In the first eight minutes
of Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge, billed as the most expensive adult
film ever made, there’s no nudity. There is a scantily clad bosom (belonging to
star Jesse Jane), a ghostly pirate ship, and a battle between rival sailors
over what looks like a big glowing marble, which is bloodily retrieved from the
bowels of a priest.Digital Playground, the company that produced Pirates
II (and its 2005 predecessor, Pirates), claims that the $10 million
flick—with its 80-foot pirate ship and elaborate Pirates of the Caribbean-style
special effects—was meant to “break down popular notions of what adult movies
are capable of.” It’s an intriguing premise—but soon the sex begins, and it’s
triple-X business-as-usual, albeit with better production values: lots of
writhing, slapping, and moaning. In other words, it’s a lot like the furor that
broke out over the proposed screening of the film at the University of
Maryland, College Park, in April.
Pirates II
And the start of a model pornography policy.