The Passions of Carol, Uncut Movie (1975)

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Description: This story is based on Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol", and was the first complete screenplay that I wrote. All previous efforts were shot from detailed outlines and used improvised dialogue. All subsequent efforts were totally scripted.
Scene Breakdowns
Scene 1. Day Jason, Mary Stuart, Sonny Landham
Scene 2. Mary Stuart, Marc Stevens
Scene 3. Mary Stuart, Susan Sloan, Alan Marlow
Scene 4. Kim Pope, Jamie Gillis
Scene 5. Mary Stuart, Ashley Moore
Review:
Going way over budget (from $14,000 to $18.000), taking three months longer to make than planned, and ending up missing the Christmas season and flopping at the box office, co-star/producer/ co- special effects and credits maker/ editor/ writer/ director Shaun Costello carves up a gloriously ambitious festive frolics folly. Shooting on a sound stage for the first time, (and sometimes having to work 24 hours a day on the project) Costello & cinematographer Bill Markle make excellent use of their new surroundings with stylish ghostly dissolves bringing Scrooge's spirits to life, and rumbling smoke creating a divide between Scrooge and the visions. Bringing a rare thoughtfulness to the soundtrack, Costello pounds the sex scenes into the rest of the film with a subtle use of music underlying them, from Hatchets love making being done to a jolly X-Mas song, (sadly no Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree used) to Scrooge's vision of sex from the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come being unsettling stone cold silence.

The first time he had written a full script (instead of a short outline/ improvising on the day), the effort Costello made to (somewhat) faithfully adapt Dickens's shine in dialogue from the novel being slotted with ease into Scrooge's Adult vision. Whilst offering plenty of sexy eye candy, Costello leaves out Tiny Tim and brilliantly models this version on the "Me" generation, with Scrooge looking into the camera and listing how she will improve herself rather than how she will improve things for the employees. Joined by a lively Adult all-star lineup of Jamie Gillis, Costello, Sonny "that guy from Predator" Landham and fellow director Carter Stevens, Mary Stuart gives an excellent turn as possibly the only woman to play Scrooge on screen, thanks to Stuart giving Scrooge cool icy vibes which are thrust by Stuart into cheery optimism that hits the climax of Scrooge emptying the Jingle Bell Rock.
A few words from the director:
My name is Shaun Costello and I wrote and directed this movie. This was the very first hardcore XXX adult film to open in a straight theater. It opened at the Quad Cinemas in 1975 to empty seats. My first flop. It was big, it was noisy, it was colorful, it was funny, but there was one thing it wasn't; it wasn't sexy. It was shot in 16MM film with a budget of $14,000. which wound up at about $18,000. after overages. I had never worked on a sound stage before, and had to keep the production going 24 hours a day to complete it anywhere near it's original budget. It was shot at what became Mother's Sound Stage in New York's East Village. My wonderful neighbors, who lived in my rent controlled apartment building on East 21st Street, built the sets, sewed the costumes, and in general just made it all happen. My friend David Wool created the skyline of Manhattan that is seen from Carol Scrooge's window, and built it out of corrugated cardboard. To David, and Harriett, and Shelly, and the rest; I could never have done this without you. This is an odd movie that does have some hilarious moments.

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