American Babylon (1985) Review

People Frame This Poster, Hell Buy It  

The things you find when you start to go down the rabbit holes of the internet. I ran into a sentence on a website somewhere that stated, Ron Jeremy and Traci Lords were in a movie together, and it was released in 1990. The release was a re-print of the original 1985 or 1986 feature “American Babylon” which was directed by Richard Mahler aka Roger Watkins. That particular movie stars Bobby Astyr, Michael Gaunt, Tish Ambrose, Chelsea Blake, Taija Rae, Lonnie Lee, and others. Admittedly, I first heard about this movie when looking for the Traci Lords scene, but instead, found myself watching the 79-minute original version from 1985, and 1986 VHS release. I think it was a VHS transfer too, because it was grainy, with audible pops, but hey, that’s what you get when trying to watch dirty movies from the past.

From trying to figure out information on this release for this review, I ended up watching the last adult video from Traci Lords, the one she filmed when she was 18, in France. That one has some solid performances, especially her opening sequence, and the final MWW scene in which she screams at one point. “American Babylon” is Richard Mahler’s anti-establishment, anti-religious, anti-suburban movie that has a lot to uncover if you watch more than just the sex scenes.

You can find several writers that have written far better introductions and full articles on this porno, but it really is art. You may not be able to watch this with your hands in your pants, because you start to catch Mahler’s work. Roger Watkins is the credited director, but it’s Richard Mahler of course, and if you know your cinema history, then you know what this is about. With that in mind, this is a split dirty movie. It makes fun of pornography, it makes fun of the viewer, and it makes fun of people that watch it in their homes, and at pornographic theaters. It’s hilarious to think about, but it’s an all-out blitz of mocking you for watching it, and even worse if you pleasure yourself or believe in the “American Dream”.

The title is not something deeper than getting marketing. The director only named this movie that because he wanted to capitalize on the popularity that was being pushed through the adult world with the name “Babylon”. At the end of the day, this is an adult film, and yes, you can get off, but it’s grainy, and more artsy than it should be. This is before the industry turned into a gonzo, hotel room raunch from the 1990s and 200s. This is a film, recorded in 35MM and raunchy, with a side of art. Soiled Cinema said it is the type of porno that Goddard would make (link below). I can see that.

If you get turned on by hand jobs, then you’ll love some of the close ups on this one, as there are a few nice ones. The last one especially got my Spidey senses tingling. But other than that, I love the poster and the oversized VHS box better than the movie itself. That’s just me, though. I’m weird, I guess. Taija Rae is awesome, I never heard of her before watching this one, so good for her. That’s the end of this review, I’m going to get back to do literally anything else.

Rating for “American Babylon”, if you ask me, is 3 out of 5 stars.

You can pick this one up from Adult DVD Marketplace, used. Or if you’re a detective, you can find it online somewhere to download, just not here, because I don’t provide you with that. I only review what I find and see, because I’m an idiot. If you want to send me cash, I can try to track down a dvd or link, otherwise, do your own homework. This movie is cool for collectors, and those that really like Tija Rae.

Oh, and if you like the poster, you can get it by clicking here, because they sell it.

For a far better write up, visit Soiled Cinema, the writers there are way better than I am. I'm just a dude going through a box of porn, reviewing it because I have time on my hands, and I'm an idiot.