Time: 2:07, Director: Jacky St James, Eddie Powell, Date: 2013
Screenshots: On our Tumblr
On the web: The Romance Series, IAFD, Porn Valley Vantage, All Sex Reviews, Rich Moreland's Website
Cast: Riley Reid (22yo), Van Wylde (23yo), Penny Pax (23yo), and Richie Calhoun
Source: 1920×1080 downloaded from the New Sensations subscription site
Pleasure ♀-, Passion ♀-, Balance ♀-
UPDATE: More Thoughts About "The Submission of Emma Marx"
Review
This is the story of how Emma (Penny Pax) became involved in a BDSM relationship with Mr Frederick (Richie Calhoun).
We know we are very late to this party. This film has already been widely praised, not to mention celebrated with several awards, including the 2014 Feminist Porn Award for Steamiest Romantic Movie, the 2014 XRCO Award for Best Release, and the 2014 AVN Award for best BDSM movie. Individually, Richie Calhoun won the XRCO for Best Actor, and Riley Reid won the 2014 XBiz Award for Best Supporting Actress. Penny Pax was also nominated the for Best Actress at the XRCO awards, and she and Calhoun were nominated at the 2014 AVN awards, as well, where the movie was also nominated for Best Romance Release. So, as we said, a lot of awards!
And those awards are richly deserved. This is a truly fantastic movie, possibly the best porno we had ever seen at the time. The story, which was written by Jacky St James, is interesting and well-developed, with every bit as much (and maybe even more) attention being paid to its psychological aspects as to its sexual ones. Indeed, the central dramatic crisis occurs when Emma hears her friend Nadia (Riley Reid) and her fiance Ray (Van Wylde) discussing how "weird" BDSM is, which throws Emma into serious doubt about what has been happening between her and Mr Frederick.
It's a pity that Penny Pax did not win any of the Best Actress awards for which she was nominated. Her work here is amazing. In her first sexual encounter with Mr Frederick, for example, she does a wonderful job of conveying all the hesitancy and nervousness that is entangled with her excitement. And in the anal scene in his office, she seems every bit the neophyte, again conveying a mix of excitement and apprehension, and even initial discomfort, but without overdoing it to the point that it's not believable.
The photography was directed by Eddie Powell, who does some of his best work here. Powell's ability to shoot a scene in a way that highlights and reinforces its emotional and psychological content continues to impress us. Contrast, for example, the way in which he shoots Emma's first interaction with Mr Frederick, which is full of psychological tension, with the way in which he shoots the other scenes, especially the third.
Our only criticism is that, maybe, there is too much reliance upon narration, instead of showing us what is happening in the evolving relationship between Emma and Mr Frederick. On the other hand, however, there is a whole series of scenes in which Emma she masturbates after she first meets him that are amazing. They add greatly to the sense of her anticipation and do, indeed, show us how obsessed she has become with Mr Frederick.
We should add that it does not really matter if you are into BDSM as far as your enjoyment of this movie is concerned. If you are, in fact, into BDSM, you may find this too "light". But the movie is not about the mechanics of BDSM. It is about one woman's struggle to find her place in the world and to accept her 'orientation'.
It is a truly amazing movie.
Scene 1: Riley Reid and Van Wylde (♀♂)
Time: 16:00
Cumshot: Stomach
Ray (Van Wylde) proposes to Nadia (Riley Reid), and they have sex on a bed covered with roses as she wears her new ring.
There is a lot of kissing and smiling at the beginning, and Reed does a great job conveying the sort of unrestrained happiness you might think she'd be feeling. There is a great moment when she starts giggling as he gets a rose petal in his mouth. And it's sweet how she looks back at him as they spoon, pulling him down to kiss her.
Overall, the sex is realistic and fairly passionate, though it does start to seem a bit formulaic as it proceeds. Wylde does a very good job eating Reed's pussy, and she seems to get quite aroused, though she does not cum then. Or later, though she does seem to enjoy herself.
The camera work overall is very good, with a nice mix of shots, and plenty of both their faces. When she is on top of him, it becomes a bit too focused on her, but it is not too bad.
We're rating it four and a half stars for how romantic it is, although the sex itself would merit only four stars. Our main complaint about this scene, really, is that, while it does add something to the story, it lasts much longer than it needs to do to make that contribution. As a result, it feels as if the story itself doesn't really start until almost 20 minutes into the movie.
Scene 2: Penny Pax and Richie Calhoun (♀♂)
Time: 22:00
Female Orgasm: Yes, Cumshot: Mouth
Features: Cunnilingus Orgasm
Pleasure ♀, Passion ♀, Balance ♀
Mr Frederick invites Emma to his house for dinner and, as she puts it, "solicits" her for a BDSM relationship. She gets up to leave, but he understands her desires better than she does. He starts to dominate her, verbally, demanding that she get undressed as he watches her and ordering her to masturbate as she stands in front of him. He eats her to orgasm at 38:30, and she then sucks his cock as she kneels in front of him. The rest of the sex is more conventional.
This is the first sexual interaction between Emma and Mr Frederick, and Emma's first experience with BDSM. It mostly involves mindgames, more than anything physical.
It's fantastic how hesitant Emma is as Mr Frederick orders her to undress and then to masturbate. Once she gets into it, however, she does only what he asks—or, better, allows. Indeed, her emotional state throughout the scene is wonderfully conveyed, and she seems to have as good a time as you would expect her character to have.
The camera work is fantastic, moving back and forth between them thoughout the scene.
Things move a touch slowly for us at times, and the more conventional aspects of the scene seem almost like an anti-climax. But, overall, this is an amazing portrayal.
Scene 3: Penny Pax and Richie Calhoun (♀♂)
Time: 17:30
Cumshot: Ass
Features: Anal, Analingus, Spanking
Pleasure ✓, Passion ✓, Balance ✓
Mr Frederick has for some time been trying to interest Emma in anal sex, including using a set of increasingly large acrylic butt plugs on her. Now, she enters his office and tells him that she is "ready". She is, as he predicted, begging for him to fuck her ass now.
Somehow, the sex in this scene is not as passionate as in the others. It's a hot premise, but one doesn't have as much sense from them of the emotions that ought to accompany what they are doing as one gets in the first two scenes. She also doesn't seem as into it as she was in the other scenes, though she seems to have a reasonably good time. The teasing at the beginning is really good, though, and Pax acts her part incredibly well, coming across as a neophyte, taking a deep breath as he first enters her, and so forth.
Overall, then, this scene seems to go on a bit longer than is needed. There's not enough variation in what they do.
The camera work in this scene is more focused on her than in the others, but in a way that is appropriate, since this is really about her. Still, it has a much more pornish feel.
Scene 4: Penny Pax and Richie Calhoun (♀♂)
Time: 16:00
Female Orgasm: Multiple, Cumshot: Stomach
Features: Bondage
Pleasure ♀, Passion ♀, Balance ♀
The reunion of Emma and Mr Frederick, after she returns to his home. After leaving her to sit at his door for quite some time, Mr Frederick finally relents and carries her up the stairs to his bedroom. He had told Emma previously that his bedroom was "off-limits", and that when she was there, she was to sleep in one of the guest rooms. As he lies her on his bed, though, he leans over and whispers into her ear, "You've earned this".
He strips her and ties her to the bed, then blindfolds her and puts earbuds in her ear. He strokes her body lightly and drips water onto her pussy and tits from an ice cube, then drips wax onto her torso. There is flogging of her chest and stomach, and then her pussy, though none of it is terribly hard. Toward the end, there is more conventional fucking, though with her tied to the bed.
This is an amazing scene, much more realistic than most of the "BDSM" porn one sees. She seems really to get into what they are doing, and she cums twice, very hard. The first part of the scene, during which he stimiulates her with ice and hot wax, is truly fantastic.
The scene is beautifully shot as well.
