In Praise of Eros Part Two

I’m saving up the very best for last, but I’ll consider this one a warm-up. When one watches the photoshoot between Lukas Ridgeston and Matt Phillippe at the end of Lukas In Love Part Two (2005), there’s absolutely no mistaking the obvious chemistry between the two of them, nor the sexual tension between them either. Things get so blistering hot between them they can fry the asbestos from the walls. When they’re finally alone, all bets are off and what we have for the finale of this blazingly erotic film, is a scorchingly erotic love scene. For me, it’s what erotica is all about and from the moment I saw screen images from their scene, I knew I had to see it. It will be one of Lukas’ last scenes he will do before the camera and what he gives us is a beautiful erotic memory as sexy and sensual as anything else he has done previously. How’s that for going out with a (ahem) bang?

Now, before I feel a bunch of eggs being pelted at me for my choice in music for this scene, I happen to love the romanticism in Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls even if the lyrics happen to be a bit ambiguous. I love the line, “You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be.” I don’t think I’m too far off the mark when I say that watching Lukas in his scenes is truly the closest we’ll ever be to heaven..at least it’s that way for me. And I remember how I felt the very first time I saw him in a scene, and the first time I saw him and Johan Paulik together moved me to blissful tears.

POST APPEND (2012, March 24): A note about the edit. By way of confession, this was not my original mash-up for this one. The music is indeed the same but the opening sequence was one I found and felt I would be so faulted, or even crucified if I didn’t use it in some way. The opening sequence was one I discovered I had after working on clips for another project. It was taken from a bonus section on the Lukas In Love Part Two DVD. After watching this sequence I was taken aback by the gorgeous way it was filmed: it was done in water….one of my many favorite places for a romantic scene, and it was a night sequence crowned by candlelight, another perfect combination. It was footage that wasn’t going to be used in the film sadly. Directors move in mysterious ways for even I haven’t a clue as to why it was decided to change this scene’s structure. Yet, I felt that it worked perfectly with my edit, especially with the original music piece I had chosen. I wanted to use segments from this lovely sequence and in return give it new life by editing it into a different edit of the scene. This finished re-edited mash-up was going to be used in another project that has since got scrapped, but I would be committing an artistic sin if I didn’t use what I’ve done in some other way. Certain elements from the older edit were maintained while others were taken away so this beautiful new footage can have life, but leaving all the romantic eroticism from the original scene, I hope, lovingly intact.

Thank you, Lukas. With Love from all your fans.

Video clips taken from Lukas In Love Part Two (2005), dir. George Duroy.

Music clip Iris, The Goo Goo Dolls, taken from the City of Angels soundtrack.