December 8, 2011
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This Post Is Censored
While I was on my vacation, I watched a very interesting program on the history of censorship, nudity, and sex in American cinema history. I was fascinated to learn a lot of stuff I did not know previously. For example, in the early part of the 20th century, there was pretty much no precedent to follow when it came to censoring movies. So, pretty much anything went. There were movies that showed sex and nudity. And even as early as the teens they had pornos. Honestly, I thought porn didn't come around until the 1960s, but yet here they were showing not only naked tits and pussy but full fledged cock and balls; shit they were even erect as well. And yes, they were showing actual fucking going on.
But then came the late 1920s and 1930s when Congress took note of all of the sex and that was when some guidelines were set forth, actually not by Congress but by the movie industry itself. They acted before Congress had to act. The guidelines they came up with were pretty damn tame by today's standards. For example, kisses were not allowed to last longer then three seconds. And nudity? Shit, there was none of that, in fact they couldn't even show silhouettes of partially naked people. It wasn't only the visual aspect that was avoided, there were also a whole slew of words they could not say, including sex and a lot of other non swear words I can't remember right now.
But, filmmakers would find ways around the guidelines. For example, Hitchcock would have people kiss for three seconds, briefly pull away their lips for a second and then go at it again. They also had all sorts of different ways of implying that sex had taken place, like a fadeaway or blackout or my personal favorite, and I'm not making this up, the old cliched train going through a tunnel.
It makes me appreciate how far we have come with regards to sex at least in movies. America has always been way more uptight about sex than it should be and way more free with violence than it should be. I've heard that Europeans are the opposite; casual about sex and more reserved about violence. Which, in my opinion, is how it should be. I mean, sex is great. Everybody loves sex; shit it might be the greatest thing in the world. Violence on the other hand, well nobody likes to be involved in some sort of violence, it is the worst thing in the world. I can't help but think that America would be a better place with more sex and less violence.
Comments (3)
Agreed! I don't think I will ever understand people who are so uptight and prude.... sex is natural, sex is good, sex is.... GOOOOOD.... LOL. I still feel a little jolt of sex when I see two twin beds in a movie! I was watch Hitchcock the other night (the Alfred Hitchcock Hour is on at night on one of my movie channels) and the people had twin beds... craziness.
Although, I'm throwing this out there, I still get shocked when I see that Trojan Vibrating Twister commercial on regular tv. It's so.... OUT THERE. LOL
Wow, I had no idea. I remember my parents telling me that there was a show (I seriously can't think of the show right now) that was really, really clean...and the husband flushed a toilet and it was HUGE.
One of my favorite shows are I Love Lucy and I think it's so funny they had separate beds. If the husband and wife were on the same bed, one foot had to be on the floor. So ridiculous! I also was reading a very old magazine where a woman was dancing and slowing took of her glove and she was seriously criticized for it! I'm sure those people would be mortified to see what's on television these days. If they just watched one episode of the Kardashians, they would be speechless. Nudity, sex, talking about sex constantly, etc.
That's a great interesting topic. I didn't know that. Too funny.
I love that it's so much more natural to show nudeness and sex on TV and in movies in Europe. I think it's the Spanish who are the most showy but we Germans are pretty good at being naked too. I think it's ridiculous that in most US movies you see a couple "the morning after" lying in bed clothed. Show me the woman who likes to sleep in a bra! In German movies they wake up naked and they show breasts and butts and there's nothing wrong with it.
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