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My favourite era of pornography is, roughly speaking, the time period that’s now referred to as porn’s Golden Age, approximately from the late 1960s through to the early ’80s. There are two key reasons why porn from this era really appeals to me. First, the actors look like normal human beings. I like to think that this isn’t just because plastic surgery wasn’t yet in vogue. Instead, perhaps the public was a bit more imaginative and willing to allow itself to be seduced by the broad spectrum of regular human bodies? At a time when everyone in the film (porn and otherwise) industry looks increasingly similar, with the same capped teeth, hair extensions and boob jobs, it’s a thrill to see a hairy balding guy or a girl with a funny nose and unusually shaped boobs whooping it up on screen without a care in the world.

The second thing I like about films from this period is that, by and large, the actors always seem like they’re having a good time, and not just pretending for the camera. They smile, and they make noises that sound like arousal not like canned “oh yeahs.” Arguments about exploitation aside, seeing people on screen who seem like they’re happy to be there goes a long way toward not making a person feel gross for watching something in the first place.

The films I selected for this month’s At Home Film Festival are a few of my personal favourites. They’re not necessarily the best films, but they do feature some key directors and some of the top actors in the business. Without exception, they’re all super fun to watch and a couple of them feature pretty spectacular set and costume design.

A warning to neophyte porn enthusiasts or kids born after 1985 who don’t remember a time before the Brazilian wax. All the women in these films have full pubic hair. Hopefully, you don’t care. But if you do, consider the fact that you’re an adult, and being grossed out by what the adult human body looks like is pretty weird. So, get over it and enjoy!

The Opening of Misty Beethoven  

Radley Metzger’s 1976 classic is probably my all time favourite hardcore film. Produced with a pretty high budget by the most stylish director in all of porn, the film features some great performances by Constance Money as Misty and Gonzo-porn pioneer Jamie Gillis as her sexual tutor, Dr. Seymore Love. The film is a pornographic take on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, in which Gillis is a sexologist who tries to transform Misty, a common prostitute, into a veritable goddess of passion. The Opening of Misty Beethoven was shot on several elaborate locations, is full of outrageously over-the-top set pieces, and features a great score, as do most of Metzger’s films. If you like the film’s impeccable sense of design, check out Metzger’s Camille 2000 as well, a late ’60s flick that has some of the greatest costumes I’ve ever seen in a film, period.

Inside Désirée Cousteau

Cute, dimpled, busty, baby faced Désirée Cousteau is simply adorable. Several of her films (Pretty Peaches in particular) are worth looking up, but 1979′s Inside Desiree Cousteau is especially fun because it’s a tongue in cheek pseudo-autobiography narrated by the young, innocent Désirée  as she tells stories about the many jobs she’s held over the years. In the first vignette, she’s a plucky young reporter whose interview with a presidential hopeful takes an unexpected turn. In the next, she’s a door to door saleswoman with a mighty convincing sales pitch. No matter how hard she tries, Désirée  ends up pantiless in every job she tries. Finally, she decides to just go into porn, where she becomes an international sensation and lives happily ever after. Adorable, right? The actual Désirée  Cousteau left porn shortly after making this film, retiring to total anonymity and eventually becoming a successful child psychologist. Désirée  was never a great actress, but she looks so natural and genuine that she’s always fun to watch. Bonus: this film also stars John Holmes, if you’ve ever been curious about the biggest penis in the biz.

All Ladies Do It

Tinto Brass is the undisputed king of Italian erotica, and a man singularly obsessed with women’s derrieres. This film is actually from 1992, but it’s made in the director’s signature impressionistic style. The impossibly coquettish Claudia Koll stars as Diana, a married woman whose tales of her extramarital sexual exploits only fuel the passion at home (that is, until her husband Paulo discovers that she’s not making up the stories just to turn him on). All Ladies Do It is sort of a film about a woman’s quest to lose her anal virginity, but mostly it’s an ode of unabashed worship and glorification for the well developed backside. Tinto Brass knows what he likes, and by the end of the film, you’ll probably like it too.  If All Ladies Do It tickles your fancy and you want a more intense Tinto Brass experience, check out some of his more bizarre earlier cinematic efforts, such as the Nazi musical sex romp Salon Kitty and of course, the graphic, shocking and totally bananas Caligula.

Blonde Ambition

This kooky joyride is a campy comedy first and a porn film second, and a great example of the “everyone looks like they’re having so much fun” vibe I was mentioning earlier. Beautifully shot by  Roberta Findlay, the film follows the wacky adventures of a vaudevillian-style song & dance due, The Kane Sisters (Dory Devon and ex-Benny Hill gal Suzy Mandel) as they try to make it in New York City. The girls get some help from a millionaire playboy and his pal, get involve with a series of men and a variety of off-Broadway productions (the  Gone with the Wind  orgy scene truly has to be seen to be believed). Musical numbers, great costumes, and two ditzy dames who bounce from one erotic adventure to the next with boundless energy.

 Inside Seka

Seka was one of the coolest, sexiest, most badass ladies in ’70s and ’80s porn. In all her films, Seka comes across as strong and  in charge of her own desire, a white-hot blonde feminist with a killer bod and a very obvious love of her work. If you have to pick just one Seka film to watch, this is it. Unlike Désirée Cousteau’s fictionalized pseudo-autobiography, Inside Seka  (1981) is a porn film based on her actual sex life, and even stars her then real-life partner. One could argue that Seka was the first ‘reality porn’ star, before the term even existed. Her real passion and joie de vivre come across in every scene, as she relates her sexual adventures to her husband, and then relives them for the camera. If you’re as charmed by Seka as I am after watching this film, check out the 2002 documentary Desperately Seeking Seka, which catches up with the no nonsense lady today. The doc also features some excellent interviews with the late great porn star John Leslie.

Toronto Film Scene is turning up the heat for the month of July and looking at  Pornography as a Legitimate Art Form. Don’t miss our scintillating coverage on everything from soft to hard core films, including a look at the Feminist Porn awards, what makes a truly classic porno, erotica translated from book to screen and the golden age of geek porn.

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Katarina Gligorijevic

Katarina Gligorijevic is a Toronto based writer and major movie nerd whose work has appeared in two Coach House Books anthologies, Point of View magazine, Exclaim!, Twitch, and several other online and print publications. In addition to Toronto Film Scene, she contributes to They Shoot Actors, Don’t They? and is currently working on a novel about abductions and communicating with pears, and a screenplay about a sexy werewolf.

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