Bijou shows spicy
3-D ‘Disco Dolls’
■ Sold-out screenings of
the X-rated film spur mixed
reviews of its place at the
Bijou Art Cinemas
By Yael Menahem
Oregon Daily Emerald
A 13-inch penis in 3-D - that’s
something you don’t see every
day, especially in Eugene.
But that’s what audiences can
expect with the re-release of
“Disco Dolls in Hot Skin” -
dubbed “The Real ‘Boogie
Nights’” - now playing at the Bi
jou Art Cinema.
The 22-year-old X-rated film
sold out three consecutive late
night shows over the weekend,
Bijou owner Michael Lamont
said. The response by local film
goers has even spurred Lamont
to likely extend the run of “Disco
Dolls” for at least another three
weeks.
Although the film has done
well and boasts porn “legends”
Serena and John Holmes (he of
the aforementioned large ap
pendage), some longtime Bijou
attendees are put off by the show
ing, which does not surprise La
mont.
“Sure, when I looked at the X
rating and saw that the movie
was about sex, I thought, ‘Well,
this will offend some of my cus
tomers,”’ he admitted. “Hopeful
ly, the showing won’t do any per
manent damage to the psyche of
the movie community in Eugene
or to the reputation of the Bijou.
“If it does blemish it all, I hope
it’s just a zit.”
Perhaps not. One scene that
graphically depicts a woman be
ing raped and then drowned in
chicken soup has led some peo
ple to walk out of the movie the
ater.
Other dismayed patrons have
responded by writing Lamont.
“I’ve been coming to the Bijou
for the past 14 years,” one letter
reads. “It’s a pity and it makes
me question my loyalty to the
theater.”
Another letter argues against
the film having any artistic value:
“Triple X smut at the Bijou ‘Art’
Cinemas? I guess my wife and I
will be going to the McDonald
Theatre.”
Alix Kerl, a University student
who is the education and out
reach coordinator at the ASUO
Women’s Center, expressed
negative feelings about porno
graphic films and was sur
prised that the Bijou would
play this film. Yet, she ac
knowledged that she
planned to see this partic
ular movie with her guy
friends, just for fun.
“It looks kind of
wacky,” she mused.
Lamont conceded
that he was a “little
uncomfortable’
running this film,
but adds, “If peo
ple think that the
porn industry is
all about
women getting
raped and
drugged up,
then they’re
not going
to come to
see this
anyway.
The film has had pre
vious showings this summer in
New York, Seattle and other big
cities, with sold-out crowds in
those places, as well.
i t (Disco Dolls) looks
kind of wacky. J J
Alix Kerl
ASUO Women’s Center
Outreach Coordinator
Lamont pointed out that there
is some history behind the show
ing of porn in Eugene. Pre-Bijou
days, the original art cinema was
the Cinema Seven, which
opened in 1975. The local movie
house played “Behind the Green
Door,” an X-rated classic starring
Marilyn Chambers, every Friday
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Lamont estimated that over the
past 20 years, about 10 separate
X-rated films have played Eu
gene. That number excludes
movies with an NC-17 rating.
Although Lamont admitted
that he had not seen the entire
film, one of his employees told
him that “Disco Dolls” is “pretty
soft for hard-core.”
Will Lamont continue bringing
X-rated films to his art cinema on
a regular basis? He says no, but
he does like 3-D films and in
tends to show more of those at
the Bijou.
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