Sex In Cinema : Reality of sex in cinema

Sex In Cinema...................

Sex in cinema is reality or fake?

Thousand of movies which have real scene in movies some movie have fake sex scene and some have real scene.

History of Sex in Cinema:
The Greatest and Most Influential
Sexual Films and Scenes
(Illustrated)

In the early days of Hollywood shortly after the development of film-making as an industry, moralists objected to the amount of nudity, sexuality, criminality and violence portrayed in films. Censorship boards were set up in various states and controls began to be imposed, often on a voluntary basis, once moving pictures became widespread and available to mass viewing audiences (encouraged by the popularity of nickelodeons, first called "arcade peepshows"). However, the vast complexity of various local, state and national censorship laws added to the problem of enforcement, i.e. in some states an ankle couldn't be displayed, or pregnancy couldn't be mentioned.

To appease various groups worried about the powerful effects of movies on the mainstream and growing resentment of the 'get-rich' quick Hollywood mentality, the film industry made some efforts to self-censor its own production, worried that it might be shut down --- especially after two very publicized cases that made headlines:

The infamous September 1921 Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle scandal (he was accused of the rape and murder of young 30 year-old starlet Virginia Rappe in San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel during a party) landed the popular silent comedian in jail. Charges were reduced to manslaughter and Arbuckle went on trial (there would be three trials).

Arbuckle was eventually fully acquitted of the eventual manslaughter charge after three trials. The third jury - after a six-minute verdict - stated: "Acquittal is not enough for Roscoe Arbuckle. We feel a great injustice has been done him. We wish him success and hope that the American people will take the judgement of twelve men and women that Roscoe Arbuckle is entirely innocent and free from all blame." However, Arbuckle's film career was essentially over, although he sought to make a comeback as a director, stage performer, and film actor.

Upright and popular silent film actor Wallace Reid (also an alcoholic), dubbed "The King of Paramount," died in early 1923 at the age of 31. For years, he had been incurably addicted to narcotics (morphine was secretly administered to him by the studio after a train accident on the set during the making of the Lasky filmThe Valley of the Giants (1919) in Oregon). Afterwards, he was continuously supplied with morphine (and he became alcoholic), until he was forced into rehab and reportedly ended his habit in 1922. However, his health rapidly went in decline before his imminent death. His wife Dorothy Davenport, another Hollywood star, preached that Reid's drug addiction was a disease and not a sign of his moral depravity (commonly believed at the time). [Note: The story of their marriage and the husband's death was partially mirrored in A Star is Born (1937, 1954).]

One of his first acts of Hays in 'cleaning-up' Hollywood, due to pressure from Hollywood's top film executives, was to banish the acquitted actor-comedian Arbuckle from film, at least temporarily, in order to distract the public. [Note: Arbuckle would continue to make films as a director under the pseudonym William Goodrich between 1925 and 1932.]

Hays also approved the use of morality clauses in the standard actor's contract, to control the conduct of performers, and he also assured state and local censorship boards that he would properly regulate the industry.

Three factors forced Hays and the studios to change: mounting pressure from the Catholic Church aided by support from other religious groups, economic hardships during the Depression, and the threat of federal censorship. In 1934, the American Catholic church announced the creation of the Legion of Decency, which encouraged the production of moral films and promptly condemned any film with an immoral message. The threat of movie boycotts by the Catholic Legion of Decency led the industry's trade association in mid-1934 to establish a stronger Production Code Administration (PCA) Office, headed by appointee Joseph Breen, to regulate films.

Interestingly, the Code forced film producers to creatively sublimate sex and violence, to reinvent themselves, and to find other alternatives to attract patrons. Exploitation filmmakers made a number of "shock" or "educational" independent films with socially inappropriate content (in the guise of providing a public service), such as Sex Madness (1937), The Birth of a Baby (1938), and Child Bride (1938).

The latter was typical of an exploitation film designed to circumvent the Production Code restrictions with its plot that warned against underage marriage. It was taken on road-shows enhanced by sensational advertising and taglines ("Where Lust Was Called Just") by legendary roadshowman Kroger Babb, although it was banned in many locations by local censors due to its infamous underage nudity.

Other 'forbidden' films were usually screened in theatres that came to be known as 'grindhouses' - since they often served as burlesque strip joints. In the early 1950s (during a period of very stringent decency standards), pin-up queen Bettie Page and other burlesque stars appeared in a "burlesque trilogy" of vintage erotica, tauted as documentaries: Striporama (1953), Varietease (1954), and Teaserama (1955) -- these were extremely tame although they were designed to titillate.

To be continue..............