The era of porn chic, or when adult films were art

Pornographic films appeared almost simultaneously with cinema. At the dawn of the genre, such products were called blue movies. Why exactly this is so is not known exactly. Perhaps the euphemism arose from the blue tint imparted to the spectacle by the cheap film stock used to shoot adult films. Porn was filmed all over the world, and until the late 60s it was illegal everywhere. But then everything changed and the magnificent era of porn chic began, which we will tell you about.

In the first half of the 20th century in the United States, production, storage, and especially display of pornography could easily land you in jail. But by the mid-60s, everything began to change. The sexual revolution arrived and new directors appeared in cinema, fearlessly demonstrating explicit scenes in their films. They got away with it because after the war the old morality seemed absurd to many. Gradually, porn began to come out of the underground.

In 1969, two important events occurred in the world of adult cinema. Firstly, pornography was legalized in Denmark, which became an important precedent for the whole world. And secondly, the American Adult Film Association (AFFA) appeared in the United States. It was the first organization in history to deal with legal issues related to porn.

This was an era when adult films were discussed by serious film critics. Pornographic films were watched in underground cinemas by loving couples on dates, married couples and even housewives. In 1973, the US government allowed each state to develop its own laws regarding pornography.

In many states, “blue cinema” has been legalized. Despite this, watching it was still extreme. Demonstrations and marches were organized against porn, and the police could raid the cinema during a screening. All this gave pornography a certain counterculture flavor and made it even more popular.

In June 1972, the landmark film of the porn chic era, Deep Throat, was released. In cinemas, the film collected a huge box office. It is not surprising that in the United States at that time the Italian mafia was distributing adult films. This film was also shown “under the patronage” of the Anthony Peraino clan. There was so much money from the shows that one day they stopped counting it and just weighed it. The popularity of “Deep Throat” was such that some cinemas could not part with the film for a whole year!

With a modest budget of $25 thousand, the film grossed more than $600 million. The film was talked about on TV shows, comedians joked about it, and was discussed in articles in famous magazines. It was then that the definition of “porn chic” first appeared. It was used in an article in The New York Times by journalist Ralph Blumenthal. He wrote that "Deep Throat" is "the intersection of explicit pornography and popular culture with porno chic."

However, the film itself was nothing extraordinary. There were no expensive sets, no intriguing plot, no fantastic cinematography. Essentially, it was a movie attraction. Director Gerard Damiano played up actress Linda Lovelace's ability to hold back gagging during deep fellatio. One could even say that from some side it was a profanation of cinema, because the filmmakers went back to the beginning of the 20th century. Back then, movies were a spectacle, and few people were interested in the meaning.

After this, more meaningful pictures began to emerge. The same Damiano made the porn film “The Devil and Miss Jones,” which even had its own philosophy. The porn film “Behind the Green Door” by brothers Artie and Jim Mitchell, released, like “Deep Throat” in 1972, had a detective plot. So gradually, by the mid-70s, pornographers reached the immortal classics.

In 1974, director Wakefield Poole made the big-budget soft-core porn The Bible. The film consisted of three short stories: “Eve and Adam”, “Batsheba and David”, “Delilah and Samson”. Everything was filmed on a truly Broadway scale - adult cinema has never seen such sets before. But the film failed miserably at the box office. Obviously, it turned out to be too innovative for the audience.

But a start had been made. Since the mid-70s, high-budget porn films with expensive decorations began to appear on screens. Their creators wanted to hold the attention of the audience until the end of the session, so they achieved Hollywood entertainment. Cinema for adults became interesting not only for its explicit content, but also for its aesthetics.

In 1976, audiences saw Radley Metzger's The Discovery of Misty Beethoven. It was a free interpretation of Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. It was a true masterpiece of the era of porn chic. Magnificent decorations in different styles, from eclectic to art deco and modern. The abundance of silk and silk and lace, location shooting in Rome, Paris and New York - the audience was delighted.

In the same 1976, a porn film directed by Bill Osco, “Alice in Wonderland,” was released. This was an even higher level. Actress Christina De Bell, who played the main role, had doubles for the most explicit scenes. An original soundtrack was recorded for this porn film, and the songs were performed by famous artists.

But all good things come to an end, including the golden era of porn chic. By the end of the 70s, the sexual revolution faded away, and the media increasingly began to discuss the negative side of the porn industry. In 1977, Paul Schrader directed the film Hardcore, which addressed the issues of violence and exploitation of minors in pornography. The press started talking about the fact that a significant audience for porn films are teenagers and children. The decline of the era of porn chic has begun.

The process was accelerated by the AIDS epidemic, which hit the porn industry in the early 80s. Since 1985, adult movie stars began to die one after another, and the total number of victims of the disease reached 27 people. Surprisingly, while the insidious virus was decimating porn stars, the creators of adult films desperately resisted the use of condoms on camera.

Bright and bewitching porn chic showed its unsightly underside. On the other side of the colorful scenery and expensive costumes there was illness, depression, alcoholism, and drug addiction. "Deep Throat" star Linda Lovelace stunned everyone with an unexpected confession. The porn star said that her husband Chuck Trainor forced her to act in the film. To suppress his wife’s will, he constantly beat her and even threatened her with a weapon. Lovelace renounced her past and joined the fighters against pornography, led by feminist Andrea Dworkin.

The crisis has gripped not only actors, but also porn creators. The fate of the brothers Artie and Jim Mitchell, who shot the classic porn film “Behind the Green Door,” was tragic. Jim started using cocaine, which caused him to lose his mind. In 1991, Artie shot and killed his brother, allegedly in self-defense.

By the mid-1980s, more than 50 percent of Americans owned VHS video recorders. The screening of pornographic films in cinemas has finally stopped. At the same time, the need for theatrical effects and Hollywood scale disappeared. Porn films have ceased to be art, although individual masterpieces were released even in the early 90s. It can be said that porn chic had a greater impact on cinema in general than on porn. Now the techniques used in the era of its dawn are successfully used in regular cinema, filming erotic scenes.