"American Holidays" is the latest example of how Lucas Kazan has managed to corner the market for Italian male porn stars. Following up on his acclaimed debut "Journey to Italy," and the extraordinary smash "Hotel Italia," Kazan has grafted together a simple story of coming out, Italian style, with panoramic vistas of Italian and California locations. He has cast nine knockouts, including two great Czech performers and, if director Lina Wertmuller won't mind, "seven beauties" from Italy.
Focus of the movie is Ettore Tosi, a compact, furry, hazel-eyed, wavy-haired young man of pure Italian charm and feigned naivety, who discovers his sexual identity as a result of a trip to California with two of his friends, and an encounter with a carpenter upon returning home. We should all have been so fortunate in our journeys. The tale is handled in a simple, limited, voiceover, in English, which is just okay -- but it really needs no narration at all.
Ettore and his friends are seen wandering the California desert and beaches on their vacation. Naked on the beaches, displaying three different and sensational asses. His friends are Victor Racek, the sloe-eyed, hunky Czech who's appeared in a wide variety of American films lately, and Federico Bulsara, a classic dark-haired beauty with the narrowest hips (and one of the longest cocks) in the flick. They are supposed to be straight, but as they are walking through the desert, Ettore breaks off to go find their car, leaving Victor and Federico to explore. And, that they do. In fact, Victor puts Federico up against a rock and seduces him, rubbing his beautifully sculptured body through his T-shirt and tight jeans, stripping him down, and sucking his cock. This may seem like a big leap for three straight guys, but if one knows anything about how European men can react to each other in sexual (not sexual identity), terms, it's really not much of a stretch. There is no kissing, just sex. Victor gives Federico great head until the younger man cums; Federico then eats Victor's deliciously appetizing salami, alternatively shoving his still throbbing pole into the Czech's mouth before Victor takes Federico doggy-style over another rock. It's during this move that Ettore happens back on them, and is taken aback (but, not too much) by what he sees. More importantly, Victor spies him briefly, and then cums all over Federico's back. The narration explains that Victor and Ettore never spoke of the encounter again.
Back in Italy, Ettore is restless. He dreams of Victor whacking off in the desert and wrestles with his feelings. This is a languidly filmed segment filled with gold hues and loving camera angles. Kazan frames Ettore beautifully even when the young man is shaving. Wrestling with his sexual identity, Ettore is confronted with the specter of Vilem Cage, who plays a carpenter hired by Ettore's brother. The lead-up to the encounter between these two takes us from an open window, where Ettore, dressed in tight dark jeans and a black polo shirt, makes eye contact with Cage, who's sitting bare-chested and smoking in a chair on the veranda below.
Vilem takes your breath away. A man's man, early 30s, with a distinctly American look, he could step into the role of Indiana Jones and you'd believe it. They cruise each other, and finally Ettore is ready for his first mano-a-mano. He approaches Vilem and asks for a cigarette. Here, Kazan pulls a classic scene from the distant past out of his ass, Vilem takes a cigarette out, lights it up without taking his eyes off Ettore, and turns it over to him. All I could think of was "Now Voyager," when Paul Henreid lit two cigarettes and handed one over to Bette Davis. Needless to say, these two guys are far more attractive, and in that instant, Vilem Cage underscores the fact that he is without question the most charismatic top in European porn. He emotes more carnal passion and sexual confusion in one long look at the studly man before him than most porn actors, anywhere, can cram into a 20-minute scene. "I'm going to love fucking this guy," is clearly what he is thinking by the look on his face, and after Ettore's slightly hesitant first moves, the two kiss.
There are two extended kissing bouts in this scene, in the beginning and the end, but without them the scene would be much less effective. The reason is that Vilem goes counter to all the Eastern European tradition and kisses like an Italian -- deep, hard, long, greedy -- and Ettore not only eggs him on, but is somewhat overwhelmed. That's okay, there's a hot cock waiting in Vilem's pants, and Ettore's first taste of man cock is electric. His blowjob of Vilem, in the chair and then (in a quick edit) against an indoor fountain, is deep, hard, quick and loving. Ettore knows what to do with this man, who has all the classic trade trappings in his persona, but loves sex. Vilem cums on Ettore's black shirt, and the two move to a table, where Ettore lays back and lets Vilem pull down his jeans and get some head bobbing going of his own. It's a brief, but very sensuous blowjob, once again deeper than one would expect from a Czech, and it's apparent that Vilem is having a wonderful time. Ettore blows a wad, once again it covers his black polo shirt (which was cleaned up for this scene), and we cut to the fuck. This takes place in a large room with Vilem taking Ettore's cherry in three ways -- over the couch doggy-style, on the Persian rug missionary-style (very hot) and then in a sit-fuck on the couch. The passion is easily perceptible throughout, with Vilem bringing Ettore to a climax while his cock is still pumping up into the young man's ass (it slips out with the condom showing some pre-cum), and then Vilem jerks himself off to a wild spurt of juice with Ettore still on his lap. They hungrily, and deeply, kiss to end the scene. (I passed out right on the bed.)
Ettore has to see, if not do, more, and he winds up in the Roman ruins somewhere. First he encounters hunky, pretty Luca Ferri, whose bandana covers a shaved head, servicing the stone cold, beautifully sculptured blond Tiziano Cortese. Off in another part of the ruins, two older men, and the ash blond Erik Lenn and the darker Gennaro Grimaldi are grappling with their shirtless, jeans-clad bodies. While Ettore observes, Luca blows and rims Tiziano, and then offers up his ass for a serious doggy-fuck. After they cum, Ettore moves over to watch Erik suck Gennaro's mighty sausage, and then bend over for a good fuck.
Experienced as a voyeur, Ettore needs to complete the visit, and as he turns, standing there is the vision of a Michelangelo sculpture: Matthias Vannelli, dark-haired, clean-shaven, stuffed into tight, short cut-offs, waiting for someone to suck his huge cock. Who better than Ettore, who has learned a thing or two from his encounter with Vilem, and chows down with enthusiasm in an oral encounter that ends with a faceful of cream, and a quickly zipped fly, without so much as a bye.
Now it's time for Victor and Ettore to encounter each other, and they do it in California the following year, in the same place where it all started, except this time on the beach, where they are taking the sun, oiled and naked. Still having never discussed what Ettore saw him do with Federico, Victor begins to rub Ettore's body, and then takes his cock in his hand. A quick edit takes us to Ettore leaning against a rock formation by the water, Victor on his knees giving a forceful, deep blowjob, which is returned in a few minutes by Ettore, who takes Victor's cum on his face and chest. They head for a cove, where Victor is on his knees and Ettore is in his ass, and then they switch positions, Victor eventually cumming on Ettore's back, and then sticking his cock back into his friend and pumping until Ettore cums as well.
This last scene is full of quick edits (like the rest of the movie, my one compliant), and it seems, on first watching, as somewhat cold and matter-of-fact. However, this is one situation where it pays to keep the sound on, for Kazan, who not only knows how to make a beautiful movie, shows just how much he understands both the European, and in particular, Italian mindset. I won't tell you what the last line of the narration is -- you watch this flick, which has a lovely original score by Andrea Ruscelli, and you'll get the point. Obviously, after you hear the line, you, like I, will be eagerly awaiting the sequel, which could be titled, "The Further Adventures of Ettore Tosi." One request: Bring back Vilem.
