Page 94 - AVN March 2016

NOW PLAYING | |By Brady Jansen
Return to the Vatican
Four years after raising eyebrows,
BelAmi gets its Catholic on again with a scandalous trip to Italy
Warhol—who appeared in the original. Davyd Dixon Entertainment notes it has been in the
works for a few years.
“We finished it much sooner but waited till the timing was right…it came about because
the first was so successful and because—you guessed it—there were more scandals that
rocked the Vatican yet again when the Swiss Guard scandal came out in the press. George
Duroy took the opportunity to make the sequel based around the new real life scandal.”
The Swiss Guard is the small force of men who protect the Pope; stories about the men
being approached for sex by priests surfaced years ago. That helped push the project forward,
and judging by reaction, the public sensitivity has died down over the years.
“I think some people might be offended these days, but that is a small fraction of the
porn-buying public. Overall, judging by the reactions from fans and adult press as well as
the sales numbers, it can’t be that sensitive. Plus, let’s face it: musicians have been mocking
Catholicism and throwing in sex with religion for decades, whether it be Madonna or Lady
Gaga,” says Davyd Dixon Entertainment.
“I think people are somewhat desensitized to it, whether it be because people have seen it
all in the mainstream and in porn, or because of the internet and ease with which people can
record things and share with the world. People just have seen a lot more of everything, and it
takes more to shock people these days in general.”
Davyd Dixon Entertainment doesn’t see gay adult press all over the world—it is more
concentrated in the United States, so it’s hard to gauge media and fan reaction in other
markets. “But if we could, I’m sure it would be varied from market to market indeed. The
obvious reasons being cultural differences and sensitivities to this type of content.”
The sequel was filmed on location in Italy with more story and set ups than the first
GAYVN
of Scandal in the Vatican, but that the film would feature footage of
In 2012, BelAmi made headlines as it announced not only the release
Pope Benedict XVI blessing two of the studio’s models in footage
shot on location. That footage never made it to the finished product
(the thought of a pesky potential lawsuit was enough to alter those
plans), but the publicity alone helped raise the profile on an already sure
seller.
“BelAmi founder George Duroy has always had a sense of humor
when making adult entertainment, and doesn’t like to take things too
seriously,” says BelAmi’s PR Firm Davyd Dixon Entertainment. “Scandal
in the Vatican was his tongue-in-cheek commentary on the scandals
and hypocrisy surrounding the Catholic Church. I think everyone was
prepared for a major uproar, perhaps even spilling into the mainstream,
but all in all the reaction was relatively tame.”
The title went on to sell thousands of units out the door, and was the
bestselling title of the year when it was released.
“The reaction commercially was fantastic,” says Davyd Dixon
Entertainment. “The fans loved it and saw the humor in it, and also
found the eroticism of the forbidden nature of the content very sexy.
The adult and gay press were overwhelmingly positive of the film, the
production values and the quality of the sex. Religious groups and the
like didn’t touch it, and I would say that is because they wouldn’t want
to draw more attention to their own scandals, which we were mocking.”
Given the success and the inevitable scandals to come, a sequel was
inevitable. Enter Scandal in the Vatican 2: The Swiss Guard, already “the
biggest selling release of the year; it has moved over 7,000 copies, an
enviable feat in today’s DVD market.”
Directed by Luke Hamill and again appearing on the Lukas Ridgeston
label, the three-plus hour entry is led by an all-star cast, including Kevin
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Scandal.
“The film is gorgeously shot with incredible camera angles and sweeping shots of Vatican
City. The second Scandal in the Vatican is overall a better movie, hands down,” notes Davyd
Dixon Entertainment. “The cast were outstanding. This film had much more dialogue than
usual for a BelAmi movie in recent years, and the guys did a stellar job speaking in English
given that English is not their first language; they really delivered. Luke also delivered,
turning in a beautiful, sexy and playful film that really captivates you from the moment you
put it on. You really get invested in the storyline and adventure of these BelAmi boys romping
through Vatican City in search of a Swiss Guard of their own.”
The film also uses Joel Birkin (as a priest in training) as its centerpiece, his massive
endowment giving fans yet another reason to head to confessional. Davyd Dixon
Entertainment says it and the studio put a lot of effort into getting the marketing materials
right, doing special photo shoots and press releases on every one of the nine episodes, which
were rolled out over the course of three months at BelAmiOnline.
“We didn’t bait the mainstream media as to not cause any unnecessary controversy, as we
knew we didn’t need to take that angle to sell this film. It already had a built-in audience, and
the product speaks for itself so we knew it would be a best seller.” Mission accomplished.