A long time ago, in a far away place.... beneath the shimmering sun of the hot Sahara was a land of fire and flame--a romantic world of forgotten dreams that harken back to a bygone age where men ruled the desert from horseback and found sexual pleasure in their violent lusts and desires. The powerful drumbeat of the Arabian heart drove men into each other's arms, a co-mingling of sweat and passion that filled deep-rooted needs, the result of a lonely existence surrounded by sand and palm. This place is the setting for Arabesque.

Arabesque emerges from the silent films of Rudolph Valentino, starting in black and white and quickly turning into a lush, colorful photoplay. We peer into the hustle and bustle of a marketplace where a dozen hot Arabian men, hairy, built, and beautiful, conduct the business of life--buying and selling goods, gossiping about the village... eyeing each other and perhaps wondering about unthinkable thoughts... Slowly the scene thins out as men go back to their houses, some carrying new guns from the arms merchant, others with carpets, some with food. Finally five remain--the hottest men of all, each thirsting for something more than the cool water of the market fountain...

Scene 1 - Arabesque Huessein, Sarib, Colin West, Joey Russo, and JC soon stack themselves into a pyramid--a human sculpture writhing with cock and ass. What were once furtive glances become eyes wide with lust! In a beautifully erotic scene, these men enjoy each other with rampant desire, sweat dripping from every brow under the hot, broiling sun. This may be one of the best oral scenes of the year, but it is only the setup for some of the most amazing fucking we have ever set to film!

REVIEW
"Arabesque" is director Chris Ward's masterpiece, a truly outstanding effort. The men, to a man, are exceptional masculine specimens, sexually voracious and overwhelmingly effective throughout a three-hour carnal tour of male sexuality in the desert. The flick takes place in a mystical Middle Eastern land, and many of the men appear to be Arabian (Huessein, François Sagat, Sarib), though some are closer to Spanish blood (Iván Andros, Manuel Torres, Joey Milano, J.C.). No matter, they all have the look. And the look and feel of the flick is quite authentic, with woven baskets, Persian rugs, embroidered pillows and the like strewn in and about the Mediterranean-style structure in which the action takes place (as well as the between-the-scenes interstitials -- brief clips from Rudolph Valentino's "The Sheik" and "The Son of the Sheik," silent movies of the 1920s). This stagecraft and the background music set the mood for sex that far exceeds the high-noon temperature of the Sahara desert. The costumes, save for a male belly dancer, are the diaphanous, loose-fitting pants of the region.

The opener takes place in an open-air marketplace where hot Arabian men buy and sell goods. Huessein, Sarib, Colin West, Joey Russo and J.C. trade goods of a different sort soon enough, trading blows in every conceivable combination. This oral segment really showcases Huessein, Sarib and Joey, all incredible cocksuckers. Huessein then focuses, understandably, on Colin's creamy bubble-butt, smacking the hole, licking the hole, sucking the hole, and then fucking the hole mercilessly (Huessein, it seems, doesn't know how to fuck any other way, as his later scenes also prove). Colin cums being doggy-fucked, and we segue to Sarib fucking Joey, Sarib fucking Joey atop a Persian rug, giving the hung stud a magic carpet ride he'll likely remember for a long time. Joey's legs are pinned to the floor as Sarib pumps and pumps and pumps. Joey jerks out his cum-shot, then Huessein pounds Sarib's furry hole, and Huessein is a harsh fucker, he rams Sarib missionary at jack-rabbit speed and with the force of a jack-hammer. He fucks the cum out of a very enthused Sarib, and then douses Sarib's crotch with his load. But Huessein is still not finished -- he sucks lean and hairy J.C.'s beauty of an uncut dong. Then Huessein takes charge again, and delivers another round of prime fucking, fucking J.C. until the sun sets.

We move inside to the sheik's grand palace. And deep inside the palace, in a small chamber decorated with colorful carpets and stone columns, Remy Delaine, stands in embrace with Cory Koons. They kiss and caress as their cocks grow to full attention, and Remy's is spectacular, a simply huge cock, with lotsa tasty foreskin. Pants soon drop and Cory goes down on Remy's giant cock, servicing Remy with his small mouth. Remy flips him over and fucks Cory senseless, and Cory cums while being fucked, Remy drenching Cory's nuts with his load. There is an interlude (a palate cleanser of sorts) with show-stopper Manuel Torres in a solo sequence where he shows off his fine manly frame, long dick and hairy hole for the camera and then shoots his load. Cory returns, this time with smooth cutie Dario Granada. Cory services the hung stud's long, perfectly shaped uncut cock, and then gets the cum fucked out of him by Dario's deep thrusts.

To me, the Turkish bath scene is above and beyond spectacular, it is my single favorite Chris Ward-directed scene ever (and I think I've seen every scene he's ever made). It is dark outside, and the moon is shining brightly against the Saharan sands. Huessein and François Sagat pour water over each other in a sensual bath. Framed in a huge archway with massively thick walls, these massively built men explore each other's bodies. François is just about as gorgeous as a man can be in my book without being too pretty, and Huessein is he-man personified with hair and muscles to spare. The chemistry here is off the fucking charts, Huessein sucking down François gigantic cock with aplomb (and no gag reflex). François does likewise on Huessein's always-hard bone, and then Huessein fucks and rims François' ass in several positions. I have rarely seen sex between two men so intense, so intimate, so well captured. Wow.

Remy Delaine and Iván Andros hook up next, and Remy sucks down Iván's cock as Iván toys with Remy's ass, spreading his fluffy cheeks and tasting his hole. They fuck in four glorious positions (the hottest of which is reverse-cowboy, Remy's enormous hooded penis flopping about as Iván thrusts upward into his arse). Remy rides Iván forever as the energy builds to climax (Iván is an amazing, hard-fucking top, strong and steady). The cum-shots are sublime.

The finale is in the dance hall of the palace of a grand Oriental potentate. Soaring fifty feet high, the room is surrounded by stone arches on two levels. Deep red carpets hang from high above, and the sky itself is filled with candle lanterns, shimmering like stars. Following the floor show by the aforementioned belly dancer (Michael McElhaney), Manuel Torres, Huessein, François Sagat and Joey Milano enjoy each other, dicks out and hard. Each man is paired with the others for cocksucking, and the fucking between Manuel Torres and François Sagat is the highlight of the first half of the scene, Manuel really pounds François, and the second half features Huessein really pounding Joey Milano. They all splash out impressive loads to end a most impressive scene and one helluva motion picture.

ADDITIONAL SCENE No. 1
"The Pharaoh's Tomb" ["Raiders of the Lost Arse" -- Jeff Allen, Simon Cox and Bryce Pierce]: Jeff Allen makes it into a tomb. It is pitch-dark until he brings some light down below. Underneath 20-foot-high statues of Ramases II and other artifacts, he looks around, and innocently touches a stone figure of Simon Cox, a muscular black man with several piercings, including a sizable nose ring. The touch brings Simon to life, and the two briefly tussle. Jeff wins, however, and lays Simon flat, ass open, and starts pumping him to celebrate his return to life. Simon's ass is a vacuum, taking Jeff's fat dick and begging for more. Jeff's dick is a big bulb that slams hard into his bottom. But lurking in the background, Bryce's mummy, all wrapped up, awakes himself, and walks up and knocks Jeff out. A bit of jealously, perhaps? Bryce takes over Simon and screws Simon himself, just as penetratingly. These two are both butch and pierced on many a body part. Taking a fuck break, Bryce lubes up and sticks his hand way up Simon's open ass. He fists him so thoroughly Simon' innards almost pour out. They re-position the naked Jeff so that his manly ass is arched out. Slowly Bryce sticks his entire hand up there. It's an erotic scene, due to the sheer butchness of Jeff. Jeff stands up straight with Bryce's fist up his ass, hardly seeming to notice, and jacks off his load.

ADDITIONAL SCENE No. 2
"The Sultan's Tent" ["A Porn Star Is Born" -- Michael Soldier, Brendan Austen and Marco Montana]: As the scene opens, Michael Soldier and Brendan Austen are on a porn movie set exchanging a few lines of dialogue. Brendan is an Australian muscle hunk with smooth pink skin and a pretty uncut pecker. They then exchange kisses and blows, and just as they're about to begin the fucking, the director, Marco Montana, joins them. Marco is a macho guy with a club of an uncut cock that Michael and Austen feast on. What's more, Marco enjoys their cocks, too, helping the proceedings along nicely. Austen and Michael then take turns fucking each other as Marco continues to feed them cock. Austen fucks the cum out of Michael, Marco squirts a load that sprays out like a lawn sprinkler, and Austen pops last, covering Marco's tummy in goo.

DVD FEATURES (two-disc set): Chapters; making-of documentary (with extensive behind-the-scenes footage, hosted by director Chris Ward); on-the-set walk-around and interviews (Tim and Roma of NakedSword.com tour the set and interview several cast and crew members); interview (Taurus interviews François Sagat); TV clip (Remy Delaine tours San Francisco with QTV's Nick Oram); trailers ("Hard as Wood" and "Passport to Paradise"); and no regional coding (playable worldwide).

A DVD Review by Butch Harris

*** Highly, Highly Recommended ***