In case you have not heard about it yet: Rigid East / Lupus Pictures, the legendary producer of spanking and corporal punishment films, will be closing down next week.
The Czech studio originally started out sixteen years ago under the name Rigid East. In 2000, they became Lupus Pictures and began making ever more polished-looking videos, with a professional crew, professional camera equipment, lavish props and costumes and intricate storylines. It is no exaggeration to say that Lupus changed the genre forever. They were the first to produce anything approaching "real movies", and they made everyone else look like rank amateurs at the time. Even today, among new, ambitious rivals, the Czechs' body of work arguably remains unsurpassed. With Lupus Pictures, "spanking videos" became "spanking films".
As those of you who have read Rohrstock-Palast for a while know, I have a pretty personal history with Lupus as well. Without them, I would not have met and become friends with Niki Flynn, the first model from the West to work with these "werewolves from the East". Without Niki, I would not have started this blog or made any videos of my own. Without the blog and videos, I would never have met my mate Kaelah. In 2009, not very long after Kaelah and I became a couple, I guest starred in a Lupus Pictures film myself, which was a kinky dream come true. I wrote a three-part behind-the-scenes report about the experience: The Company of Wolves, A Dragoon's Life and Topping for Lupus.
So now, Rigid East / Lupus are calling it quits, citing a desire to try out new directions: "We already made the best spanking movies the spankos ever saw. So now it's time to explore new worlds and biggest challenges behind us [sic]. Our goal is to explore and embrace new kinks and go beyond simple spanking. We're striving for the best BDSM movies you ever saw." No false modesty in that, is there?
While I am sad that such a historic producer of spanking films and one with whom I have had such a personal relationship will be closing down, I certainly understand the reasoning. I got a sense myself that Lupus were finding it difficult to surpass what they had already done in terms of "pure" spanking films, and that they were frankly getting a bit bored with the whole thing. Their recent "Lupus Dreams" productions with more BDSM-heavy and explicit content, including real sex, never interested me that much, but again, I understand the desire to experiment and do something new. We will see how Quirky Way, the Czechs' post-Lupus venture, will develop and what they have in mind. I wish them well and will be keeping an eye on them.
In the meantime, you have a few last days left to purchase some films from the legendary Rigid East / Lupus Pictures studio if you like, at a 70% discount (probably, as they write, their final sales auction). Maybe from the Wild Party trilogy, or the Stalin trilogy, or the Headmaster's Study series, or Niki's spanking film debut The Exchange Student, or the wonderful little gem The Last Case of Dr. Freud... Or even A Garden Party with guest stars Adele Haze and yours truly. Damn, they made so much good stuff over the years.
Farewell, werewolves from the East, and thank you. It has been quite an adventure.
16 comments:
Yes, sad to say one of the great film producers Lucas/Rigid, is closing down. This company in my opinion made some of the finest spanking movies, ever made. They were 'Classics'. I loved when they caned those naughty ladies, on their bare bottoms. They were one of a kind. Yes, Ludvig, I saw the one you stared in called the 'Garden Party'.
Sad news but it had to happen sometime I suppose. I purchased my first of their films (wild party) on VHS tape and it cost a bit more than 2500 Belgian Francs (about 50 pounds at that time) and it was worth it, there was nothing better around at that time. They have certainly set a high bench mark for other producers to follow.
Prefectdt
Still the best videos around by a wide margin. A combination of very interesting story lines, excellent costumes and locations, and great spanking action. Some of the later videos were a bit strong for my taste .. perhaps bordering on the excess of Mood Pictures. It seemed that at some point, the RGE team thought that all the girls had to be in the nude, whereas the earlier videos where the girl's bottom only was bared was -- in my opinion -- much more interesting.
Pavel Stastny was clearly the driving force behind RGE -- in so many ways. Several of his movies were masterpieces, particularly as the Headmaster. I revisit his movies often. But Michaela and Ester in particular were just great on the receiving end. Both were pretty reasonable actors -- but the way they took their canings were just great.
Now there is an opportunity to buy some of the videos I did not have in my collection or that were in low resolution.
I love, love, love the Headmaster's Study Series. Their productions are really more like films than videos. Great story lines, costumes, sets. I lost a bit of interest when they started to add more sexual content to their stories, simply because it's not my cup of tea. But they really put a lot of effort into their productions. I wish them luck for their new project(s). I certainly need to get through the list of movies to see, what I need to have for my collection...
To the anonymous commenter who mentioned a tube site in reply to Ursus Lewis: I am not going to publish your comment because I do not want to support piracy. Any Lupus films posted on tube sites are, obviously, posted in infringement of copyright. Such piracy is de-motivating for producers of spanking films and is diminishing their income which they could use to make new films. If you are a fan of spanking films, but support piracy instead of supporting the people who actually made the films you like, you are hurting your own interest. Because ultimately, piracy means that fewer such films, and fewer good ones, will get made.
So, please, refrain from advertising pirated videos in the comments here. Thank you.
Truly the end of an era.
Hopefully their body of work will be available to us in some form. I hope future fetish movie-makers will sit down and study their technique, their professionalism and their story structures and maybe build a new studio to fill some of the void this will leave us spankos in.
Dosvedanya, Rigid/Lupus, you will never be replaced.
I have to admit that it is a strange feeling to see Lupus go. Although I am not such a big fan as you are, Ludwig, and as some other fellow spankos, because many of the scenarios are too dark and the victims too helpless for my personal taste (and it is purely x/F, except for one video), I appreciate the quality of their work.
And of course having been behind the scenes has created a special connection. I remember how impressed I was by the professional equipment and filming and how kind everyone was to me when I accompanied you to your shoot as a shy spanking newbie.
I bought Headmasters Study years ago because the girl being caned was absolutely stunning.
Sadly, there were no real cane strokes, just camera cutaways.
They apologized and said they would correct the problem, but it continued to plague all their vids.
@ Tom O'Neal: I assume the stunning girl you are referring to might be the one in A Note for Absence, the very first Headmaster's Study film.
I believe that Lupus used a different editor for their first couple of films who preferred to show the spankee's facial reactions and would thus cut away quickly after a cane stroke had landed to show the face. However, this flaw was quickly corrected and all the later Lupus films feature plenty of shots of the camera lingering on the girls' bottoms and showing the cane strokes landing and the welts developing.
Moreover, the Lupus DVDs include extra material where you can watch the entire, uninterrupted camera perspectives on the girls' bottoms for all the scenes, so you can literally see every single stroke landing if you want to.
I haven't bothered with any of their movies for years. They weren't even spanking movies as far as I'm concerned. All that comes to mind when I think of Lupus films is MEN everywhere. In every scene whether they're a part of the action or not. And also VAGINA'S! All those people cared about were vagina's. Girls getting caned? Let's make sure her vagina is spread wide for the camera! Girl getting spanked? Let's have her legs spread and get a good shot of her vagina! Girls tied to a bench waiting for punishment? Lets stretch her whole body into some hideous position just so her vagina is jutting out towards the camera!
There was absolutely nothing even remotely erotic or aesthetically pleasing about their films since they started down that road.
I have no doubt they're going out of business because they're simply not making any money. In the western world they're barely even thought of as a producer of spanking movies. That's why I find it comical that they claim to make "pure" spanking movies or that they've made the "finest movies the spanko's have ever seen". They make dark gyno BDSM movies with a strong masculine tone. What does that have to do with spanking?
I'm a writer and critic for Wizbang Pop, and I sometimes do stories on adult entertainment and business. This seems like a huge business mistake. With all of the production money already spent producing their catalog of films, these films could have meant income for years to come. Every title of Lupus Dreams and Quirky Way has been a major disappointment so far, without one single title holding the camp appeal or interest of the old Lupus and Rigid East titles. So far, not a single title has even approached WILD PARTY for the best film of the spanking fetish genre ever produced. And further, no great stars have emerged from this new company either. This is just a poor business decision from a business that is being poorly managed. The old films have a classic cult appeal. The newer films are just pure trash by comparison. Most film companies get progressively better, while this company only gets worse with each new film, reaching it's peak a few years ago.
@ Anonymous: I'm not a fan of vagina closeups, either, so I sympathize with your sentiments there. What's wrong with having men in spanking movies, though? I know viewers (especially female ones) who like the exact thing about the movies that you disliked. Goes to show that it is all a matter of taste. In any case, to say about Lupus that "in the western world they're barely even thought of as a producer of spanking movies" is a tad pompous, frankly - you may think like that, but you do not speak for the entire Western world, and Lupus have had plenty of success and excellent reviews from spankos here in the West, as can be seen on various blogs, forums and review sites.
@ Paul Hooson: I share your feelings. I loved the old, classic Rigid East / Lupus films, but never get into their new ones ever since they started the "Lupus Dreams" line with explicit sex, poorer production values and less camp appeal. We will see where their new road takes them, but obviously it won't be back to the old glory days.
Given the otherwise very high technical standard of Lupus movies, I don't know why they never put optional viewing angles on their DVDs like Raven Hill do?
@ Anonymous: I don't know what, exactly, you mean by "optional viewing angles", but if you mean a choice of different camera perspectives for the CP action scenes, Lupus actually have that on their DVDs. It is a regular bonus feature.
Warning!
On monday I have ordered films, but I didn't get neither the download-links nor any answer to several mails till today (saturday).
So I am afraid, that I have lost 210 Euro.
Be warned.
Wolfgang
@ Wolfgang: I'm sorry to hear that. But Lupus aren't crooks. I'm quite sure that some technical difficulty, rather than malice, is the root of your problem. Lupus write on their website that they had negotiations with their bank and their provider to do another final sale to allow customers to finish their downloads. Maybe something remains to be resolved there. Or maybe they are simply overwhelmed by the high number of final orders they are probably getting.
I'd wait a few more days. Also, check your spam folder to make sure that you do not miss a reply when you get one.
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