Born Erect

Born Erect, one of the first films by Czech native Alan Vydra, a master of the golden era of European pornography, starts with the dream or myth of the permanent erection and develops it into a burlesque comedy. The film’s protagonist, Leo, has had his dick permanently standing at attention since early childhood, but as he says himself in his commentary, this is certainly not a blessing. The whole film presents his desperate journey as he tries every possible way to rid himself of this misfortune. The humour oscillates between the rigid desperation of television variety shows (would-be funny dialogue scenes outside of sex), brilliant meta self-reflection (the protagonist addressing the audience directly and commenting on what’s happening in the scene) and subversive disparaging of pornography (cumshots accompanied by burlesque sound effects). The comedic approach is not limited to the passages conveying the plot, but is also present in the sex scenes and even in the floridly risqué dialogue, and with their humour, the crazy peripeties often surpass well-coordinated storyline scenes, which stiffly lumber toward some sort of point or insipid joke. The climax of the film and its subversion then comes in the end, conceived as a verbal and visual celebration of flaccid penises. (01/24/2015)