Quick Facts
Biography
Jacques Scandelari (July 5, 1943 in Dinard, France – June 2, 1999 in Paris, France) was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He also produced gay pornographic films, under the pseudonym Marvin Merkins.
Career
Jacques Scandelari gained notoriety for his second film Beyond Love and Evil that was loosely adapted from Marquis de Sade’s play Philosophy in the Bedroom. Set in the present day, a cult of depraved hedonists cavort at a remote, elegant mansion. Scandelari often chose the topic of sex, exploring connected themes such as Isolation and social alienation.
New York
In 1977, Scandelari moved to New York City, where he produced the now famous gay pornographic film New York City Inferno. The film is notorious for its grim, documentary-style and its authorized use of songs of the Village People. In 1978 he worked together with La Grande Bouffe actress Florence Giorgetti in the bleak exploitation movie Flashing Lights.
Filmography
- 1978 Un couple moderne (as Marvin Merkins)
- 1978 Victims of Vice
- 1978 Flashing Lights (alternative titles: Monique and New York After Midnight)
- 1978 New York City Inferno (2011 DVD title: From Paris to New York) (as Marvin Merkins)
- 1977 Homologues ou La soif du mâle (English title: Man's Country) (as Marvin Merkins)
- 1971 Beyond Love and Evil
- 1970 Macédoine