Voyeuristic Tour in the Life of a Madam
598469
This is a fun book if you have ever had a curiosity about what life is like for a madam and the women she employs.  Norma Wallace is quite a character with her witty sense of humor, gumption and moxie along with her outlook on life (and men).  Her world was not for sissies.  You will also catch a glimpse of how New Orleans operated in the shadows of corruption and get a sense of history in the making. The ending was not what I anticipated but I won't ruin it for you.
4835311
This DVD presents a look at Annie Leibovitz's career, dividing time between her stint at Rolling Stone and later at Vanity Fair. We also get to see glimpses of her early family life, meet her parents and few relatives, and see early influences. An aspiring artist, Annie Leibovitz quickly becomes taken with the immediacy of results in the field of photography. This leads her to apply for a job at the still vibrant Rolling Stone magazine, and being quickly hired.
Various contemporaries such as Jan Wenner, Hunter Thompson and Mick Jagger provide commentary about Annie's time at RS. Jan Wenner speaks of a sometimes tempestous relationship, exacerbated when Leibovitz takes off with the Rolling Stones as the official tour photographer. We get to see a lot of the early work, and what a treat the photos are. If you were a reader of RS at the time you'll remember (however hazily) a lot of these. For myself, growing up in a small town, these defined the 'look' of rock & roll.
Ms. Leibovitz's work at Vanity Fair makes up the latter half of the DVD. Introduced by a somewhat condescending Vanity Fair editor as a chance to do more than photograph 'burnt out rock stars' the Vanity Fair years don't get off to promising start. However the story quickly recovers once the focus is back on the photographs. The Demi Moore photo, naked and pregnant, is given a little more attention than necessary, but that's to be expected given the enormous publicity it generated at the time. Leibovitz's work at Vanity Fair is first rate, but can't really compete with the excitement contained in the photo's from the RS years. To her credit Leibovitz is modest about her job at Vanity Fair, expressing her pleasure for being able work with leading contemporary figures. We get to see the work behind the art during this part of the DVD.
During a glimpse at her childhood Annie comments on the influence of a snapshot, taken by a stranger, of some of Annie's family members. We see a photograph of the family lined up side by side, by height. Annie comments on the perfect framing, the fact none of the image is cut off. You get a full picture, vertically and horizontally, you get to see all of the people in a simple pose. That pretty much sums up, both stylistcally and metaphorically, the attraction of Annie Leibovitz's work. You see the person in the photograph.
4141663
This book gives a detailed account of the life of a very peculiar woman who was attracted by ancient eastern philosophies
Having the advantage a family who provided what was necessary for living she turned her initial interest for travels and nature into a serious study for the truth that Ancient philosophies could give her
She challenged the conventional views of her time and preferred a life that will lead her to meet some of the most influential teachers alive.
For anyone interested in studying her life, the life of a seeker, and the many lives that Ethel Merston touched, it will be a valuable help, particularly interesting are her days at the Prieure with G.I. Gurdjieff and her years of living in India with Ramana Maharshi
2424651
In 'The Gentlemens Club', Emmanuelle de Maupassant recreates a genuine atmosphere of late Victorian London, with all its secret decadence hiding beneath the veneer of gentility.  In this illicit underworld, sexual license and proper gender roles are reversed: men are made to submit, while women dominate.  And its this perversion of normalcy that provokes Lord McCaulay, a seemingly respectable gentleman of high-born society, to obsess on his coquettishly elusive mistress, Mlle. Noire.

Ms. Maupassant draws on a wealth of knowledge and research to capture the feel of the periodfrom historical landmarks, to fashions and fads, to societal norms (unchaperoned women and underground pornography, to name but two).  With fluid wit, she weaves a tale of complex relationships, juxtaposing propriety with impropriety, and questioning the artificial standards of morality.  But she isn't afraid to explore the vulgar, punctuating her story with very vivid sexual adventures.  In doing so, she elevates the art of erotica to first-rate literature.
2507519
"My women are always victorious." -- Helmut Newton
This collection of Helmut Newton's work casts a special focus on his harder edge images of women as sexually domineering and manipulative.  Among the fetishes and voyeuristic images are some wonderful portraits of women, as well.  The book is an interesting study in how strongly the personality of the model can be injected into a portrait, especially by the objects chosen, the setting, and the way clothes are worn.  The essays do an excellent job of developing your understanding of his methods.
Before going further, please be aware that these images contain much female nudity in sexual situations and one male nude.  If these images were in a motion picture, some would undoubtedly go beyond an "R" rating.  Many of these images are not appropriate for children, in my view.
Many people think of Helmut Newton as a fashion photographer.  These images focus instead on the timelessness of the female personality and role in "overcoming the other."  "The clothes . . . only have one purpose:  to insufficiently conceal the long, slender female bodies . . . [which] lack innocence."  In each case, the women are "defiant."
I found his more playful images, rather than his darker side, the most rewarding.  I especially liked "Sie Kommon" where the same scene is done first as dressed and then as naked.  It is a stunning set of facing pages.  In many other images, he appears in the photograph while taking it.  Yet in other cases, the model is juxtaposed against a background object that creates a moderately sexual joke.
I graded the book down one star for overrepresenting the sexual dominance theme at the expense of Newton's other styles, since this is a "best of" book by its title.  The sexual dominance images are often highly repetitive, and sometimes not particularly appealing in any way -- even as abstract compositions.
Here are my favorites in the book:
British "Vogue", London 1967 (images 3 and 4)
Tan Giudirelli for Mic-Mac, Paris 1970
French "Vogue", Paris 1975
"Sie Kommon", Dressed and Naked 1981
Jodie Foster, Hollywood 1987 (jacket cover image)
Leni Riefenstahl, near Munich 1992
Big Nude II, Paris 1980
Study for Voyeurism, Los Angeles 1989
Helmut Berger, Beverly Hills 1984
Skull and diamond necklace, Paris 1979
Andy Warhol, Paris 1974
Crocodile eating ballerina, Wuppertai 1983
After you enjoy this book, think about what you believe about women that makes these images work or not work well for you.  Where do you detect "truth" and where does the image seem "made up" to you?  In particular, is life this sexually tinted?
Then imagine how you would have to change these photographs in order to create feelings of love, peace, and progress.  How would you benefit or not benefit from such images as compared to these?
Should the person describing the world have an agenda, or a slant . . . or simply seek to reveal the underlying overall truth that is already there?
Which one of these (if any) is Newton doing?
Overcome your stalled thinking that what you see is literally what it seems to be.  This book will help you with that.
274194
For those interested in understanding the challenge of 'frontiers' in the erotic world, with a strong female perspective, this is an interesting film to watch. The male protagonist is exploring, through the making of a film, centred on screen tests and the associated conversations. The question seems to be whether eroticism is a frontier in itself or whether the excitement is in the 'pushing of these frontiers'? The females convey and at times, enjoy, their perspectives. It is very good indeed and filmed with grace.
3799260
This film depicts a man who discovers that, in the course of carelessly tossing away his stable lifestyle, he is given an opportunity to adopt a more invigorating existence.  Action opens with leftist street demonstrations in Paris being suppressed by police under leadership of a senior official whose restive mistress Carol (Clio Goldsmith), obviously having a bad day, informs him that she intends to seek satisfaction with the very next man she comes across.  This individual is Serge Serge Lain&eacute; (Patrick Dewaere) whom she espies from a window as the owlishly bespectacled philosophy academician is studying a book store display of his own recently published volume, and she follows him to a bank and to a travel agency while he prepares for an expenses paid lecture tour to Barcelona that additionally is intended as a "second honeymoon" for Serge and his wife, that is until he is offered Carol's attractions.  It is obvious that he  welcomes these since we watch Serge's wife pausing from her packing for the upcoming junket to receive a telephone call from her husband who reveals to her that he is in a hotel bed with a girl that he has just met and that he will be taking this new love to Spain in her place, thus abruptly ending any plan of refreshed marriage vows.  Serge and Carol then journey to Barcelona where he essentially makes a complete fool of himself as he attempts to match the sexual urges and fantasy demands of his youthful companion, in the process creating a shambles of his tour and also running completely out of funds.  This, however, seems to be fine with Serge, as his voiceover narration states with a lack of detailed observation, because he has, as a self-identified intellectual, discovered an affinity for existing in a fashion that eschews personal responsibility, this being part of a metamorphosis that will be puzzling as well as unconvincing to most viewers as little attempt is made here at character development.  Due to the fact that Serge's narration and the camera's eye are seldom synchronous, the storyline lacks credibility, and Serge Lain&eacute;'s choice for a future seems a bleak one, not eased by the playing of Goldsmith, who has the acting range of a lima bean.  As she is naked through a good portion of the film, it would appear likely that Serge had not been weaned as an infant, and although such able performers as Jeanne Moreau and Guy Marchand have significant roles, they can do little to clarify a work wherein a bulk of the featured characters' actions are without believable motivation.
3176216
Apart from the intriguing ethical considerations raised concerning the practice of voyeurism as a means of creating more "realistic" art, author David Knowles has created a character and situation in "The Third Eye" that force the reader to examine issues of control, privacy and obsession in our modern world.  While we are all voyeurs to a certain extent, at the same time we are often keenly aware of how we appear to others and we gear our actions accordingly.  But how much actual control do we have over the view of our true selves?  And do we intentionally blur the line between the real and the staged in our daily activities?
Jefferson, the novel's protagonist and self-professed "curator of the aesthetics of everyday life", isn't your ordinary Peeping Tom.  Each summer he rents out his apartment to an unsuspecting young lady, then heads to the building across the street and a boarded-up apartment.  Through a hole in one of the windows, Jefferson photographs his tenants, capturing their most private moments on film and calling his work a "conceptual art project".  He wants to eradicate the boundaries between life and art but his actions are the only way he has of coping with a case of agoraphobia so severe he cannot even walk through Central Park.
His tenant this summer is Maya Vanasi, a Hindu woman possessing a bindi, or "third eye" - a red dot in the center of her forehead, which Maya tells Jefferson is a window to the soul.  For Jefferson, the bindi marks the beginning of an obsession and an eventual end to his summer occupation.
Taunt prose and a well-paced unraveling of a creepy yet fascinating story define this excellent novel which chronicles one man's insistent need to frame another's life, a need that ultimately leads him into a sea of questions concerning matters of faith, darkness and perception - both his and that of others.
4645671
Enjoyed reading about food in restaurants I will never visit. In this respect, the book is voyeurism at its best. The main protagonist is spunky and sharp witted. A delightful read.
3491383
...this is quite a fascinating book whose focus as others have said is the 'delta of venus' i.e. the female vulva, in its shaven/unshaven state. It features the work of about 35 erotic photographers who while mostly are male, it is refreshing to see female photographers taking part...as far as the pictures  are concerned you get to see all sorts of vulvic hair styles, or lack of hair thereof in all sorts of poses, lighting, colors, close-ups imaginable. These vulvas will capture your interest... you will see all types of vaginal lips / labia, pierced and unpierced clitorises,...all venerating and showing the beauty of the female external genitalia in its artistic amazing glory...
4836272
If you think you know what porn stars are like just from watching their movies, think again. This provocative book combines beautiful photography with essays by the stars themselves about the joys and challenges of their work and how it impacts their personal lives. These aren't manifestos, but rather intimate portraits of what drew them to the world of professional exhibitionism, what keeps them there, and clears up many misconceptions. The photos demand the reader and viewer look at them as people, not that different from anyone else, but with an unusual spin and special life experience. Whether you're an ardent porn fan or not, this book is a behind the scenes look at a world filled with both glamour and the mundane. You will almost certainly look at their work in a new way, and come away with an appreciation for what they bring to their sets.
1682419
I recommend this book to all readers who enjoy sensual visualization of the mind.  It lets the reader live in this sexy, romantic, story for a brief time and connect with the characters on a personal level. I Enjoyed very much
2477650
The fist journey through this collection feels like some kind of voyeuristic eavesdropping. It was as hard to identify my own feeling as it was instinctive to identify Ms. Olds' as she details the profound shredding of what she thought she knew.  When you go back and find the poems that truly moved you, the others light up the room. This book is an amazing achievement.
2677404
In "This Mirror In Me", Denis Fitzpatrick has created a fascinatingly tangential view of the mind's complexity and inexplicable demands.  Tonia, a highly intelligent, attractive but somehow lonely mathematics professor, has turned her bedroom mirror into a virtual meeting place for all her friends every Saturday night for three years.

Whether ex-boyfriend, student or neighbour, the colourful circumstances of each acquaintance provide Tonia with entertainment.  Some episodes are written explicitly as fantasies, but others I was convinced were real encounters, only to find out otherwise!

It's nice to see Sydney showcased in a novel too!
4882329
Flip a coin from heads to tails (No pun intended) and you get the other side of erotica and sex from the view of the workers who strive to make a living entertaining and arousing you. Hopkins doesn't just capture the view and the feel of the lifestyle, she engages the workers in conversation and elicits little know facts and secrets about the lifestyles and personal idiosyncrasies of the workers and the environment they exist in.  The photos are sometimes seemingly casual, sometimes seemingly erotic, and sometimes quite business like. She manages to capture through words and photographs a world that most of us glimpse only from an audience or customer perspective and offers a much deeper, introspective, and not always glamorous vision of lives we may fantasize but never really know.
1227569
Fascinating look into a part of the private life of two people and the circumstances of another period in time.
3141778
I liked the description of the Mistress's feelings, thoughts and how she transformed her eventual husband into a fully obedient cuckold - he hates and yet he loves what She is doing to him. She loves him, and in loving him She dominates, abuses and uses him as her little toy... Beautiful dynamics where love is mixed with power exchange and lust.