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Ben Dover hardcore vs softcore

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2024 4:33 pm
by Chriscrackers
So, I was wondering, remember back in the day when producers shot "soft" versions of their films so that they could be broadcast on UK satellite TV and sold on the high street as 18-certificate vids/DVDs?

I recently took possession of a small number of Ben Dover 18 rated DVDs and they look to be comprised of completely different scenes to the XXX versions, not just the same scenes with the explicit shots removed by different angles and edits.

Ben himself - up to the mid-2000s and films like The XXX Factor - only partook in oral and cumshots, but he actully fucks the girls in the softcore versions. What I don't get is why this content was completely removed from the hardcore versions.

I do know that Ben's movies were heavily edited, even the R18 ones, to remove stuff like fisting and watersports. Got me to thinking that there must be hours and hours of unused and unseen footage out there. Whoever owns the masters now could have made a few quid out of issuing this content on a PPV basis. Maybe Ben himself could have repackaged his content (yet again) to make a few quid, rather that going down the road of speculative invoicing the way he did.

Re: Ben Dover hardcore vs softcore

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2024 2:29 pm
by Bodders
Are you on X/Twitter? You could probably ask a few old faces on there??

Re: Ben Dover hardcore vs softcore

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2024 3:10 pm
by Chriscrackers
Thanks for the suggestion Bodders. I might have considered this, but I deleted my Twitter profile a couple of years back and I'm not ever going back there again. Some people may be able to deal with it, but I found it was thoroughly depressing me, and no amount of blocking, muting or profile curation could completely silence the constant barrage of hateful idiots screaming at each other.
I've been lurking on this board as a guest for years and years, but never had anything to add/ask, so never bothered registering. I know that loads of folk from Britporn in the 90s and 2000s used to post here, but maybe they've moved on now.
I still think that moderated forums are the best way to discuss and share info on common interests.

Re: Ben Dover hardcore vs softcore

Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2024 4:57 pm
by hos
didn't see any of that softcore, but i'd assume he didn't fuck the girls in the softcore versions and it was only simulated (no penetration). and because of that, you don't have those sequences in the hardcore movies, cause it would be odd for a hardcore scene to have one guy just simulating the act.

Ben did fuck the girls in his early days and again after his split from Linzi Drew. bj only/cumshots was when he was together with Linzi, it was an arrangement to get along together.

Re: Ben Dover hardcore vs softcore

Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2024 8:00 pm
by Chriscrackers
hos wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 4:57 pm didn't see any of that softcore, but i'd assume he didn't fuck the girls in the softcore versions and it was only simulated (no penetration). and because of that, you don't have those sequences in the hardcore movies, cause it would be odd for a hardcore scene to have one guy just simulating the act.
That's what I had previously assumed, but I some of the less-than-careful framing in the "softcore"versions tells me that this isn't the case. The softcore scene with Karina Clarke has a whole sequence not in the hard version, and it's undoubtedly un-simulated.

Even in the latter years, entire sequences were cut - Ben's part in the original online version of the scene with Tilly Hardy is completely missing from the DVD and current streaming versions.

I imagine that Marino would have been able to explain the reasoning behind the way the scenes were edited, but I don't think he's posted on here in years.

Re: Ben Dover hardcore vs softcore

Posted: Wed May 15, 2024 5:03 pm
by Rotter
I'm pretty certain that the Adele and Amber scene from More Fresh Cheeks was full sex in the soft version, shown on TVX I think, but the hardcore DVD is only dildo play and blowjobs. I remember being disappointed in the DVD when I got it because of that difference.

Re: Ben Dover hardcore vs softcore

Posted: Wed May 15, 2024 5:13 pm
by one eyed jack
If I hazard a guess since I shot hard and soft versions for Liquid Gold and Real Couples on cable TEN and Xplicit UK I would think Ben either filmed the same sequence at the same time with two different cameramen (himself and another) probably Bob who was on hand as his assistant on some shoots as well as an extra cock on duty or he filmed it POV and a stationary set up camera.

It wasnt unusual for gonzomperformers to shoot with more than one camera.

Over time I managed to master multiple cameras from fixed positions and had one roaming for wild and creative shots. Every thing is easy if you think of what you are doing before the shoot.

Experience also comes with editing

Re: Ben Dover hardcore vs softcore

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:55 pm
by Chriscrackers
Thanks Terry, yes, I think that it was the case that some of the same action was filmed with an extra camera, or else carefully cropped in the edit - I can well remember the old POV "bobbing head" BJ shots from the Adult Channel and TVX back in the day. Obviously HC footage with just enough obscured to make it past the broadcasting restrictions.
But there are scenes in those softcore DVDs that appears to be footage that was completely cut out of the R18 DVDs. I've mentioned the Karina Clarke scene which has a whole part, complete with abrupt cuts, that never appeared in the Buttmania DVD, but there is a whole other scene with Jennifer Martin on another DVD that is completely separate from the one with Poppy Morgan on Skool of Cock.
I just thought that it was strange that there is obviously a load of footage "in the vault" that has never seen the light of day. Presumably BD still owns the masters - I imagine that if the rights had passed to someone else they would already have tried to make a few quid from streaming the material.

Re: Ben Dover hardcore vs softcore

Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2024 9:57 am
by one eyed jack
Chriscrackers wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 3:10 pm Thanks for the suggestion Bodders. I might have considered this, but I deleted my Twitter profile a couple of years back and I'm not ever going back there again. Some people may be able to deal with it, but I found it was thoroughly depressing me, and no amount of blocking, muting or profile curation could completely silence the constant barrage of hateful idiots screaming at each other.
I've been lurking on this board as a guest for years and years, but never had anything to add/ask, so never bothered registering. I know that loads of folk from Britporn in the 90s and 2000s used to post here, but maybe they've moved on now.
I still think that moderated forums are the best way to discuss and share info on common interests.
I know what you mean and have made it through the storm of nonsense that was Twitter for me years ago. Unfortunately a lot of people use social media to be anti social and dont like their opinions challenged when putting their opinions out there in public.

Social media has become a necessary evil for me and I quickly decided it wasnt the place to argue but put the information out there to promote whatever it was of the moment, be it parties, events, books or latest movie releases.

If just used for that its perfect. Just ignore the fire starters. They just want attention.

Its not often I come on here and most of the business has changed to the point most dont even know this place which is a shame because there was a time this was a robust platform full of light and life and the place to be. I think BGAFD got left behind because it failed to get on the socialmedia bandwagon of instagram and Twitter. Forums are just not usually that popular anymore but couples with social media it could still maintain a place by drawing a crowd of new people but maybe thats not hat the owners of this site want and I can respect that.