When we think about porn nowadays, it’s impossible to picture anything other than the millions of videos of random people having sex that are available on the internet. The world of pornography offers so much variety and styles that everyone can find something they like. Porn videos cater to every fetish and preference, but we can’t deny that most of them lack taste, narrative, and quality. Now, you might say that these things don’t matter because most people just watch these videos for the explicit sex, but for some people, pornography used to have an artistic value that’s faded away over time. These days, anyone can make porn, and if it’s popular enough, they can even make a living from it, but are they the core of the pornographic industry?
Hell, no! Pornography has always existed. There’s even evidence suggesting that ancient Egyptians made papyruses for those purposes. But let’s not go that far back. Let’s focus on pornography in film for a bit. Despite what many think about it, there’s no doubt that we really need to thank pornography for many of the things we enjoy nowadays. Porn and technology have always gone hand in hand, so almost right after films were invented, there were already erotic films available. Keeping that in mind, isn’t it logical to think that at some point in history porn was actually just as good as any regular film? If that’s the case, why have they always been considered as low-quality or the complete opposite of what we consider artistic?
The problem is that it doesn’t matter if a porn movie is as good as Casablanca, the fact that it is pornography will always make people think less of it. Still, as it happens with any artistic movement, there was indeed a golden age of porn from the late sixties up to the mid-eighties, where movies had solid plots and directors cared not only about the sex but also about how to create the perfect setting and atmosphere through illumination, narrative, and music, to make the sexual experience portrayed even more enticing and inviting. If you want to expand your horizons and experience a different kind of pornography, these movies are a must:
The Devil in Miss Jones (1973) Dir. Gerard Damiano
I think this is a very interesting and unique plot. Justine is a virgin who can’t find satisfaction in life and is seriously depressed. One day, she decides to kill herself in her bathtub. Soon, she finds herself in Limbo waiting for a resolution on her case. Although she was pure and led a life of impeccable morals, she’s denied a spot in heaven because she committed suicide, as one angel informs her. Desperate, she begs him for a chance to return to Earth and at least do her best to earn her place in Hell. Back on Earth, she devotes her life to the carnal pleasures of the flesh. When the time she was given is over, she finds herself in Hell, but it ends up being even worse than Limbo: she’s trapped in a room with a man with no interest in sex at all, and her sexual urges will never be satisfied.
The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976) Dir. Radley Metzger
As a very interesting adaptation of the Ancient Greek myth of Pygmalion and Bernard Shaw’s play, The Opening of Misty Beethoven is an erotic story about a man who wants to create the perfect sensual and sexual goddess everybody lusts after. He decides to transform Misty, a prostitute, into that perfect being for his own selfish purposes. However, it all backfires when Misty falls for her creator. Considered to be the first big budget movie of its kind, it’s become a cult movie of sorts with many followers to this day.
A Dirty Western (1975) Dir. Joseph F. Robertson
Well, of course there had to be a Western adult film. Following the classic formulaic narrative of the genre, this film tells the story of three dangerous outlaws who’ve escaped from prison. Set in the late nineteenth century, this movie gives you all the amazing imagery of western films with the classic struggle between good and evil, civilization and wildness, all with a generous helping of lust and eroticism.
Caligula (1979) Dir. Tinto Brass
This one is actually very interesting. Many consider it to be a perfect example of the pornographic products made at the time, while others think it doesn’t deserve to be classified as such. This is an erotic and graphic biopic of the famous and ruthless Roman emperor Caligula. With an extraordinary production in terms of design, camera, music, and even actors (I mean, it features Helen Mirren and Peter O’Toole), Brass’ motion picture is a well-balanced film that straddles the line between epic and eroticism. Definitely a classic.
Through the Looking Glass (1976) Dir. Jonas Middleton
Finally, we have a very curious film that’s also a huge cult classic. A woman develops a mental disorder after the death of her father. She starts spending too much time in her attic contemplating an old mirror that reminds her of all the experiences she lived with her father. However, this longing soon turns into a really disturbing, incestuous obsession, and she starts masturbating in front of the mirror imagining her father. If this isn’t weird enough for you, let me tell you that at some point the ghost of the father appears and has sex with the woman. The movie was such a hit that in countries like the UK, the sex scenes were removed and the movie was screened as a psychological horror film.
For more kinky stories about porn take a look at these:
Facts Nobody Taught You About The History Of Porn
7 Documentaries That Show Everything You Need To Know About Porn
The Man Who Fought An Entire Country In The Name Of A Porn Magazine
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