I LUST OCH NOD
One man's search for the most obscure, most ponderous, yet hottest porn flick of all time
WRITER/DIRECTOR
PAUL D. GERBER
Starting out in San Francisco, Paul Gerber’s filmic relationship with Scandinavia began with his job as cinematographer on Alex de Renzy’s documentary Pornography in Denmark: A New Approach in 1970.
Whatever he learned there, he brought it back home to the states where he made the hardcore classic School Girl, and, no, I’m not using “classic” ironically. This naive, no-budget hardcore comedy garnered the attention of mainstream audiences and critics. Time Magazine’s Richard Corliss actually went on to name it as one of his All-Time 100 Favorite Movies (acknowledging it as a guilty pleasure, but, still).
Then it was back to Sweden for 1973’s Bad Barbara, which is impossible to find. Another hardcore feature (which, given the dead end of researching its cast, leads me to believe they were Swedish actors working under pseudonyms) whose plot sounds like it could be a warm-up to Ceremony:
“A young woman stuck in a dull, boring and stifling sexual relationship and desperate for a change decides to try her luck at 'casual' promiscuity, hoping that it will give her some sense of fulfillment.”
Next was the film of his that remains the most easily accessible and has shown some longevity, 1974’s Nøglehullet or, to English audiences, The Keyhole. Written by Gerber as well, this is a fun flick that, like Ceremony, has been seen most in a softcore edit. The plot, with a young screenwriter being hired by his girlfriend’s film producer father to write the world’s first realistic porno, which he proceeds to do by enlisting his girlfriend (played by the adorable Marie Ekorre) to spy on the peccadilloes of her father and his circle of associates, using these shenanigans for inspiration. The final satirical gag is that, once the script is finished and turned in, the producer turns it down for being too unbelievable.
The following year, he wrote and directed Ceremony, adopting a much more serious tone and lovely, artistic photography both clearly reminiscent of the film dramas of Ingmar Bergman. It drew terrible press (see the Reception page) and was Gerber’s final narrative film in Europe or the States.
From what I’ve been able to glean in internet research, Gerber continued to work in documentary and commercial filmmaking. His most recent work seems to be mostly for Disney’s Epcot park! Two 70mm films he shot in the ‘80s - Symbiosis and Norway - ran for years and were seen by millions of park visitors! Under the company name of Gerber Film, he seems to have been working in the Bay Area until 2012 or so. Attempts to contact him through public addresses and old email addresses have been unsuccessful, but if he’s still around (I hope he is) and you know how to reach him, it would be a great honor to interview him about the making of this film.
CAST
ELONA GLENN
The star of the show and a beautiful lady who, unfortunately, has left absolutely no trace and, as far as I can tell, never made another film.
Clearly an American, she has a slight discernible twang that could come from the Midwest or Texas. Or anywhere, who knows.
While not an amazing actress (but the terribly scripted voice-overs of the US version Liz would do in Meryl Streep), I, personally, think she does a good job with the material and is miles above the authenticity and skill level of most porn actresses. One gets the impression she and the rest of the cast believed they were making a serious art film that simply included scenes of explicit sexuality. I mean, hey, it was the '70s.
I find her fascinating, as I always do when stumbling across an "unlikely." Looking at her, she seems far more suited to soap operas or print ads for instant coffee. But arty European porn? How did she find her way there?
I have found absolutely no info on her outside of the scant press on the film. Of course, that could be because her screen name appears to be a pseudonym. According to a quote from co-star Mary Millington, "...I knew the girl star as Glenna. Good actress. Never made a sex-film before. Never been to bed with a woman before either. Nice girl, though."
If anyone out there knows anything more about this stunning woman, I hope you'll contact me.
UPDATE
Well, friends and neighbors, after acquiring the Japanese pressbook (found HERE), I was excited to find it included a bio of our lovely Ms. "Glenn" and while it included a lot of info - including her birthday. her home state (guess who was right on the nose about Texas? This guy right here.), and her alma mater - it was still not enough for me to zero in on her true identity. Maybe this rough Google translation will help some other internet sleuth out there?
The full text:
Elona Glenn was born on September 23, 1944 in Amarillo, Texas, USA. Her father was a genuine cowboy and lived on a ranch in Texas. The brother is the youngest of three sisters with two sisters. (?) After graduating from Texas Technical College, she earned an English Literature and a Bachelor of Arts degree, and at the same time studied theater as a semi-major course. In 1966, she moved to San Francisco and made her debut in the theater world, and at the same time was active as a model and continues to this day. The director of Ceremony, Paul Gerber, a friend from the San Francisco era, moved to Sweden to make a film and persuaded her to join, making her the lead actress in her first film. Currently active in the theater world in San Francisco, her performance in this movie is successful because of the basics of the drama. She said of the film, "I really enjoyed working on this film. I will never forget the pleasant memories of Sweden and the many friends I made there."
ULF BRUNNBERG
Native Swede Ulf Brunnberg had already been well established as a stage, TV and film actor by the age of 27 when he appeared in Ceremony and its poor reception - or the scandal of its explicit scenes - seems to have had no impact on his long career.
Still active today, with his own film production company, AB Prodekta, the well-known and widely-liked star is fondly remembered in the role of Ragnar the salesman/thief in a series of comedic crime films known as Jönssonligan.
One wonders (well, I do, and I’m one) what the affable Mr. Brunnberg would recall of his days making Ceremony and what he thinks of it now.
A very unique character actor with a long list of mostly supporting roles from the '40s to the late '70s (but, hey, the man had a sizable part in Hitchcock's Topaz, so that's something) the amazingly named Mr. Arosenius is perhaps best known to us international lovers of cult cinema as a looming father figure in two of the iconic Christina Lindberg's films Maid In Sweden and the notorious Thriller: A Cruel Picture.
Sadly, his story ends somewhat grotesquely in 1981 as he, in protest against money he believed he was owed by the taxation authorities, publicly immolated himself outside of their offices.
The very delectable Marie Ekorre is barely in this movie (in either of the versions I've seen), having perhaps five lines of dialogue as Elizabeth's sister Anna. And that's a shame as she's adorably pouty.
It's also surprising, given that she was the female lead of Paul Gerber's previous film Nøglehullet in which she, a former Penthouse Pet, dallied in near-hardcore erotic scenes and acted with a quirky sexiness. My guess is she did Ceremony out of loyalty to Gerber.
After her brief acting and modelling career, she appears to have lived a happy life, starting a family and her own film production company in Spain (still going today).
Though she doesn’t speak a word of dialogue in the film and is unbilled in the credits, I would be remiss not to share a bit about Mary Millington who plays the friend/ employee of Erik’s at the Chat Noir who introduces Elizabeth to the joys of lesbian and group sex in the climax of the film.
Mary Maxted (her married name) was professionally rebranded “Mary Millington” and became one of England’s first and most famous porn stars. A soft and hardcore model and actress, she was something of a household name during the latter half of the ‘70s. Her small part in the 1977 softcore comedy film Come Play With Me is credited as one of the reasons this tedious little flick (often promoted as being more raunchy than it really was) ran for a record-breaking four years at the same cinema.
According to the highly-recommended 2015 documentary on her life, Respectable – The Mary Millington Story, Mary was a genuinely sex-positive person who entered porn willingly and enjoyed herself immensely. However, towards the decade’s end, due to hard partying and pressure from the authorities, she spiraled into drug addiction, petty crime and debt. Finally, in August of 1979, she died at home of an overdose of medications and vodka. She was only 33.
Her cult of fans has steadily grown over the years; fans who greedily seek out her many softcore films and hardcore “loops” but few of whom have ever seen this, her first role in a feature film.
DAVID: You don't love me anymore.
ELIZABETH: No, but I'm going to go through with it anyway. You're a good fuck.
