While it won’t win any awards for
artistic merit, the visual elements of Nina Harley’s Guide to
Stripping for Your Partner are very good indeed. The 1.33:1 full
screen image is colorful, well lit, overflowing with details, and possessed of
carefully controlled contrasts. There is no phony baloney soft focus or
post-production tricks. What you see is what you get, and it looks rather
acceptable. As for sound, the music is buried deep in the mix, almost inaudible
during the dancing. When we can hear Evan Stone’s pants creaking more than the
beat he’s following, there is something amiss with the aural aspects of the disc.

Placed among the typical adult
industry idea of added content – galleries, trailers, website info, etc. – we
are treated to a telling Behind the Scenes featurette as well as a tantalizing
Bonus Scene. The additional XXX action comes from Brat School,
and showcases Jenaveve Jolie and Alan Stafford. It’s a hot sequence, involving
a vibrator, cunnilingus, fingering, salad tossing, blowjob, reverse
cowgirl, V to M, cowgirl, spooning, scissors, doggy, and a $hot right on the
ass. Because out starlet is so slut bag sexy, it’s easy to appreciate
her ballistic bedside manner. As for the Making-of material, Hartley pimps her
sex book, gives the cast a chance to chat, and sets up scenes and stripping
techniques with director Greene. It’s a very hands-on and revealing backstage
glimpse.

When we first see Nina Hartley,
she is sitting on a couch. Cloaked in lacy underthings and wearing a pair of
those rectangular, take me seriously spectacles, she is joined by Justine Joli.
Like an infomercial with tits, the two begin discussing the pros and cons of
exotic dancing. At first, you think it’s a joke. You wonder when the gabbing
will stop and the overt lesbianism will begin. But then Hartley grabs your
interest, delivering helpful bon mots about body issues and finding the proper
mood music. As a featured dancer for over 15 years, this lady knows her shit,
and she’s going to take the first 12 minutes of the film to explain it to you.
She points out that no one must act like a pole bending professional when it
comes to their own boudoir, and stresses that touching and physical interaction
are a must. This is a form of foreplay, she reminds us, a way of getting your
head in the right space for sexual enjoyment.

Of course, many won’t give a damn
about Nina’s lecture. They’ll want to see how she measures up in her only
scene, as well as how the additional hardcore sequence shapes up. The answer
depends on what you want out of adult entertainment. If you need Pro-Am gonzo
that looks like it was shot in somebody’s garage by a cameraman who couldn’t
keep his hand out of his pants, this is not the material for you. Hartley is
targeting an older, female demographic, and such “wham bam” wantonness is not
on her agenda – at least, not here. Both scenes are played for passion, as well
as an attention to personal wants. The only anal comes right at the end, and it
is never harsh or borderline abusive. Instead, Nina Hartley’s Guide to
Stripping for Your Partner is all about pork for the sake of pleasure
– not some surreal combination of plowing and pain. If you’re into a more
discrete dicking, this DVD will be right up your alley.

The Dirge has got to admit it- there’s something
about the carnal cougar antics of Nina Hartley that speak to his own
middle-aged spread. Even in lingerie that barely covers her minor pot belly and
breasts that are being held up by endless hours at the gym, she gets this man’s
motor running and pronto. So the only unimpressive aspect of this tantric tour
de force is Marco, who has suspiciously dropped the various same fame names he
used to carry. Mr. Underbite, jaw clenched in a proverbial spasm of supposed
delight, may have the cock and constitution of a porn star, but he radiates
zero passion or chemistry. This means Ms. Hartley must do everything. Luckily,
she completely compensates for our meat puppet’s passive aggressiveness. The
result is a stellar scene, although the show and tell element of the
presentation has Nina chattering endlessly. even while she’s taking it up the
ass. One usually doesn’t complain about additional oral, but this is a bit
much.

Evan Stone is a natural comedian, a guy so open and
self-effacing that he easily mocks his persona at every step. You can just hear
his internal monologue proudly proclaiming “I fuck chicks for a living, dude.
Get serious.” In the opening introduction, Nina suggests that our beefcake
beach boy has a history of male stripping, but judging by the moves he
produces, he was more interested in Chips Ahoy than Chippendales. Still, he’s
not really being paid to dance, and the minute Marie gets her lips wrapped
around his Johnson, it’s one amazing XXX moment after another. Ms. Love
deserves extra kudos for throating Evan’s yardstick, and director Greene is
also commended for keeping the camera away from the Stoner’s elongated scrotum.
This is one male porn star that owns, without a doubt, the largest nutsack in
the biz. Gals get their labia reduced all the time. Perhaps our surf stud can look into some gonad-plasty and be done with it. Once cock meets cunt, however,
the action kind of cools. Evan does most of the moshing, while Marie tries to
look excited. It almost works.

Because it wants to do more than merely offer up the
same old hardcore, because Nina Hartley is such a fascinating presence both on
top of and under the sheets, because this title is really made for people who
want to expand their private seduction repertoire, it easily earns a Recommendedrating. As a matter of fact, had Nina included one more scene – a girl/girl, or
another girl/guy featuring more fabulous talent, it would have easily scored
higher. For some decent teaching on the ways of the tease, and a healthy dose
of forceful if respectful action, Nina Hartley’s Guide to Stripping
for Your Partner is a wonderful addition to a couple’s marital aide
ensemble. It easily earns a Cohabitation Certification. It’s a must-own for
fans of the actress and her roles as both sex therapist and fuck/suck queen.