Bondage is a relatively taboo subject, even among the sexually-liberated. The idea of being tied up and dominated is a little more than most can handle, and so BDSM often goes unexplored and unexplained. Hence, in her quest to provide better sexual information to happy humpers everywhere, Nina Hartley has created a DVD that focuses solely on the topic of bondage sex.

The film opens with an introduction from the two red leather-clad experts, porn star and sex activist Nina Hartley and popular bondage model Claire Adams. They begin by defining bondage and listing some common misconceptions about it; for example, they immediately clear up the myth that bondage is all about sadomasochism. One of the most important parts of this introductory scene is the discussion about consent, and both Adams and Hartley stress that complete consent from both partners is absolutely necessary for any kind of bondage sex.

About 10 minutes into the basic introduction, Adams explains how to keep bondage safe by allowing some slack in the restraints and understanding your partner's physiology. Adams also stresses the need for high-quality equipment from a reliable source, which will prevent damage to the nerves and blood vessels and will generally last longer than cheap, "home-made" equipment. They finish up the safety overview with a set of stretching exercises.

Nina Hartley (submissive) and Claire Adams (dominant) start the actual physical demonstrations with some rope bondage. Claire has Nina put her hands behind her back, then visually and verbally walks us through the steps on how to create a basic wrist noose. Claire also demonstrates how you can cross the ropes across the chest to create a sort of "corseting" effective, which allows the dom to manipulate the sub's upper body and use the remaining rope as a lead. Then Nina eats Claire out while Claire moves her around via the rope corset.

The DVD suddenly cuts to Nina tied spread-eagle on a mattress with no real explanation on how to tie the knots on the legs and arms; however, they appear to be the same rope nooses used on her wrists earlier. Claire brings up some safety concerns with bed bondage, then demonstrates how to anchor the rope to the bed and create a "pulley" that will allow the sub to give the dom more or less "wiggle room." Claire controls the scene entirely by giving Nina head, then fucking her with a variety of toys.

In the next scene, Claire locks Nina in to a chair with a set of locking cuffs. They explain how to adapt your cuffs to a variety of situations while stressing general safety rules. When Nina is safely locked in, Claire utilizes a thigh harness and a dildo; she also demonstrates how to tie even the heaviest vibrator to your sub's leg, which opens up the potential for forced orgasms.

Finally, Claire and Nina discuss a "more simplified" form of bondage, using cuffs, chains, and straps to tightly restrict your sub in a face-down position. Again, Claire demonstrates how a dom can alter the materials to provide more or less slack without hurting their sub. Claire takes advantage of the situation by fucking Nina in the ass with a strap-on.

The male/female bondage demonstration stars Van Damage (dominant) and Trinity Post (submissive) as a couple who are just beginning their journey in to bondage sex, and lucky for them, Claire Adams is around to show them the way! This scene is about showing off various bondage methods instead of explaining them, so it's more like "normal pornography" than the Hartley/Adams scenes, but it's still important because it proves bondage techniques can be adapted to different situations.

The scene begins with some rope bondage. Van puts Trinity in a light choke hold and verbally dominates her while Claire pulls her in to a rope corset, then hogties her. Van uses this opportunity to eat Trinity out, then fuck her, and Claire watches and provides some foreplay assistance. After a few minutes, Claire tilts Trinity so the latter can eat the former's pussy while Van Damage fucks Trinity. Next, Claire moves the couple to the floor so she can use a set of cuffs to lock Trinity in to a kneeling position. Claire tugs on Trinity's hair and supports her body so Trinity can blow Van.

(This review continues in to the experience section.)

That's all the action the cuffs see during this scene, however, as the stars quickly return to rope bondage and stay there til the end. This time, Claire trusses Trinity to a four-poster bed in a variety of positions, allowing Claire and Van to dominate Trinity in a variety of ways. The whole affair finishes with a popshot on Trinity's ass. Most importantly, the male/female demonstration shows the importance of consent and safety rules, as Trinity yells out "Please stop!" and Claire, true to her own guidelines, immediately stops.

Now for the technical information! The menu is relatively basic, with techno music playing over a picture of Claire and some pink-tinted video clips. The scenes are poorly cut if you use your DVD player's "skip forward" button, but the actual scene index only lists 4 scenes. The bonus features include a photo gallery, a bonus scene from O: the Power of Submission, interviews with Claire and Nina, a short behind the scenes clip, and the usual porno DVD spam. In terms of picture quality, the film is relatively clear. There's no background music in the film proper, but the sound quality can get a bit echo-y at times.

Nina Hartley's Guide to Bondage Sex is a great tool for beginners, thanks to its complete coverage of safety rules and human physiology. It CAN be a little tedious, however, thanks to Claire Adams' often lackluster delivery and the fact that the first 25 minutes of the movie consist only of Adams and Hartley talking to the camera. On top of that, it's a little disconcerting when one of the experts halts in the middle of a sex scene to discuss what they're doing step by step. Still, it's a necessary evil, and hearing how to tie and restrain safely while seeing it in action definitely demonstrates the methods. There's no male/male bondage shown, but for the most part, the tips and tricks shown are adaptable to a variety of gender combinations and equipment situations, provided one continues to follow the basic rules outlined in the beginning of the film.

(Screenshots and subjective opinions are here.