The Film (4/5)

Married couple Lisa and Dan have a sexually open relationship, but when Diana, Dan's next door fling arranger, takes in a fresh faced and petite teenage blonde named Natalie, Dan's hormones and thoughts run amok, and that begins to put a strain on his relationship with Lisa.  Lisa desires to sleep with other men, especially Dan's business partner Mark whom she has an irresistible attraction to, that tosses Dan into a fit not wanting his wife to explore her sexuality above his own.  Begging her to set up a romp meeting, Diana finally gives in to Dan's imploring and arranges Dan and Natalie some alone time.  Sick of hearing about his indecencies with the next door girl,  Lisa evicts her holding back stance from hurting her husband and has Diana arrange a meeting with Mark where the two fall in love and form a strong relationship to the point where Lisa decides to leave her philandering husband, but Dan yearns to have his wife back no matter what, even if that means setting up Mark and Natalie to spite Lisa that result in a passionate and ill-fated bang.

"Never Sleep Alone" is the 1984 adult drama from Kemal Horulu as his last film as a director.  The New York based filmmaker made a living due in part of producing erotic dramas for nearly two decades between 1968 and 1984, including popular features "Lustful Feelings" and "Blue Ecstasy in New York" with both films starring AVN hall of fame actress Leslie Bovee.  "Never Sleep Alone" bore the same engrossing mold, dripping with delectable drama and simmering with saucy scenes of carnal possibilities.  What's interesting about Horulu's last film is is the film exhibits a bit of history; a bit of New York City's sultry legacy that was erased from modern day patrons such as 42nd Street was revamped for a broader and puritanical audiences.  Riddled with inviting swing pads and a large swimming pool, hot swing club Plato's Retreat has a few scenes that reveal the inner bones of the once pornographic playground for the wealthy and industry socialites that no longer exist, wiped away by the moral police during the time of HIV/AIDS scare.

The beginning opening shots of NYC county courthouse with a voice over of a judge presiding over a jury's guilty verdict against defendant Lisa Alexander resembles something straight out a Dick Wolff Law & Order episode.  Then, a cut to Lisa (Tina Marie) exposed while pulling up silky stockings under her lacy garter.  In walks Dan ("Love Slaves'" John Leslie), a cool as a cucumber business man with an appetite for women.  Marie and Leslie turn the dial up on the drama chops, loving and bickering like an actual couple spiraling down to turmoil town as Natalie (Joanna Storm of "Firestorm") flaunts a perky pair of funbags toward Dan.  Storm, with her slender petite figure and blonde hair, and Marie, a full figured, dark skinned brunette, are very much night and day opposites that pull Dan to flounder between the two striking women.  Joey Sivera (also known as Joey Silvera) has always been a hoot in everything and "Never Sleep Alone" is no different; even though Sivera tones down his usual loopy charm for a serious business partner to Dan, Sivera sports a white boy afro and a thin mustache upon his slender physique that just makes him very comically, but muscular physique.  Thirty-four year old Honey Wilder makes up the rest of the major casting as Diana the arranger.  Her body certainly reflects her age, but Wilder's fiery hair and sizzling attitude, with a fairly voluptuous body, make her an on camera presence, especially in her foursome with John Leslie, Tigr (in a dual role!), and Sharon Kane.  Ron Jeremy, Anna Ventura, Lenora Bruce, Michael Knight, Jerome Carter, and Sharon Mitchell as a upside down schlong sucking dominatrix round out the casting. 

The fact that "Never Sleep Alone" presents an A-to-Z plot didn't put a damper on the more intimate moments.  Though less than a handful of scenes were tossed in for the visceral effect, such as Ron Jeremy and Tigra's Plato Retreat poolside shenanigans, the sex acted as a catalyst, driving Dan to do what he did, driving Tina to do what she did, driving Mark to do what he did, and so forth and in each of the scenes were some segmented portions that strike a cant-look-away chord.  I don't know about you but watching Joey Sivera being a voyeur and jerking off just off screen to Anna Ventura and Lenora Bruce's lesbian chow down and then walking past them to continue jerking it in a mens' urinal while craning his neck to get more an eyeful of their actions was the bizarre, yet most captivating moment that one never really forgets. 

Audio/Video (4/5)

Vinegar Syndrome presents the region free release of  "Never Sleep Alone" in an anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 ratio.  The original 35mm negative looks well preserved and looks even better being scanned and restored in 2k.  A handful of scenes exhibit slight damage, more noticeably between cuts that jumps and pops, and desaturate in color that go into a more shadowy tone, but no cropping, a slew of image grain and edging enhances to aggravate the negative simplicity.

The Dolby Digital mono track is clean.  Slight hiss during the dialogue and during the damage scenes, the pops scar the audio track, but overall the mix is fairly clean to the earbuds with the crisp restoration by the exploitation distributor.

Extras (3/5)

An in-depth phone interview with Joanna Storm goes beyond "Never Sleep Alone" and takes the time to go through her lust filled career and her life outside of porn.  Storm also discusses New York City life in the 1980's with Plato Retreat and how much has changed since, making this interview a bit of an eye opener when considering how much the industry has changed from coast-to-coast and from era-to-era while still maintaining that balance of normalcy with a stigmatic past.

Overall

"Never Sleep Alone" proves that open relationships are the worst possible idea, even in the porn world.  The copulation between John Leslie, Tina Marie, Joey Silvera, and Joanna Storm slip and slides with ease and with raunchy intentions from the porn pros.  This particular VS release happens to be one of the best looking restorations ever to come across my view and would certainly recommend this dramatic romp for a good time.