Where could I possibly begin to tell Bel Ami’s story? I came in the middle of it just last year (2010) and up until now, I’ve been speedily playing catch up. And I still find myself finding something new. Along the way I discovered some marvelous folks (some who will read this know who you are) who have and continue to help me bridge the gaps. And even then I still have tons more to learn! I’m feeling a bit apprehensive at this point in time because I don’t feel at all qualified to tell Bel Ami’s story. For to tell the story of Bel Ami is to also tell the story of its creator, George Duroy, for Bel Ami, as a studio, even as a phenomenon, is very much ‘The House That George Built’. I may have heard that somewhere before, so whomever coined it first, please consider this as due credit and stating a very thoughtful truth.
For close to two decades (in 2013 they would be celebrating their 20thanniversary), Bel Ami has been home to some of the most amazingly beautiful young men who have ever graced this plane of existence. And it’s still at the wonderment of everyone how these gorgeous beings have been chosen. Even that bit of knowledge remains allusive to me. But like everyone else, I sit back, or lounge back in awe at the results.
Since the studio’s inception, the films/webisodes created by the artisans at Bel Ami have consistently been the best and most beautiful male erotica in the world. If this blog hasn’t acted as affectionate tribute enough, this new series will be a further heartfelt love note in continuing salute to George and the ‘house’ he built almost 20 years ago.
Consisting of ‘maxi-trailers’ of some of George’s earlier Falcon International films and mini films comprised of edited scenes from both Bel Ami’s films and webisodes, The Story So Far series will give a random taste of what this miraculous Garden of Eros has and continues to offer. And as I continue to explore this ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’ there will always be a new fragrant flower to savor. Some of the scenes I’ll be presenting in this series are ones I’ve already posted here but were further edited down for length, or saw complete overhauls by way of a new edit, specially done for this project. There are still others that I’ll be presenting here on Bella for the very first time. There were some scenes I have posted already which I wanted to include in this series and those have been given the blog label, ‘The Story So Far’.
Collectively speaking, these are scenes that reached out to me, each in their own way, took hold and never left me. To me, that defines clearly what makes a great film in any genre. If there are any misconceptions regarding porn in general or gay porn in particular, they’re immediately stripped away upon viewing a Bel Ami film.
Within these sweet, gentle and gorgeously shot films, we are shown how beautiful, joyful and playful sex can and should be. More importantly they show the sweet joy and exuberance of youth and the innocence of sexual exploration, with the boys just as curious about themselves as they are about one another. And these turn into feelings that are universal regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Women enjoy these films too! A woman created this blog. I don’t wish to talk anymore over the films. I only want them to speak on their own, in a language we have all come to understand despite any barriers, in language and culture. It’s time now to celebrate and tell the story of George and all the boys of Bel Ami, without so many words, but with sound and vision….
George’s Beautiful Bohemians
Although I posted a few video edits in this series so far, still what’s a story without a prologue of sorts? This video collage I put together is comprised of some scenes taken from some of the soft core films George was approached to do for the UK market, as well as some other films that featured the Bel Ami boys done by different directors released under the Pride Video label (note: this company is no longer in existence. Tragically, it’s unknown now who owns the rights to these films.) Many versions containing the same content exist but under different titles. This in turn makes these films difficult to track down from a collector’s standpoint.
These soft core features, especially George Duroy’s Boy series, were shot during the same time period and in the same locations he was shooting his hard core features for Falcon International around the early 1990s. By way of film history (something I always love to share my knowledge of film I’ve collected over the years), in the early 1980’s and 1990’s, the UK had enforced a ban on the sale and distribution of hard core pornography, which also included the import of such material. It would also be the time of the Video Nasty hysteria, where not only hardcore pornography was being banned in the UK, but also the sale, distribution and import of ‘hardcore violent’ movies and horror films. The ban has since been lifted (and many of the so-called prosecuted films have received certification). The films have remained. Still without the hardcore sex, everyone got to see these stunningly beautiful man-gods, as well as the emergence of an artist. Not only would the beauty of the boys become the main attraction of these films over the years (soft core or hard core), it would also be the exquisite photography, the locations and of course, the music.
