Le Beau Mec (Special Edition)

I looooove vintage gay p@rn. And it's generally very difficult finding watchable copies of 'Beau Mec' online.So imagine my surprise when I found it on Amazon while browsing for air purifier replacement filters...😂 Naughty Amazon. Naughty.I've seen this film before, and it does look 'better' than any version I've ever ogled, but it still looks bad overall.I do realize this film was shot on 16mm and is almost as old as I am. But it was advertised as a 4K restoration (whatever that really means), making it sound pristine as hell.It wasn't.I noticed that immediately during the opening credit roll. It was a bit disappointing how crappy that scene looked. It was murky with noticeable artifacts. The quality improved during shots with better lighting, but yeah, it's rough. With lots of scratches and other imperfections here and there.Criterion quality this ain't.I guess the original negative was so damaged that this was the best they could do.The film itself is interesting, with Karl Forest describing his life and fantasies, with a few s3x and strip scenes sprinkled throughout. (This *is* gay p0rn, so don't be shocked when you see things that gay dramas only hint at.)Special features are sparse. Trailers, an interview with the cinematographer, a mini slideshow, and a feature length commentary.The best extra was the interview, which was about 17 mins. (I wish it was longer.) It was like having a chat with a gay grandpa as he reminisced about Paris in the 70's, his filming process, and what it was like working with Karl Forest. It was fascinating because HE WAS THERE. Even if he rambled a bit his presence was welcome.The commentary track was less interesting unfortunately, with little discussion of the film restoration itself. (Which would've been fascinating.)Again, this *is* the best copy of Beau Mec I've seen, but it isn't pristine. And the extras on this disc are bare bones.Overall, it's unfortunate they couldn't get the film to look better. It still would've been interesting having a featurette on the restoration process, or have actual film nerds chat on the commentary track.

Can tell this is 70s style filming of this type porn. Sometimes dark lighting, very short scenes, not much clear visuals of whats going on. Just spliced together for longer film.