I was unaware of Kris Kramski during his career as pornographer, but in retrospect he's an important figure in the history of Adult Cinema.
This is an offbeat sort of documentary, dedicated to porn star Chloe who handles all the interviews (filmed in black & white), asking Hustler publisher and an array of rock bands about subjects concerning America and freedom.
Each question is introduced by a quote on the subject of freedom drawing from a wide array of thinkers: Franklin, Jefferson, Thoreau, Sen. Alan SImpson, Gore Vidal, Gen. MacArthur and director Kramski himself. I was surprised that Kramski's is perhaps the most eye-opening of these: he asks why the key legal principle is defined as "innocent until proven guilty" when in fact "innocent unless proven guilty" would be far better.
It's fascinating, especialy 20 years after, to hear the rock performers and musicians' answers to Chloe's queries, ranging from opinions on war, pornography, personal freedom, legalization of drugs, the death penalty, etc. One surprise among these opinions is an alarming, but understandable, consensus among them concerning the AIDS epidemic, for which nearly all the interviewees believe in conspiracy theories -namely that the government or drug companies are behind it. None of them believe the information disseminated about AIDS is true, their remarks reminiscent of so much of the current QAnon and other craziness now prevalent.
Their participation is also represented by using their music to back up color/b&w porn sequences directed in Budapest, Hungary by Kramski, featuring Euro porn performers. It represents a sort of punk style of alt-porn, XXX sex featuring Euro beauties staged in ugly industrial/factory settings that reminded me of the porn at the time by Black filmmaker Alexander DeVoe, but without Black performers.
The documentary is an interesting artifact, a must for a Chloe fan like me, and of some time capsule interest to others. Its main defect of being intensely self-serving to Larry Flynt, who backed it, can be forgiven; I suspect a new version in this vein would likely be backed by and feature Elon Musk, given his views on freedom of speech.
