In an episode of Aaron Sorkin's comedy
Sports Night, Natalie, who is trying to prevent Jeremy from
breaking up with her, suggests they get together and rent some porn. When
he's not persuaded, she promises "I'm talkin' about really good porn".
That's charming, but hard to believe. If there's a media monopoly anywhere,
it's in sex films, and they're uniformly awful.
This is because, to a nauseating degree, commercialism has trumped art in
all of the Western media, to art's great detriment.
In film and music both the quality and quantity of new works coming from
the major producers have declined inexorably and steadily for decades.
This is a market-driven phenomenon: Shareholders of mega-media companies
demand steady earnings growth and high ROI, which requires these companies
to be risk-averse, and to use advertising, big names, and tried-and-true
success formulas, and to issue less, and a less courageous, product. The
void this creates is filled by independent producers, to whom the artistic
community and the discriminating listener/viewer are totally indebted.
A similar phenomenon seems to exist in the so-called 'adult film' industry,
where a small group of companies dominate production, distribution, and adult
film channel ownership. The difference is that the independent producers
of this genre are invisible. Why is this? As viewers of Sundance and other
independent film festivals can attest, it's not lack of courage. or willingness
to push the envelope. So where is the astounding, creative, disturbing erotic
art?
I believe there are three reasons it either doesn't exist or we can't find
it. First, unlike other aspects of film, TV and literature, there are no
great models to follow. Last Tango in Paris received mixed reviews,
and its reputation has declined with age. Emmanuelle was fluffy and
uneven and in places ridiculous. Red Shoe Diaries (both the film and
the series) is possibly the best US model, despite its dubious pedigree.
There are a few good European models, such as the work of David Hamilton
(Bilitis) and the latter works of the esteemed Alain Robbe-Grillet
(Glissements Progressifs du Plaisir).
On the other hand, big-studio erotica (exemplified by Eyes Wide Shut
) suffers from the same flaws as the major studios' other attempts at artistry:
ponderous and distracting story lines, talent-less big name actors, and cute,
excessive cinematography. Independent producers understand that in erotica
as in some other genres it is important not to mean too much, not
to weigh the film down with self-importance and pretentious of profundity.
Porn should be fun, much in the same way that horror films are, evoking
visceral response in clever, creative, and, yes, thoughtful ways.
Erotica needs a Hitchcock to give it credibility and leadership.
The second reason there's no good porn discernible is that it lacks an incubating
constituency, a home that will nurture and define and refine the genre. An
obvious constituency would be women's independent film, since women's interests
have been most egregiously neglected by the slapdash mainstream porn producers.
Women however have many other battles to fight these days in film, where,
as in other media, they have been outrageously ignored and underrated by
mostly-male critics and under-used by mostly-male producers. Taking on erotica
would give misogynists another vehicle with which to attack feminism, which
women don't need.
On the other hand, the gay and lesbian community have been excellent producers
of witty and brooding erotica. The makers of heterotica should study their
techniques, but ideally keep it lighter -- watching the current crop of porn
is depressing enough as it is.
The third reason is the pervasive influence of America's puritan culture.
This psychologically damaged culture glorifies violence and abhors sex. It
makes the public viewing of vulgar and gratuitous violence trendy, macho
and socially acceptable, and the viewing of erotica, regardless of quality,
as shameful. This has a huge impact on the commercial opportunity for, and
the success of, adult films. Blockbuster stores feature gore-splashed billboards
in their front windows, but relegates even tame erotica to the back room
behind the curtain. With that double standard, it's not surprising that audiences
are not clamouring (at least overtly) for more and better porn, and hence
not surprising that producers are reluctant to fill the need.
A future breakthrough will come, as it has in popular music, when women take
the initiative to demand Natalie's "really good porn", and when independent
women filmmakers, studying the European and gay-lesbian methods and approaches
to the genre, respond.
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