SAN FRANCISCO – NakedSword is rolling out “Breaking Mr. Hart,” the debut feature of Golden Age Films by filmmaker D.P. Welles.
"Hart" is available for VOD exclusively on NakedSword with wholesale/retail distribution on the boards. The film is toplined by industry vet Dean Phoenix as “Mr. Hart” with Max Adonis, Remy Cruze, Woody Fox, Damon Heart and Pierce Paris. Nina Hartley has a plum nonsex role as "Missy Hart."
“What do you do when you’re stuck working nine-to-five for a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot? You get together with your coworkers to devise a plan to turn the tables and stick it to him just as hard and deep and he’s stuck it to the office,” a rep said.
The sexplay pairs off Phoenix and Adonis, who returns for a romp with Cruze. Fox is also partnered with Cruze, while Paris and Heart are matched together.
“I picked this story for a few reasons,” Welles told XBIZ. “I’m a massive fan of ‘9 to 5’ and I saw that in our current #MeToo movement that it could provide a strong framework for illustrating all the ways that sexual harassment can impact people. It’s really more about power than sex — but at the same time do it in the context of a sexy comedy so that it’s fun to watch.”
Welles also devised to shoot the film with an indie-film aesthetic. “That means more story and a lot more stuff to shoot, but we didn’t have extra budget to cover all that,” he said “By focusing most of the action in a single location we were able to pull this whole film off with a standard budget and in under five days.”
“It was also a great artistic challenge to frame sex in the 2.4:1 widescreen ratio that many films use. I think shooting that way really helps with the look we wanted to go for and it’s just a frame that I feel is more beautiful. Shooting our sex that way gave us some really fantastic images you wouldn’t get in traditional 16:9.”
Welles praised his cast for embracing the added challenges posed by the shoot. Heart is a good friend, while Paris had been cast in a different project. But when that show fell apart, he agreed to jump into the new project. “I met with everyone beforehand and they all knew what the commitment was and the extra work going in and they all delivered and committed to it,” Welles said.
“Remy, especially, came in just days before the shoot when the original actor came down with an illness and really stepped up to all we asked of him. Max has done mainstream acting and it really shows in all the little moments he built during his scenes, just looks and stuff that illustrate his character.”
Wells wrote Hartley’s role with her in mind, but didn’t know how to track her down. “Getting Nina Hartley was like my pie-in-the-sky dream. I was able to get her contact information from a mutual friend and I reached out and suggested we have lunch and discuss playing the role. We hit it off and she liked the part and agreed to do the film. Boy, were we lucky. She’s so talented. ‘Missy Hart’ is definitely one of the standout aspects of the film.”
Tim Valenti, president of Falcon Studios Group and NakedSword, praised Welles' originality and imagination. "We are happy to be the first place D.P. took his new ideas to find a home," Valenti said. "His story-driven films are as entertaining as they are sexy and I think they will find a welcoming audience on NakedSword."
The Adonis-Phoenix matchup is available now; view scene-by-scene previews and VOD details here. Follow NakedSword on Twitter here and Welles here.
