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The Story of Prunella (1982)
For those of you unaware of director Phil Prince, let me introduce you. His last name might be Prince but believe me when I tell you that he is nothing short of the King of making hardcore “roughies” for the Avon theaters in the older Times Square. His films have to be seen to be believed and I mean that in every possible way. Sure they’re vile, depraved films but that’s not to say there isn’t anything of value in them. In all honesty I found Prince’s films to be among some of the most unique and interesting adult films ever made and finally thanks to the people at After Hours Cinema we’re getting his stuff legitimately. The DVD has more bells and whistles than you could imagine, so lets dig deep and get our hands dirty shall we?
“The Story of Prunella” is the story about a young woman named Prunella (Ambrosia Fox) who is on her way to a wedding shower. Along the way they run into three escaped convicts (one of which is played by the best on screen madman I’ve ever seen, George Payne) who kidnap them and go to the shower which results in the convicts going on a binge of sex and violence. All the while you have detective Paul (Ron Jeremy) trying to get to the bottom of the case and attempting to save the day.
Although I wouldn’t consider “The Story of Prunella” to be Prince’s best work, it’s easily his most accessible. His other films are certainly a lot rougher than this one, but it’s still a good film overall. The acting in the movie is better than what you’d see in a lot of films from this age, but the effort here is the reason to see it. Prince not only goes out of his way to film some interesting dream sequences with style, but also does something that not a lot of films did in this day and age. Prince shoots a lot of setups outside which is a rarity at the time, which gives the movie a feel of more than your average adult flick. It’s pretty clear from watching this one that Prince was actually quite the daring director to pull off this and many of his other films.
Porn legend Ron Jeremy is quite humorous in the role of Paul which is also something that differentiates Prunella from many of his films. Even with the story being about the criminals being on a rampage, this one doesn’t go into the territory that films of his like “Kneel Before Me” or “Taming of Rebecca” do but it has a different personality than perhaps all of his other films. This one actually skates away from the B&D/S&M stuff in most of Prince’s films which is why I feel it’s probably his most accessible. But the real performance in the film that will capture peoples attention is from actor George Payne. From what I understand Payne was an actor who worked in gay films which hurt him a bit in the “straight” business. But the fact that he seemingly basked in the glory of playing these amped up psychopaths made it that he would become a fixture in many of Prince’s films.
The ladies in this one aren’t anything really to brag about but they all fit their roles nicely. Ambrosia Fox fits her role perfectly as Prunella and does a decent enough job in the film. The most hilarious role in the movie to me comes from Nico however. After listening to the commentary by editor Brian O’Hara you find out that apparently she had gained a lot of weight prior to the film, but the fact that she can’t deliver a line if her life depended on it brings a smile to my face constantly. She was another favorite of Prince as she would show up in the majority of his films. Another hilarious role in the film is from the eldest woman in the cast, Dixie Dew who was obviously cast to get to the fans of the “older” crowd. She plays the role of Prunella’s mother and her fantasy scene with Ron Jeremy is absolutely gut busting (listen to the commentary for more details).
Overall I’m extremely happy and elated that this is finally available from a reputable company. For years it’s been available on half assed bootlegs with terrible quality, so thankfully that’s been changed with this DVD release. Also the features on the disc are excellent with the extremely rare “Prince of Porn” documentary (which is a MUST SEE in my opinion), commentary from Brian O’Hara on the movie AND documentary, extremely rare outtakes (which are worth the price alone as well), and a great full color booklet with liner notes written by Michael J. Bowen. Fans of hardcore 80s sleaze have to have this one in their collection and I’m proud to finally have this great version of the film in mine. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating - ***1/2
-Ed Demko
