A Brief History of Real Sex on Screen (Well, Without the Porn)

John Cameron Mitchell, in his second feature "Shortbus," has justified his use of graphic, unsimulated sex throughout the film by saying it was done as "an act of resistance" against the Bush regime. Other directors usually come up with something about "normalizing sexuality" or "cinematic honesty" in their attempt to work actual sex into what they hope is a mainstream film. Some dismiss it as a cheap gimmick, some say that outside of snuff films it's one of the last big ideas the movies have, with the potential to say something new; before seeing "Shortbus" for myself, I tended to think it's the directorial version of leaving the house in sweatpants: you've given up. In the last six years (hmm), the number of films featuring unsimulated sex has grown noticeably — is burgeoning on a trend, in fact — and so we thought we'd take a look back at some milestones in real live sex on screen.

1972: Pink Flamingos

Debauchery of all flavors is on offer in John Waters' infamous yuck-fest, and Divine performing fellatio on her on-screen son is, incredibly, not the most outrageous example. For that I would vote for what I hope is the simulated rape of a young woman...by a chicken. Hardly mainstream, Waters gets credit nonetheless for being one of the first if not the first American director to put a sex act in what became a well-known, non-porn feature. That's the first time I've even written "fellatio," by the way. We'll see how long that lasts.

1976: In the Realm of the Senses

Nagisa Oshima's film, based on a book recounting true events, caused a huge ruckus in 1976, and was the first explicitly sexual film to lobby hard for arthouse credibility, with some success. John Cameron Mitchell pays dubious tribute to the film with a hilarious reference in his recent "Shortbus."

1979: Caligula

The uncut version of this Tinto Brass film included an orgy and several acts of graphic sex. Though none of the principals were engaged in said graphic sex, it's the first film with a pedigree (written by Gore Vidal) and actual movie stars (Peter O'Toole, Malcolm McDowell) to, as the kids say, go there. Unsurprisingly, almost everyone involved with the film later disowned it, except major backer Penthouse magazine; they felt all right.

1986: Devil in the Flesh

This Italian film is often cited as the first major western film to depict unsimulated sex which consists, if you must know, of a blowjob performed by lead actress Maruschka Detmers on co-star Federico Pitzalis.

1999: Romance

French director Catherine Breillat could put out a shingle, at this point, for films featuring (incredibly depressing) unsimulated sex, but this one brought her the widest acclaim. "Sex is forever," the movie poster warns, and if that doesn't terrify you, check out Breillat's "Fat Girl" or "Anatomy of Hell." "Sex is Comedy," her 2004 film, is something of a misnomer, as I can't imagine anyone has ever laughed watching a Breillat film, unless it was one of those bitter, French snorts.

[Photo: Catherine Breillat's "Romance," Trimark Pictures, 2006]

By Michelle Orange in Features, Lists | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (3)

Tags: Caligula, Devil in the Flesh, In the Realm of the Senses, Pink Flamingos, real sex, Romance