While one could certainly argue that the art of reviewing adult cinema is at least 94% of a lost cause by today's standards, there was at one point in time, a valid need for criticism in adult films. And it went a bit deeper than how rough the anal scene was in Butt Bumpers Vol. 7 or how Americanized the Asian girl looks in Sweet Asian Poon Lickers #56. Back in the heyday of adult cinema, porn-houses and grindhouse cinemas were the norm. And it was really just like going to see any other film. Sure, you'd still have to separate your Star Wars from your Star Whores but the public was a little more discerning in their tastes when it came to pornography, simply because of how much effort (and one could argue humiliation) went into the process of viewing these films. You'd have to go to the theatre, buy your Pibb and Milk Duds and try to keep at least 5 open seats between you and the next sickly pervert down the line. I kid...I kid because I love.

Still, once upon a time...adult films were seriously just that...films. They had plots and storylines (sorta) and their participants put in that extra little oomph where you might not necessarily expect...their performances. And best of all...these movies were shot on film, not video. Today, they're viewed more often as kitsch and people will likely watch these vintage films for said kitsch value more so than they will to pop their cork. Media Blasters shows just how to handle a film like this on DVD with their recent release of Babylon Pink the first in their line of Cecil Howard Collection DVD's (released under their Kitty Media/Command Video banner). Babylon Pink is to be followed by Neon Nights and one can only hope that there will be more to come (pardon that pun folks!) in the not too distant future.

Babylon Pink follows the erotic sex-capades of several women of the city as they go about their daily routines. Turning everyday moments (like a meeting with an employee or an unexpected 'delivery') into their own private sex party, these women get their fill...and then some. Most interesting about this particular film (despite the fact that it's made by men) is that nearly everything comes from the women's perspective and their own inner fantasies. Whether or not they hold true in reality is one thing, but in the context of this film, they do. More importantly than that, these are real women and real men, unlike the plastic Frankenstein creations found more commonly in today's adult fare. But more so than that, famous faces of porn past like Vanessa Del Rio, Samantha Fox, Arcadia Lake and the more perverted side of the coin, Robert Kerman (whom Arcadia shared screen time with in Debbie Does Dallas as well). Kerman is primarily known to genre fans as one of the stars of Cannibal Holocaust. Ewwwww factor is very high during his scene.

Media Blasters does a bang up job with this two disc set releasing not only the hard core XXX version of the film, but also a much tamer cable edit as well. Quality of the unedited XXX version is near spotless with a solid full frame transfer. Colors are fairly strong and print damage is minimal. The cable edit (as is to be expected) doesn't fare as well, but it's still nice to have it here for reference purposes if nothing else. Definitely an added bonus for the true porn collector. Audio options include the films' original mono and a newly remixed 5.1 track. Both sound fine, with a bit of an added punch and some separation in the new digital track.

Extras include an insightful audio commentary from producer Cecil Howard and writer/director Henri Pachard. Also included are onscreen interviews with Pachard, co-star Eric Edwards and cinematographer Roberta Findlay. The Roberta Findlay interview is a real gem. This is a woman who's had a very interesting career as a writer, director, producer, you name it of b-movie fare. And if you don't know the plethora of 'films' she's been associated with, you really should. Her presence is definitely a nice touch here and a welcomed bonus to this set. Also included is an extensive array of 'deleted scenes/outtakes' which is basically a slew of raw (mostly unused) footage. Bonus features are rounded off with stills and trailers.

It's really great to see a film like Babylon Pink being treated as such with a DVD release as nice as this one. It would be so nice to see more vintage adult films archived like this. No special edition could ever be considered too big for classic erotica and Media Blasters proves this with their Cecil Howard Collection and their release of Babylon Pink on DVD.