Zazel: The Scent of Love (also known as "Zazel: Philip Mond's Scent of Love" and "ZTSOL") is an American erotic film, photographed in October 1995 and released in 1997. In occultism, Zȃzȇl is a spirit associated with Saturn. The film was produced by Cal Vista Studios—reportedly made at a cost of $237,000—and was directed by Dutch fashion photographer and filmmaker Philip Mond, who also did the camera work and designed the costumes and special make-up. It was Mond's second adult erotic feature after Sex Off the Runway—and like his previous film, Zazel also featured a bevy of Penthouse Pets, including 1994 Pet of the Year, Sasha Vinni; 1995 Pet of the Year, Gina LaMarca; and 1999 Pet of the Year, Nikie St. Gilles.
The film included visually elaborate set pieces; extravagant costuming, make-up and body painting; and expensive filming techniques, such as underwater photography, not normally seen in such erotic films.
Plot
"Zazel" is the title character, a world-famous artist commissioned to create "the most arousing perfume ever". In the course of devising this scent, Zazel variously paints pictures, views photographs, and wanders among the flowers of her garden, each experience inspiring her to envision a powerful sexual fantasy. The film consists of nearly a dozen individually themed sequences which reference and recreate iconography drawn from mythology, religion, literature, film and even Jungian psychology. These include sirens, water nymphs, mermaids, flowers, the jungle, The Three Musketeers, classic old Hollywood movies, angels and demons, and the Jungian duality of male and female.
Each sequence features an imaginative and novel treatment of sexual activity based on these themes, as well as several visual/anatomical puns achieved through the strategic use of body paint, fetishistic costumes and accessories, and trompe-l'œil camera placement and editing trickery. It is notable that Sasha Vinni, who plays Zazel and also narrates the film, never has heterosexual intercourse in any of her scenes: she masturbates and engages in lesbian activities with the other female performers.
"Blue Siren" sequence
In the opening sequence, Sasha Vinni emerges from a pond as the "Blue Siren", her nude body is painted bright blue and multiple arms appear and gesticulate behind her like the Avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She then performs cunnilingus on the "Water Nymph" (Grace Harlow).
"Wild Orchid" sequence
Sasha Vinni as Zazel sits at her desk and airbrushes an image of a flower. A visual pun is created as the petals start to move and contract and reveal themselves as artfully painted labial folds.
"Bird of Paradise" sequence
Sasha Vinni appears as an assistant to a male lover/tattoo artist played by Devin Deray. Sasha Vinni shaves Lene Hefner's crotch with a spa razor, rinses it with an urn full of water. The tattoo artist then designs a colorful flower pattern on Hefner's vulva. The trio then engage in sex.
"Jungle" sequence
In the "Jungle" sequence, Sasha Vinni's nude body is artfully painted with tiger stripes as she writhes and crawls through tropical vegetation.
The scene ends with a close-up shot of a woman (whose face is never seen) with a tiger's face painted on her buttocks. The woman rides a man's penis, creating the illusion that the tiger's face is "fellating" him.
"Precious Flower" sequence
This sequence is yet another variation on the flower motif as Sasha Vinni is shown penetrating herself with flower-shaped objects and masturbating.
"Three Musketeers" sequence
In the "Three Musketeers" sequence, Sasha Vinni, Brooke Lane and Anna Romero appear in 17th-century-style period costume based on the characters of the Dumas novel. They strip, French kiss, perform cunnilingus on one another, and masturbate by penetrating themselves with rubber dildoes which they have outfitted on the back of their riding boots like spurs.
"Angels" sequence
The "Angels" sequence is filmed in bright, diffuse light and features three women (Sasha Vinni, Brooke Lane and Helena) as "Female Angels", each with elaborately knotted hair and coated in pale, peach-colored body paint. These three female angels perform various sexual acts with a similarly painted man outfitted with giant angel's wings (Antonio Valentino)—the "Winged Male Angel". (Anna Romero and Kevin James served as body doubles.)