Effervescent: The Serena Collection Vol. 1, a real treat for fans of the Golden Age

 

I won’t deny that I’ve always had a hard time explaining to the generations who discovered porn in the internet age what it was like for us who were teenagers in the ’80s and early ’90s. VHS tapes in the ’80s were a step forward, but I must admit I look back fondly on the era of small adult movie theaters. In my town, there were two theaters that showed porn movies, and one of them was pretty “open-minded”—they turned a blind eye if a viewer masturbated, and sometimes they turned both eyes away when a prostitute (always the same one—she wasn’t young but had her own MILF charm) would come into the theater to do her thing (in the bathroom for the “full service”) . 

Different times... a lifetime ago, or even two lifetimes...

But it was in one of those films that I first saw Serena on screen; it was the legendary *Afternoon Delights*, where this actress—a true icon of the Golden Age—performed the film’s only double penetration scene. That was her mark at the time: her ability to stand out and embrace the most extreme sexual practices (back then, DP wasn’t as widespread as it is today). 

The latest release from Ultra Flesh Archives—which specializes in restoring and reissuing Golden Age classics—is dedicated to Serena. I believe I have all of Serena’s videos, including a few rare peep show loops from the early ’70s, but I certainly won’t miss “Effervescent: The Serena Collection Vol. 1,” a collection of 15 8mm and Super 8mm films featuring Serena, transferred and restored in high definition, including full commentary by the actress herself—now 75 years old—as she recounts her life and career. 

This limited edition release, with a run of 750 individually numbered copies, features:

• Authentic film projector sound

• New commentary by Serena on her films and career

• A bonus Serena film

• Four-panel color insert, photo gallery, and restoration featurette

• Rare Serena promotional record

• Rare, restored vintage black-and-white short film

• Double-sided cover art

• Vintage trailers

• Collectible, die-cut info card including an 8mm film strip from one of Serena’s films, and a Serena trading card

• Specially signed “Signature Edition” limited to the first 50 numbered copies

And to celebrate this occasion and pay a well-deserved tribute to our timeless Serena, we present here the full version of “Mai Lin vs Serena,” produced by Diamond in 1982. The cast also included Ashley Welles and Jade Wong.