Max Hardcore
Max Hardcore | |
|---|---|
 Max Hardcore wearing his trademark cowboy hat | |
| Born | Paul F. Little August 10, 1956 Racine, Wisconsin, USA |
| Other names | Vince Hardcore, Randy Andy, Video Paul, Michael Smith, Max Steiner, |
Max Hardcore (born Paul F. Little on August 10, 1956 in Racine, Wisconsin) is a male pornographic actor, producer and director, who rose to prominence in 1992 with the film series Anal Adventures of Max Hardcore.[1] His work has been classified as gonzo pornography and described as "testing the limits of acceptability".[2] His company, Max World Entertainment, was headquartered in Altadena, California.[3]
Nature of content
Max Hardcore's films generally consist of sexual acts executed by himself, with women who act like underage girls or their upset mothers,[4] with an emphasis on anal sex.[5] All of the actresses used in Little's movies are over the legal age of 18; however, they frequently dress and act in a way as to suggest that they are younger, possibly under the age of consent. In his film Max Extreme 4, an actress, Regan Star, stated during one verbal exchange that she was 12 years old; similarly, in his film Max Extreme Schoolgirls 6, actress Mya Mason stated during one verbal exchange that she was 12 years old.[6]
The sexual situations depicted in Max Hardcore's films frequently include acts such as urinating on his female co-stars, fisting them, or inserting specula into their anuses or vaginas and widening them to extreme degree,[7] as well as scenes of vomiting and blowing snot into the mouths of the girls.[8] Films by Max Hardcore often depict their director and star inflicting apparent pain and humiliation on his co-stars.[9]
Hardcore calls his own material "vile and crazy" and considers that he has been influential on the porn industry, spawning many imitators.[10]
Writer Susannah Breslin, reviewing Hardcore's work, has commented: "In Max Hardcore movies – Pure Max, Hardcore Schoolgirls, Max! Don't Fuck Up My Mommy! – women are verbally and physically degraded in an unprecedented myriad of ways."[11] The treatment by Hardcore of his female co-stars has been described by several critics as occasionally abusive.[5][12] The tone of Hardcore's work has been considered misogynistic.[13] His films and alleged work methods have reportedly made him relatively unpopular in the porn industry.[14]
Prosecutions
Based on Max Extreme 4, the city of Los Angeles in 1998 charged him with child pornography and distribution of obscenity. The fact that the actress was over the age of 18 was not disputed; they brought charges based solely on the fact that the actress was portraying a character who was underage. Just before the case was brought to trial in 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the statute prohibiting adults from portraying children in films and books was unconstitutional (See Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition). Based on this ruling, the child pornography charges against Little were dismissed. The misdemeanor charge of distribution of obscenity was retained, but the jury failed to reach a verdict. An additional obscenity charge was subsequently levied against him by L.A., again resulting in a hung jury. Little commented after the trial that, "It was a frivolous waste of public resources."[15]
On October 5, 2005, while Little was in Barcelona to attend an international FICEB Erotic Expo, the offices of Max World Entertainment were raided by the FBI. Five video titles and the office's computer servers were seized, ostensibly for research toward a federal obscenity indictment or a charge related to the 2257 record-keeping law.
In the execution of the search warrant, one officer accidentally discharged a weapon into the floor of an upstairs office, as the housekeeper was being detained below. No one was injured.
After the FBI raid, Little released the following statement:
Once again, the government is wasting tax dollars and otherwise invaluable law enforcement resources to try to force a minority view of morality on all of America. Five of my movies have been targeted by the Federal Prude Patrol. There is no indication of any crime to be alleged except obscenity. If indicted, I will fight to protect my liberty, as well as the liberty of consenting adults to watch other adults engage in lawful, consensual, pleasurable sexual action. Shame on the Bush Department of Justice. I am proud of the movies I make and proud of those who buy and sell those movies.[16]
In 2007, Little and his company, Max World Entertainment, Inc., were indicted by the United States Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section with five counts of transporting obscene matter by use of an interactive computer service and five counts of mailing obscene matter, relating to five movies[17][18] showing fisting, urination and vomiting.[19] Little was subsequently found guilty on all charges,[19] and sentenced to 46 months in prison.[20] On appeal, the 11th Circuit Court in Atlanta, Georgia upheld the conviction, but remanded his sentence.[21] Little began serving his sentence on January 29, 2009.[22][23]
The jury ordered the internet domain www.MaxHardcore.com to be forfeited but declined to forfeit Little's house in Altadena, California.[19]
Little was originally held at Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna in Anthony, Texas, a low security correctional facility for men. He was transferred to the management of the Community Corrections Management, Long Beach facility on January 21, 2011 in preparation for his release, and served the final five months of his sentence under house arrest.[24] He is Federal Bureau of Prisons number 44902-112 and was released on July 19, 2011.[25]
References in Popular Culture
- Max Hardcore figures prominently in David Foster Wallace's essay on the porn industry, "Big Red Son" published in the collection Consider the Lobster.
- In the 2009 film RSO (Registered Sex Offender), the title character discussed his thoughts on Max Hardcore movies.
References
- ^ Devil in the Flesh, Minneapolis Arts, January 14, 1998, page 2
- ^ Gerrie Lim, In Lust We Trust: Adventures in Adult Cinema, Monsoon Books, 2006, page 191
- ^ "Privacy Statement." Max World Entertainment. December 23, 2005. Retrieved on June 28, 2010.
- ^ Martin Amis (March 17, 2001). "A rough trade". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ^ a b Max Hardcore, article on Rotten.com
- ^ "Video Review Max Extreme 4". RogReviews.com. p. 1. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- ^ Katharine Viner, While we were shopping..., The Guardian, June 5, 2002
- ^ Jury Finds Max Hardcore Guilty On All Counts in Obscenity Trial, AVN, June 6, 2008
- ^ Eriq Gardner, The most Hardcore obscenity decision ever, The Hollywood reporter, February 10, 2010
- ^ Max Hardcore interview on Foundrymusic.com
- ^ The Reverse Cowgirl : to the Max
- ^ Stephen Walker, My fear for all Felicities, London Evening Standard, March 29, 2001
- ^ Evan Wright, Maxed Out, Salon.com, June 18, 2000
- ^ Devil in the Flesh, Minneapolis arts, January 14, 1998, page 1
- ^ Kernes, Mark (May 18, 2004). "Max Hardcore – Free At Last!". AVN. AVN Media Network. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Max Hardcore Raided by FBI". AVN. October 6, 2005. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
- ^ "Feds Nail Hardcore Producer – May 31, 2007".
- ^ "Producer Paul Little Indicted on Obscenity Charges". DOJ. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
- ^ a b c Mark Kernes (June 6, 2008). "Jury Finds Max Hardcore Guilty On All Counts in Obscenity Trial". AVN. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
- ^ 2008-10-03, 2008-10-03 (October 3, 2008). "Sleazy Pornographer Is Unfortunately A First Amendment Martyr". Gawker. Gawker. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
{{cite web}}:|last=has numeric name (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "USA v. Paul F. Little 11 Circuit Court Unpublished Opinion" (PDF). 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
- ^ Hunter, Tod (January 24, 2009). "Max Hardcore Ready to Surrender; 'I'm Not Down, I'm Up'". XBizNewswire.com. p. 1. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
{{cite web}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Kernes, Mark (January 29, 2009). "Max Hardcore Surrenders To U.S. Marshals". AVN.com. p. 1. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
{{cite web}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Little, Paul (January 16, 2011). "Max Hardcore: Letter From a Former Inmate". AVN.com. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
{{cite web}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Federal Bureau of Prisons".
External links
{{{inline}}}
- United States Department of Justice press release, announcing Max's conviction and sentence
- The official Max Hardcore website
- Federal Bureau of Prisons information on Paul F. Little
- Max Hardcore found guilty on 20 counts of obscenity by Tampa, Fla. jury
- rotten.com article
- Biography from talkingblue.com
- Feds Nail Hardcore Producer, thesmokinggun.com article
- Max Hardcore Trial Travesty, by Steve Nelson, Adult Industry News
- News story about a recent raid on Max Hardcore's studio
- Max Hardcore Raided by Feds in Obscenity Probe News release from Free Speech Coalition (October 4, 2005)
- Hoffman Hardballs Hardcore Interview by David Hoffman (February 11, 2003)
- "Devil in the Flesh: From painful sex to foul-mouthed revenge fantasies, a meaner brand of pornography takes the back door to commercial success." by Peter S. Scholtes, City Pages (January 14, 1998)
- Max Hardcore at IMDb
- Max Hardcore at the Internet Adult Film Database
- Max Hardcore at the Adult Film Database