Capturing the carefree California Zeitgeist of the late 1970s to a T, this is one of only a handful of XXX flicks directed by Joseph Bardo, a Jack of all trades who had cut his teeth as a tech on adult shoots stretching back as far as R. Lee Frost's 1969 sex western THE SCAVENGERS and Ted Roter's 1970 psychobabble porn NORMA. Apart from the questionably attributed Rene Bond showcase DO YOU WANNA BE LOVED? (credited to "B.A. Smith", the writer of DEEP ROOTS, with the more familiar "Lisa Barr" serving as editor), this ranks perhaps as his most accomplished effort, albeit allowing some caveat.
One of depressingly few fornication films to feature - let alone star - an actor of Native American descent, DEEP ROOTS will appeal primarily to nitty gritty adult aficionados who value often genuinely erotic sex above all else. In the lead role of Billy, kissing girlfriend Shawna (Debbie Love) goodbye to embark on a tour of Hollywood to see "how the other people live", Jesse Chacan is spectacularly easy on the eyes, like Sonny Landham's kid brother with a dash of David Cassidy and every bit as cute as the fly by night starlets he's pornographically paired with. Story takes a back seat early on as the narrative quickly boils down to a series of reminiscences as Billy fondly recalls his tussles with Tinseltown's tastiest trollops. Clearly, the current trend to revile Golden Age porn for all the aspects that make up mainstream movie fare, like an engaging script and decent thesping, is not going to apply here.
Production values on the other hand are unexpectedly lavish with gorgeous cinematography by Bart Younger, who shot all of Bardo's "Lisa Barr" endeavors (Lisa, just for the record, being his daughter's name), and a perfectly pleasant soundtrack filled with original songs by one "David Blue" who I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest as being a proper recording artist. Such polished tech specs totally enhance the overall experience, revealing a care and concern not always apparent on the remainder of Bardo's meager output, especially the train wreck that was STARLET NIGHTS, shot at around the same time but not released theatrically until 1982.
Cruising his chopper along the Pacific Coast Highway, Billy picks up hot to trot Joan (abundant Anita Sands, memorable co-star to the returning Rene in DO YOU WANNA BE LOVED?) who's mighty miffed that her longtime boyfriend steadfastly refuses to pop the question. Hence she engages in a spot of body-painting when she learns of our hero's artistic aspirations. Unspoiled Rene (one shot Toni Bell, sporting a fashionable Farrah Fawcett flip) gets Billy all hot and bothered in an incredibly arousing tease tidbit but recoils at the very last moment, leaving him to assuage an onset of blue balls with the lithe and lovely Sue (Mary Swan, another one shot) whom he has always regarded "as a sister". He soon gets over that minor quibble and their resulting encounter's a real barn burner.
Before Billy gets a repeat shot at the reluctant Rene in another scorcher, we cut to Joan getting her hair done (and not just that on her head, this being the '70s and all) in preparation of the Big Party Billy's been blabbing on about by "The Amazing Ricardo", in actuality a portly middle-aged Puerto Rican (with a short fuse...) who looks about as far removed from being a porn stud as it is humanly possibly. The party's your predictable L.A. orgy with what looks like a bunch of real life swingers billed as "Fifty Beautiful People" though I'm really only sure about the final third of that particular description. Running the gamut of age and body types, these performers generally make up in carnal gusto for what they lack in the aesthetic department, turning a diaphanously gowned Joan (easily the most eye-catching female participant) into a magnificent mess à la Brigitte Maier at the climax of Lasse Braun's superlative SENSATIONS.
Making the most of modest resources, Bardo has created a classy skin flick with creatively crafted intimate interludes with the emphasis on erotic rather than explicit, although there's ultimately no shortage of that as well. On the downside, the paltry plot meanders towards the most meaningless of cop-out conclusions (Billy stating you should never stray too far "from where you belong" before heading back to the reservation) and the "acting" is very, very bad even by adult standards. You know you're in trouble when Liz Renay, legendary burlesque headliner and an amiable enough actress (A for trying) when put through her paces by the accommodating John Waters on his 1977 trash classic DESPERATE LIVING, actually delivers the flick's most competent turn as Joan's over the hill stripper girlfriend teaching her how to rekindle the home fires through expert ecdysiasm (look it up...) in an absolutely priceless sequence.
One of depressingly few fornication films to feature - let alone star - an actor of Native American descent, DEEP ROOTS will appeal primarily to nitty gritty adult aficionados who value often genuinely erotic sex above all else. In the lead role of Billy, kissing girlfriend Shawna (Debbie Love) goodbye to embark on a tour of Hollywood to see "how the other people live", Jesse Chacan is spectacularly easy on the eyes, like Sonny Landham's kid brother with a dash of David Cassidy and every bit as cute as the fly by night starlets he's pornographically paired with. Story takes a back seat early on as the narrative quickly boils down to a series of reminiscences as Billy fondly recalls his tussles with Tinseltown's tastiest trollops. Clearly, the current trend to revile Golden Age porn for all the aspects that make up mainstream movie fare, like an engaging script and decent thesping, is not going to apply here.
Production values on the other hand are unexpectedly lavish with gorgeous cinematography by Bart Younger, who shot all of Bardo's "Lisa Barr" endeavors (Lisa, just for the record, being his daughter's name), and a perfectly pleasant soundtrack filled with original songs by one "David Blue" who I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest as being a proper recording artist. Such polished tech specs totally enhance the overall experience, revealing a care and concern not always apparent on the remainder of Bardo's meager output, especially the train wreck that was STARLET NIGHTS, shot at around the same time but not released theatrically until 1982.
Cruising his chopper along the Pacific Coast Highway, Billy picks up hot to trot Joan (abundant Anita Sands, memorable co-star to the returning Rene in DO YOU WANNA BE LOVED?) who's mighty miffed that her longtime boyfriend steadfastly refuses to pop the question. Hence she engages in a spot of body-painting when she learns of our hero's artistic aspirations. Unspoiled Rene (one shot Toni Bell, sporting a fashionable Farrah Fawcett flip) gets Billy all hot and bothered in an incredibly arousing tease tidbit but recoils at the very last moment, leaving him to assuage an onset of blue balls with the lithe and lovely Sue (Mary Swan, another one shot) whom he has always regarded "as a sister". He soon gets over that minor quibble and their resulting encounter's a real barn burner.
Before Billy gets a repeat shot at the reluctant Rene in another scorcher, we cut to Joan getting her hair done (and not just that on her head, this being the '70s and all) in preparation of the Big Party Billy's been blabbing on about by "The Amazing Ricardo", in actuality a portly middle-aged Puerto Rican (with a short fuse...) who looks about as far removed from being a porn stud as it is humanly possibly. The party's your predictable L.A. orgy with what looks like a bunch of real life swingers billed as "Fifty Beautiful People" though I'm really only sure about the final third of that particular description. Running the gamut of age and body types, these performers generally make up in carnal gusto for what they lack in the aesthetic department, turning a diaphanously gowned Joan (easily the most eye-catching female participant) into a magnificent mess à la Brigitte Maier at the climax of Lasse Braun's superlative SENSATIONS.
Making the most of modest resources, Bardo has created a classy skin flick with creatively crafted intimate interludes with the emphasis on erotic rather than explicit, although there's ultimately no shortage of that as well. On the downside, the paltry plot meanders towards the most meaningless of cop-out conclusions (Billy stating you should never stray too far "from where you belong" before heading back to the reservation) and the "acting" is very, very bad even by adult standards. You know you're in trouble when Liz Renay, legendary burlesque headliner and an amiable enough actress (A for trying) when put through her paces by the accommodating John Waters on his 1977 trash classic DESPERATE LIVING, actually delivers the flick's most competent turn as Joan's over the hill stripper girlfriend teaching her how to rekindle the home fires through expert ecdysiasm (look it up...) in an absolutely priceless sequence.