Candida Royalle's Caribbean Heat

Adam & Eve/Femme Productions

Genre: Erotica

Director: Manuela Sabrosa

Executive Producer: Candida Royalle

Cast: Yinna, Rod Phoenix, Felina, Max, Paola, Danny Boy, Sol, Adrian, Nicole, Spider, Susan, Bruce

Non-sex role by Michael Capozzi (the writer/producer)

Length: 82 minutes

Date of Production: 9/28/2004 (box), 3/2004 (credits)

Extra's: The best extra was a 5.5 minute long Behind the Scenes feature narrated by Michael Capozzi. He spoke primarily of how the film got made so it was really more of an interview than a true BTS feature but this was followed up by a 10 minute "real" BTS feature that was more interesting to watch. There were a number of trailers to films like Sensual Escape, Femme, Urban Heat, Three Daughters, Stud Hunters, A Taste Of Ambrosia, Eyes of Desire, and One Size Fits All, a biography for Candida Royalle, a photogallery, and a commercial for Candida's Natural Contours vibrator line.

Condoms: Some

Audio/Video Quality: Caribbean Heat was presented in the usual 1.33:1 ratio full frame color that most porn is shot in these days. The colors were accurate, the visuals very well photographed by veteran filmographer Jane Waters, and the only part I wasn't happy with was the use of too many shadows and limited lighting in many scenes. I know some people enjoy the mystery of the shadow and the less explicit nature of Candida's body of work isn't made primarily for me but I felt obligated to mention it. Otherwise, there were few compression artifacts (although they were there) and some minor video noise at times but neither distracted me too much from the action. The stereo audio was a nice bit of music that seemed as light and breezy as you'd expect from a Candida movie set in the tropics but I wasn't too keen on the lack of vocals.

Body of Review: Candida Royalle's porn has been referred to as "porn on training wheels" by famed performer Nina Hartley and there are a sizable number of people that believe she practically invented the couples market. As the so called mainstream porn market continues to promote rougher and more outlandish forms of sex (commonly referred to as "circus act sex"), Femme Productions slowly releases a back catalog of material that isn't quite the porn I'm used to but it's certainly more hardcore than anything you've seen on pay cable. In a distribution deal with Adam & Eve, Ms. Royalle has released such hits as Femme, Sensual Escape, Urban Heat, Three Daughters, Stud Hunters, A Taste Of Ambrosia, Eyes of Desire, and One Size Fits All to a receptive, often female, audience. In a move that harkens back to the days when she attempted to cultivate other female directors to emulate her style (somewhat, she isn't dogmatic about it), she now releases Candida Royalle's Caribbean Heat on DVD, directed by a woman known only as Manuela Sabrosa. Ms. Sabrosa provides a series of vignettes that provide fodder for female fantasy using common situations to evoke a passionate response. While I was happy to see no pizza delivery skits, the tropical island setting of the show was almost enough on its own to warm up my current partner and here's a quick look at the scenes to give you an idea of what took place:

Scene One: Celebration on the Beach: Yinna, a Latina with a lean body (seen on the front DVD cover), and Rod (kissing her on the cover), had a scene that started on a boat captained by producer Michael. Apparently, they were young lovers and he just popped the question, giving her a diamond ring. Like most civilized gals, this meant he was going to get some action and after a bit of kissing on the boat, they ended up on a lovely beach. The two were playful in their celebration and danced a bit before they caressed and otherwise made out before some oral pleasuring. They had vaginal intercourse (I liked the doggy position best with her breasts bouncing all over the place) but I didn't see a condom (surprising for a Femme Productions release). I thought they had chemistry together and some connection, making it a good scene, if a bit tamer than I prefer.

Scene Two: The Tourist and the Latin Lover: Felina, a tiny gal with a tight body, walked about town until she stopped at an internet café, unaware that Max was stalking her. They hooked up and went out to a club where they seemed made for one another, renting a room with a large garden tub to soak in for kicks. I have to admit that she wasn't my type but her ass looked sweet in her tight white pants and her sultry look didn't hurt either. They engaged in foreplay for a while and she helped him put on a condom before they screwed. It wasn't a bad scene but the lighting was designed without a man in mind (we like to see what's going on more than women apparently) so it was limited in terms of technical qualities.

Scene Three: The Interior Designer and the Security Guard: Paola, a gal that had a bit of a Jennifer Lopez look to her, and bald Danny (the bald guy on the lower left hand side of the front DVD cover), were up next in a scene that had her attending her duties as a designer and him attending her booty as a man. The two made out in a run down house in need of a designer, spending lots of time warming up, before they got it on for some physical pleasure. They boned in several positions in a fairly heated fashion and I liked the action a lot.

Scene Four: The Maid and the Master: Sol, a fit little ebony gal wearing a skimpy French maid outfit, and her boss Adrian, a weird little guy that reminded me of few domestic porn studs, were up next in a scene where they role played a little (her as a sub). The two still managed to follow the established parameters of a Candida movie by taking plenty of time warming up before the eventual oral and vaginal sex. Towards the end, the roles reversed and it wasn't a bad scene either.

Scene Five: Adam and Eve Meet Eve and Adam: Nicole and Spider, a moderately young couple, met an older pair, Susan and Bruce, with each having their own scene. The two couple met on the lush island in the sandy dunes and began to play around in a swapping type of adventure. The couples each followed the pattern set forth in the rest of the movie and the sex was oral with straight. I didn't like this scene all that much for reasons relating to the casting as much as the pace. In the previous scenes, the pacing seemed more natural and in this one, things just seemed off somehow.

Summary: Caribbean Heat is one of those movies you'll either love or hate, depending on what you're looking for. If you want something to watch with a loved one not into more traditional porn, this may well be exactly what you're looking for and if you're looking for a gonzo production, you'll want to look elsewhere. I'm going to rate it as a Rent It unless you're firm in wanting a more erotic film to watch although if that's what you want, it'd be much more interesting to you. I think Candida is doing a good job at finding likeminded gals to direct for Femme Productions and perhaps Ms. Sabrosa will become a regular in Candida's stable (or soon to be stable) of female friendly directors.