Heavenly Desire Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Heavenly Desire Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 3, 2021

1979’s “Heavenly Desire” isn’t a remake of 1978’s “Heaven Can Wait,” but the production certainly wouldn’t mind if the Warren Beatty hit came to mind during the viewing experience. It offers a return to limbo for two characters caught between places of eternal rest, only here the goal for the duo is entrance to a place called “Hooker Heaven,” which is actually Hell. There are many unanswered questions found in the picture, but director Jaacov Jaacovi doesn’t offer much more than lighthearted adult entertainment with a slight spiritual twist, working in as much slapstick as possible while aiming to deliver a film with some noticeable heat. There’s strangeness all around “Heavenly Desire,” which tends to find its rhythm with nonsense, keeping things peculiar without blocking the bedroom view.

In the Old West, prostitute Mary Lou (Seka) is about to be married to gunslinger Ralph the Kid (Johnny Harden), but when the cowboy is challenged to a duel by a rival, he loses his glasses, accidentally killing Mary Lou and her colleague, Rosebud (Serena). Pulled from the afterlife by Lucifer (Johnnie Keyes), the women are offered a chance to live in Hooker Heaven if they manage to push college virgins Helen (Hillary Summers) and Sue (Dani Williams) into sex with their boyfriends before the week is over. Returning to their old whorehouse, which is now a sorority, Mary Lou and Rosebud face a difficult task, working their ghostly magic to manipulate the situation, with the reward an eternity spent in Hell.

I suppose “Hooker Hell” doesn’t have the same ring to it, but this weird paradise of working girls is the endgame for Mary Lou and Rosebud, who are tasked with finding a way to deflower two young women afraid of sex for their own reasons. It could be a cruel plot, but the production doesn’t really pay attention to the story, having more fun using a western ranch location, which delivers limited period touches but a chance for Jaacovi to launch his period fantasy, doing so with extreme comedy. Sure, the main characters are gunned down in the first ten minutes of the movie, but Ralph the Kid is a source of zaniness for “Heavenly Desire,” with the character flopping around the frame, giving the endeavor some silent comedy- style hustle. Harden returns to play the man’s grandson (don’t bother doing the math) at the sorority (don’t ask how a remote ranch could become a 1970s sorority house), offering even more wackiness to keep the effort approachable between scenes of spectral seduction. And there’s Lucifer, who enjoys the chaos, overseeing the operation as Mary Lou and Rosebud figure out how to interfere in the lives of dysfunctional women and their aggressively uncaring boyfriends.

Heavenly Desire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Listed as a "new restoration of its 35mm original negative," "Heavenly Desire" comes to Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Color is compelling throughout, with hearty reds and blues on costuming, and greenery around the ranch is distinct. Seka's blonde hair really provides some pop, along with Ralph the Kid's disco gold cowboy outfit. Detail is fantastic, highlighting sheer clothing and set construction, as seams on walls are easily spotted. Body particulars are crisp, and clothing is fibrous. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is fine and film-like. Source is in good condition, hitting a few rough reel changes and brief discoloration.

Heavenly Desire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix delivers strong dialogue exchanges, offering clear performance choices and loud sexual response. Scoring cues offer satisfactory support with decent instrumentation, including Morricone-esque electric guitar stings for a western showdown sequence.

Heavenly Desire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (4:06, HD) is included.

Heavenly Desire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Heavenly Desire" isn't all that funny, but it believes itself to be a laugh riot, and that level of gaiety is welcome in an offering like this. Avoiding most heaviness (Jamie Gillis appears as a demanding landlord) is the smart play for the picture, which delivers what's expected from adult entertainment without slowing down to study the details of this insane plot and slapdash production. "Heavenly Desire" is goofy, and that's all it needs to be.