WARNING!
"Moscow: The Power of Submission," a very special production, directed by The Bear, it is an exquisitely told tale of the Soviet Union with performances of a lifetime from Slava Petrovich and Alexander Byazrov. Filmed with care and precision, and cast with some of the world's most beautiful men. The Bear's filming style is unique enough to have warranted not just a few extra notes on a DVD, but a DVD all of its own. "Behind the Curtain: The Making of Moscow," an interesting erotic look at how "Moscow: The Power of Submission" was put together.
The exposé is divided conveniently into four segments, each dealing with one scene. Interspersed through behind-the-scenes footage of how it was done are questions posed to a few of the models, all of which they answer in their own style. Most of the models come off as rather bland, frightened almost by the process and a little skittish about the stigma of being a porn star. The first scene of "Moscow" is a four-way with soldiers that suck and rim and fuck in position after position. The Bear certainly directs thoroughly. His eyes dart about making sure every detail is in place. He'll stop a fucking section to show a guy how to turn his shoulder, which seems only about a half an inch from where it was. Of course, he also tells us that each scene takes four days to film, so there is plenty of opportunity for perfectionism.
There is rehearsal, but that seems far less interesting than watching the guys hold their magazines to get hard. That's the most overwhelming theme here, that the guys need to keep their hardons for so long. Often, it's a bone of contention. There is one point where a fucking section takes 20 takes, so staying erect is a big deal. In the same thought, though, The Bear discusses what unflattering lighting does to a scene, and how much time it takes to apply make-up, which he often does himself. He is on top of every single detail in this epic.
It's funny, because none of these four guys looks at all interested in filming the scene, but when the cameras start to roll, they automatically turn into amazing sexual beings. By the time the camera has started, The Bear has usually already played director, make-up artist, psychologist and taskmaster. But, all of those roles combined don't equal his ability as a pornographer, someone who has such a keen eye and sense of what looks sexy that bullying and badgering may be what it needs to forge it. And there's nothing to stop The Bear from charging into a fully-lit ongoing moment to tilt a guy's head. The Bear also has a sense of style that makes him seem almost theatrical in his approach toward filming. His sense of positioning (the use and explanation of mirrors in this video is very in the moment, and his irritation at having to wait for the translator to speak to the guys makes his work seem even more immediate). There's one point where we see 20 takes of the same split-second of a scene. But, the quality of the scene answers for any griping anyone could possibly have about the way it's put together.
The second scene in "Moscow" is an interesting three-way that introduces the viewer to the star of the video, Slava, who is far and away one of the most perfect men on the entire planet. Add to his looks and his talent here a sprightly personality and an ease of work, and he's just perfect! However, Slava isn't interviewed during this part. Only his co-stars, Boris Vladimirovich and Pyotr Chernov talk to the camera. The latter is something of a grouch, although he does cheekily admit that the reason he did this video is because he likes to be watched having sex. In this scene, less direction is needed. Slava is a commanding presence and he gets barely a word of direction from The Bear. Boris and Pyotr need more assistance, but a lot of it is fun. I'm a big fan of useless trivia, so to learn that The Bear feeds his models five small meals a day was an interesting factoid. Of course, he also admits that good food is hard to come by in Moscow.
This scene seemed an absolute pleasure to film. Slava is game, Boris and Pyotr seem into all the action, and The Bear doesn't have to step in as much. But, he does take a moment to tell someone "it takes a while to film. I know it's different than what you're used to." It's a very astute comment and I'm glad it survived the editing here because it's the very reason why a behind-the-scenes look at a video like this, by a director who doesn't mindlessly shoot guys having sex, is so interesting. In this scene, instead of learning the minutiae of The Bear's directions, you see him lay out the personality of a scene. Telling of that is the fact that when asked what kind of roles they would like next in a porn video, Boris says he wants something romantic and Pyotr, says he wants something dramatic.
By the time we get to the third scene, we know pretty much how things work in terms of how "Moscow" is being put together. This scene was a super sexy one where a blindfolded soldier was used by a mysterious man for sex. Well, two guys actually. The star of the scene is Kirill Veronkov, a stunning model with a fun attitude who is interviewed with an omnipresent bottle of beer. He has been in other companies' videos and is a dependable performer. Therefore, The Bear has to spend the least amount of time on him, though he's responsible for a temper tantrum that makes for giddy viewing.
The scene starts off with the filming of the outdoor lead-in, where it was apparently brutally cold. You can see everyone shuffling their feet because the snow is soaking through their shoes. The Bear then halts the filming of the beginning of the scene so someone can produce a razor and trim off a few stray hairs. Kirill admits to the camera that it's very hard work, but he seems up to the challenge. The other interviewed performer, a cute brunet named Dima Chichay, flatly admits to like fucking on film. The first scene seemed a nightmare of unprepared performers, the second an easy star tour-de-force, and this scene allows the director his chance to shine as a conceptualist. The Bear mentions that he has concepts worked out in his mind for certain shots, but that when the guys are posed and doing it, sometimes it just doesn't work. You can see the gears in his head grinding overtime to figure out the solution. And the case in point here is positioning on a sofa for the three guys. Yet, even that demands full attention.
Cum is a big deal for The Bear. If you watch "Moscow," most of the cum-shots are up close and handless. He makes sure to capture the guys at the right moment. He even chastises a model who didn't give him enough notice because it takes "about five seconds" to get the camera in place. We see the gestation of every cum-shot in the video, and the humorous one here of plopping one on the lens of the camera. The Bear continues to direct the action even though all the viewer can see is a whole bunch of splooge and some hazy figures behind it. Dima unbelievably chews gum as he's giving someone a blowjob, and then right after there, well, 17 takes after that, Dima is partly responsible for a missed cum-shot, or one that one shot just perfectly.
The fourth scene is the big romantic scene between Alexander and Slava. It's a beauty. It also seems to run like clockwork. The only hitch seems to be a moment where Alexander has to have Slava stop fucking him because it hurts. Now that's one of those details that is often ignored in the making of porn. I mean, four days it takes The Bear to make a scene, so there's bound to be some chafing. Slava, who is interviewed here, is a dream of an interview. With his cutesy smile, he says that the best thing about being in a video is learning that he could act. Awwww, the naïve thing works on him so well. Hell, I melted. Of course, Alexander likes the fact that he is able to get erections quickly and cum on time. Alexander first had sex while he was exercising in the park and was picked up. Slava? His first time with a man was on video, and the video was so bad that he wasn't impressed at all. These two bubbly personalities spill into the scene's filming, where everything goes very smoothly. The Bear brings up acting for the first time here, being that he is directing a scene with the video's two leads. In watching this scene be put together, it's like watching the scene itself in context. Everything seems so easy and effortless. The Bear slips away as the main character and Slava and Alexander take over again. They are pros. The Bear seems more relaxed with these guys, and there isn't as much time devoted to constantly positioning them or showing them what to do. They seem very in tune with his style and the story they are acting out (sexually, of course).
There isn't much purpose in an entire making-of documentary if the people involved aren't interesting. This movie looked like it had a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and why shouldn't we see it all? That's what it takes to put together something as monumental as "Moscow." The star here is The Bear, and he's a fantastic director -- and he gives it his all. "Behind the Curtain: The Making of Moscow" is fascinating look behind a master pornographer's magic curtain.
A DVD Review by Brent Blue