the ring action seems more real than the WWF, though that may be a back-handed compliment. The girls really maul each other, as when Jeanna Fine pins Brandy Bosworth and Champagne and Patricia Kennedy nearly kill each other. That footage is particularly exciting.

And there’s more amazing sex. T.T. Boy and Sean Michaels, as Los Angeles vice cops investigating the possibility that the video wrestling company is a front for a prostitution ring, grind it up with Jeanna Fine in a dressing room scene that is as sleazy as it is hot. Randy West gets it on with Patricia Kennedy, Champagne and K.C. Williams in a scene with Champagne, oral sex and three-way screwing. Great stuff. And the closer with Silvera and James… well, let’s just say that this is the textbook example of the way sex should be filmed.

In fact, much of Wild Goose Chase includes examples of the way eroticism should be portrayed but none of it loses the trademark Stagliano style, as his camera dodges and darts all around each sex scene, with specific emphasis on asses. That both Stagliano’s character in the film and Silvera have rear fetishes will surprise nobody familiar with Stagliano’s trademarks.

The plot has enough twists and turns for those looking for story and technical qualities are nearly flawless. Some of the editing during the sex scenes lack continuity, however I doubt anyone will care. Unlike a spate of recent adult films, Stagliano’s camera moves with the fluidity of a video camera, so viewers  cannot complain that the sex lacks the intimacy that video lends. The director has gotten around all of that.