Just 15 years ago, no one could have predicted that the former Republic of Czechoslovakia would grow into the hotbed of homosexual hardcore pornography it is today. This is largely the achievement of two men : legendary American ex-pat William Higgins, who would run a gay bar in the Czech capital of Prague from the late '80s onwards and revived his flagging film-making career as "Wim Hof" (same initials) utilizing local talent, and George Duroy on the other side, operating out of his home country of Slovakia following a brief stint stateside managing US company Falcon's short-lived International line. His real identity recently revealed through a complicated Internet copyright conundrum as Lanning Janosov, Duroy took his moniker from the main character in French author Guy de Maupassant's famous novella "Bel Ami" as well as the company name for his extremely lucrative Bratislava-based outlet dedicated to the representation and commercialization of boy on boy romance.

Though production would become more streamlined and the models gain a more professional demeanor over the course of time, I must confess an overwhelming preference for Bel Ami's earlier (i.e. end of previous millennium) work. Recent output carries a cookie cutter mentality marring too much product on both sides of the (gay/straight) fence, erasing exactly those elements that made it special in the first place, like Duroy's leisurely approach, favoring spontaneity between often endearingly awkward "amateur" performers, with a curator's eye for cast chemistry and genuine eroticism. While their styles are quite different, a similar trajectory towards high gloss blandness marked the film-making career of late Gallic gay porn god Jean-Daniel Cadinot as he tellingly "evolved" from making movies to churning out product in his twilight years.

Much of Duroy's success belongs to his original Bratislava boys Lukas Ridgeston and Johan Paulik, a pair of incredibly popular performers sensibly promoted to star status in his fledgling endeavors. Their poetically pastoral encounter in the first LUKAS' STORY – now re-edited on DVD with scenes from its sequel and new narration from its titular star as LUKAS' STORIES – remains enshrined in the collective gay consciousness, setting the Bel Ami Gold Standard they have all too rarely equaled since. Hitting his stride, LUCKY LUCAS represents perhaps the pinnacle of Ridgeston's body of workand what a body it is ! Still graced with the softness of youth, though already in his mid-20s at the time (don't laugh, porn employment can quickly take its toll), he effortlessly commands the screen even if his intimate involvement remains teasingly limited to a few choice set pieces, among which his climactic lovemaking – for once, this term's not a euphemism – with Romanian heart throb Ion Davidov to rival his previously mentioned perfect partnership with Paulik.

Slight premise has Lukas picking up Ion in his Mini Cooper (of which he's a real life enthusiast) for a day of goofing off in the countryside. He patiently awaits Davidov's popping off due to the oral administrations of obedient puppy Jiri Lubov (from Duroy's Falcon flick SIBERIAN HEAT), who alternates him with seldom seen Alexander Strauss whose sole subsequent appearance was in Bel Ami's English STUDENT. Running into a spot of road rage trouble with testosterone-heavy fellow motorists Pavol Zurek and Ales Hanak, they mischievously take off their tires while the guys are releasing their tensions Al Fresco. Chiseled Hanak a/k/a Jirka Kalvoda was soon snapped up by American company Studio 2000, appearing in John Travis' CZECH POINT and Ross Cannon's PRAGUE RISING, but the more rugged Zurek proved elusive, disappearing after a few more Duroy efforts like SAUNA PARADISO and BLUE DANUBE, too bad as he brings a welcome nasty edge to Bel Ami's customary wholesomeness.

Lukas finally gets in on the action when he and Ion pick up horny hitchhiker Vadim Hausman, another fly by night from the company's self-explanatory titled CHERRIES, for a major scorcher. Witnessing an impromptu 8 guy orgy in a barn, involving subsequent Falcon model Karl Tenner (from John Rutherford's SNAPSHOTS and Chi Chi LaRue's HOTEL California) and the always smoldering Dano Sulik (from Pride's soft core classic SUMMER, THE FIRST TIME), gets their juices flowing for a bedroom marathon of their own, perfectly paced as both boys switch from dominant to submissive positions, the latter a relative rarity for the ravishing Ridgeston.

One of Bel Ami's flagship titles alongside the LUKAS' STORY and FRISKY SUMMER multi-parters, LUCKY LUKAS boasts all of the company's strengths but preciously few of their conspicuous weaknesses, such as their invariably cheesy soundtracks, most of the sex scenes relying on the wonderful natural sounds young men can emit during intercourse rather than superfluous muzak. Nice to note and contributing to the movie's overall impression of innocence is that much of its erotic content centers around commendably heartfelt oral pleasure. The carnality's competently covered by the director and his reliable camera henchman Marty Stevens, who occasionally handles directorial chores on Bel Ami's semi-documentaries like the 101 MEN and PERSONAL TRAINERS series or compilations of previously unreleased material such as the BOY WATCH and OUT AT LAST compendiums.

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