BOOK: The Valley by Larry Sultan

Title: The Valley
Author: Larry Sultan
ISBN: 3908247799
Publisher: Scalo Publishers
Year: 2004
List Price: $85.00

Review: In this behind the scenes photo collection, Larry Sultan captures the monotony and unseen workday of the L.A. porn industry so well, that you almost feel sorry for the actors and actresses you would usually envy. These photos, shot on location in the upper middle class houses of doctors and lawyers who rent out their homes, give a sense of the emptiness of both the industry and the middle class lifestyle. Rarely titillating, we are given a glimpse into a culture of workers who put in long days of posing and waiting with the goal of providing us with a fantasy so seamless that, when edited down, does nothing but turn us down in our own loneliest moments.

In staying with the theme of loneliness, only about half of the pictures in this book contain people. When they do, the actors are rarely engaged in any kind of action, but rather on break, waiting for the next shot. These still scenes are lit better than most pornography I have seen. Dramatic highlights and the recurring appearance of paper towel rolls depict a unique professionalism behind what is often seen as a dirty industry. After flipping through this book, there is no doubt in your mind that the actors, though seemingly glamorous when in action, all have lives waiting for them at home just like you or I. The impression extends to give you a sense that their homes are probably not nearly as glamorous or clean as the houses these films are shot in.

I can envision this book giving the average person a newfound confidence in the bedroom when they realize that the porn actors are more like them than we like to believe. This book may also ruin the typical enjoyment one receives from watching porn. I'm not quite sure what effects it has had on me, but The Valley is a fascinating view of a seldom seen side of porn. Sometimes lonely and empty, sometimes jovial and relaxed. The Valley gives a sense of how much down time is involved in keeping it up.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Buy a copy of the Valley from Amazon.com: Consume.

Buy Larry Sultan's Other Books

-Evidence (2003)

Picture provided by a link to Amazon.com