Joe Sarno cranked out at least 50 cookie-cutter sex videos during the '80s of very low quality. But the format worked wonders in PRINCESS OF PENETRATION, which stands alongside PARTY DOLL as a superior sex feature, thanks to a classic turn by Krista Lane.

Besides Krista, other reasons for its success include location lensing near Lincoln Center in Manhattan, instead of on the crummy, under-dressed studio sets used in most of his video shoots; an enthusiastic instead of sleep-walking cast for a change, and simply hot sex scenes.

The plot is standard: two sets of folks are attempting to exploit Princess Natasha Golovina (statuesque Jessica Wylde, sporting an attempted French accent), who is a refugee from Clasmania. She's the Manhattan house guest of Priscilla Slater (Krista Lane), who hopes to reinstate her on the throne of the now-Communist country, while Fiona Gordon (Siobhan Hunter) is scheming to capture the princess and sell her to the authorities of Clasmania, in return for being appointed head of that nation's intelligence service Schmutnik.

With this flimsy premise, Sarno stages his usual sex scenes (the shot set-ups and "rotating through positions" are nearly identical to his other videos) in an attractive apartment with a Central Park View. Transition footage of the femme cast walking past Lincoln Center or under the Lincoln Plaza apartment complex across the street was a welcome change from the dingy Queens or Brooklyn exteriors of most of Sarno's '80s output.

Lane has a 17-minute classic sex scene with David Morris, in which she not only displays nonpareil deep-throat technique, but is amazing throughout -a must-see for her fans. I've seen her give better acting performances (in Anthony Spinelli's PORTRAIT OF AN AFFAIR for example, shot the same year as PRINCESS), but of the dozens of features I've seen her in this is the ultimate sexual performance by KL.

Wylde, with her long hair and distant facial expression plus the always randy Hunter also provide hot scenes including mandatory lesbian action. Damian Cashmere is not even listed on the video box (just released on DVD-R by Video-X-Pix) but his big cock makes a good impression on Wylde.

Rick Savage pops up in the final reel as a duplicitous fellow from Clasmania who ties up all the loose plot threads, and his amusing Russian-style accent literally cracks up his co-stars.

Wylde and Lane also teamed up for Sarno in the lousy sports-themed video TIGHT END, but the only resemblance here is re-use of the many-stories-up terrace for some exterior exposition.

Sex scenes are very well shot, with lots of gynecological close-ups (especially when Morris gives Krista's clit a working-over) by Sarno regular d.p. "Sandy Beach". The sexiest moments are when the canned rock score used over & over on all these videos lays out and we simply hear the cast simulate groans of pleasure.