Maraschino Cherry (film)

Maraschino Cherry (Gloria Leonard), the owner of a high-class escort service in New York City, teaches her younger sister, Penny Cherry (Jenny Baxter), about the business.^[3][4] The two sisters reflect on a series of erotic episodes related to the service and its clients,^[4] replete with humorous puns and innuendos.

Maraschino Cherry was released during the Golden Age of Porn (inaugurated by the 1969 release of Andy Warhol's Blue Movie) in the United States, at a time of "porno chic",^[7][8] in which adult erotic films were just beginning to be widely released, publicly discussed by celebrities (like Johnny Carson and Bob Hope)^[9] and taken seriously by film critics (like Roger Ebert).^[10][11]

One film reviewer notes that "[Maraschino Cherry] may not be [Metzger's] finest moment", but that it is "... still a beautifully shot film ... the dialogue is well written, the humor genuinely funny ...".^[4] Another reviewer writes, "Most of Metzger’s films are known for their offbeat humor and witty dialog. Maraschino Cherry is filled [with] many amusing comedy set pieces ...".^[3]

According to one film reviewer, Radley Metzger's films, including those made during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984), are noted for their "lavish design, witty screenplays, and a penchant for the unusual camera angle".^[12] Another reviewer noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral ... and often featured gorgeous cinematography".^[13] Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.^{[14][15][16][17]}

In 2009, DistribPix released a complete remastering of the film, with the full cooperation of the director.^[18] The result had a limited exhibition in theaters, but the main outcome of the project was the first-ever official remastered DVD version.^[18] A listing of the music on the film soundtrack was released earlier.^[19][20]