Elegant Angels’ Dare (2012): an invitation
The controversy surrounding Elegant Angel’s release Dare (2012) seems to center around Dani Daniels’ crossing towards boy/girl pornography. The film has raised debates which cover areas such as the “degrading aspect” of boy/girl porn and the veracity embedded in filmed porn, to the significance of performers’ sexual orientation. Undoubtedly, Dare is a groundbreaking project but for reasons yet not mentioned in fan forums or Twitter, where Daniels herself is receiving a lot of negative criticism – some even address to her own person and private life, eliminating the boundaries of fiction and reality.
Dani Daniels is not the first performer in history to broaden her field of action. Many performers have initiated in girl/girl porn and, later, made their way into boy/girl features for whatever reasons. The pressure from the industry to prevent performers from positioning themselves into segmented niches has financial motives; nonetheless, limits are constantly being tested, and the step further presents itself as the innovative glitch studios are after to keep sales from dropping – and to test boundaries in a postmodern world which delineates itself without limits. It is not by chance, therefore, that Elegant Angel latest marketing campaign announces a sequence of firsts: Dani Daniels’ first boy/girl scene, Lily Carter’s first DP and DAP, Asa Akira’s first gangbang. However, although Dare innovates by portraying Daniels in boy/girl scenes, its biggest value lies on the discourse it presents in terms of female agency inside the pornographic industry.
In the opening interview, Daniels states “I found my way into porn myself” (my emphasis). Daniels’ entire discourse emphasizes the importance she places on her own agency inside the industry,
I knew what I was getting into, I knew what I was going to do. I had this formula: ‘I’m only going to do girl/girl, I’m only going to do this, I’m going to do this’, and now I am like ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do anymore.’
Me, as a person, I’ve always been into one man and many women, that’s just me, that’s the real Dani.
When talking about what is different between doing boy/girl and girl/girl scenes,
‘I’m used to waking up and, like, oh, I’m going to fuck her today, and I’m gonna’, like, it was me, like, ‘I’m going to fuck’, and today’s like ‘I’m getting fucked’.
Daniels is aware of the different social roles perpetrated by sexual gendering. She is conscious that, in traditional porn, females are only allowed true agency when paired with another female, and are expected to take on a more submissive role when working with a male performer. However, even in that position, Daniels refuses to let go of her agency; instead, she is the one who walks into scenes, and ALL the utterances that form the corpus of the sexual oral interaction position Daniels as the primary and central character in the act: she verbally demands rather than offers pleasure and sexual gratification, the only exception made in her scene with Sinn Sage, whom she allows to partake subjectivity – ironically, after an intro that parodies boy/girl interaction, with Daniels dressed up in a suit and smoking a (phallic) cigar while Sinn Sage dances for her. “Rub your pussy on me”, Daniels says, this way equaling Sage to herself.
Daniels herself states the premises in which this film is based:
What does it mean to be a pornstar in 2012?
(…) There is no pornstars anymore. It’s about … something else. With pornstars I just think, I think of like… ‘Yeah, that pornstar sucked my dick last night’, it’s so like not about the girl, the girl becomes a sexual item. Where I feel like porn nowadays is about the girl. It’s about watching a girl get off, like, fuck a guy getting off, yeah, he comes at the end… on her face… okay… It’s about watching the girl, it’s about watching the girl come while it’s happening. Which, I am not a porn watcher, but I can guess, 80s, 90s porn is not like that. I can guess that girls didn’t even cum, girls just sat there like oh, oh, oh, you know, that’s a scene, then he cums on her face and it’s like, yeah… Now it’s like fucking finger my ass, make me squirt, make me scream, make me convulse, and then you can come, when I am done with you, you can come. You’re mine now, you are my object, I am not your sexual object, you are my sexual object.
As a result – or as indicative – of Dare’s new approach to female agency and subjectivity, it is important to point out that none of the scenes end the traditional way, that it, with the male ejaculation. Instead, after facials, the focus returns to Daniels, and in all sexual interactions throughout the feature she is the one who orgasms last.
Dani Daniels subjectifies women in porn, centering it on female pleasure and objectifying the male. Here lies the core of discomfort for so many viewers: the switching of the conventional paradigm – a phenomenon we have been watching designing itself inside contemporary pornographic productions – had never before been so explicitly posed in front of a camera. And it is by making official a discourse which has been put into silent practice and that, when put into words, questions traditions and stirs the boat on another direction that Dare parts waters. Waters many will not dare to sail. Luckily for us, Dani Daniels will be sailing in front.
Thanks for putting your finger on the key to this video. This video is about Dani. It’s not about Manuel, or James, or Erik getting off. It’s about Dani, and HER pleasure. And, she’s hit it right on the head, at least as far as I’m concerned. I’m FAR more interested in watching a woman have an orgasm than a man — it’s one reason I watch so much girl-girl porn, and one reason I am so incensed when a production company tries to pass off fake passion as real.
But I have a slightly different take, which I mean to explore in my own review of this outstanding work from Elegant Angel and its genius director Mason/Sam No. I’ll just say this much — part of watching porn in the 80′s and 90′s was about the suspicion I always had that the women secretly despised the men they were fucking. True or not, it formed much of my porn viewpoint for those decades and was one reason I sought amateur (real amateur, which you actually used to be able to find in video stores), or near amateur (Ed Powers, et. al.) where I had a chance to see a woman completely lose control of her body and experience real pleasure with another human being, be it man or woman. The vulnerability displayed during an orgasm is one of its chief attractions for this voyeur. That point where you can point at the screen and say THAT is REAL. It’s easy to see that in men. For obvious reasons it is much more difficult to see in women, which, of course, makes it all the more precious as a commodity.
But, there I go, giving away my review before it’s even written. So, I’ll stop there. and just say, again, thank you for a fascinating exploration of the phenomenon now known as “Dare.”
As I read your reply, I was typing the following extract:
“The ultimate limitation of hardcore, as Williams (1989) has pointed out, is precisely that it cannot deliver what it most desires: visual proof of
the involuntary spasm of sexual pleasure in the female body.” (HARDY, Simon: 2009: 5)
I honestly think I have not stopped talking about Dare. Dani’s discourse in itself is extremely rich, and I would like to go back to it soon. I have around 7 pages written while I was watching the film, and so many ideas I am actually a little bit dizzy. I reckon my confusion was turned into glee when I realized we are witnessing something new. I am looking forward to your review. Wish we could sit down and compare notes.
Sitting down to compare notes would be wonderful, although I’m going to have to brush up on my scholarship a bit, I can see that. You’ll have to do without citations when you read my work. Any theses I propose will not be supported by anything other than my own “gut” and/or POV. In my defense, the number of years I’ve spent watching porn and thinking about what lays behind it might qualify me as a primary source. Or not.
You’ll need to be patient about the review, however, as “real life” has reared its ugly head once again and limited my ability to finish my review of “Dare,” in as timely a manner as I would like. Alas.
Interestingly enough I’m also writing about “Asa Akira is Insatiable III” at the same time. I think it would make an interesting study to focus strictly on Mason’s work with individual women — Dani Daniels, Asa Akira, Lexi Belle, Remy LeCroix (who has since left the business I understand), and a few others. She brings a unique sensibility and an artistic touch to her work that I find incredibly attractive. Her aesthetic sense and the context in which she shoots creates a level of intimacy seldom captured by adult video.
Elexis Monroe’s “Lesbian Storytime Theater Episode 1″ has some of this, although she achieves it via different means.
Nica Noelle’s best work also captures this, but not in the same way.
James Avalon is trying, but so far missing the mark, I’m afraid, in picking up where Nica left off at Sweet Sinner.
Dana Vespoli shows great promise in this regard and there are a few other directors, all women, who have likewise shown promise.
Manuel Fererra’s “Raw” series has generally managed to “get it” (although not always), and Chris Streams’ “Oil Overload 7″ definitely has it.
Oh my…look at the time, will you? I need to get to bed. Ciao!
You expressed it perfectly. The Movie is about Dani, her desires, her sexual adventrues, her Working to satisfy herself, Pure Enjoyment. She owns herself. My Favorite scene was with Sinn Sage the scene was the most intense interludes With Dani in a fantastic way. Dani had her way with Sinn brought her to sexual heights that was a joy to Watch. Her other scene were some of the Best Sex scenes I have ever watched.
Thanks for the awesome review Kat
Yeah, firstly, I was a little… heartbroken when I heard the news but told myself I will watch it, by curiosity. Then, I was glad to learn her first B/G scenes would be with Manuel Ferrara, and there would be Sinn Sage too (a great guarantee of quality). I enjoyed the trailer less than the movie itself (stupid background music…), I had to tell myself Dani wasnt the angel she is in her lesbian movies, but a pure sex beast in “Dare”.
As I expected to, first scene was very good, and I wondered how Dani could do better!
I didnt enjoy the second scene so much, because of the rough mood (particulary about James Deen), I was kinda impressed & scared for Dani… yea, it’s my fault, I shoulda tell myself “It’s pornography stupid!”. Lez scene with Sinn was excellent, 2 girls gone wild, what more could I ask for?
Nothing 2 say about the B/G/G, except Manuel is the luckiest guy of the year: not only he banged Karlie (in Nerdy Girls) & Dani in one 2 one, but he had sex with them in the same scene!
Last scene was emotional, very good, but also weird when Dani was about to cry… somewhere I told myself if the mood of the 2nd scene wasnt much more appropriated…
Well, I enjoyed this movie, and whatever she is an angel or a sex beast, Dani is still Dani!