In case you ever wondered if your grandparents could have been sexually wild, the answer might be clear, looking at Cult Epics' latest entry in its Vintage Erotica series, this time covering the 50's.
This DVD features 15 8mm vignettes--as well as a collection of classier stills—and watching the first two chapters, the wisely titled "Women On Their Own" & "Smooth Shaving", it's easy to see the new "stylistic" step taken in the 50's, compared to what we had seen in the preceding DVD, anno 1940.
The 50's seem to mark the entrance of more advanced tools such as electric vibrators and, at a cinematic level, show the arrival of close-ups as shots of choice; a visual discovery which might not carry the expected outcome—at least for the average modern human being—seeing the extreme hairiness of some of the stars here.
From what I could see—and not being an expert in the field—nothing seems to have changed much in terms of pornography, attempts at mise-en-scene for exposition are quickly replaced by some action, lots of action—and this is probably the only common point between porn and a Jerry Bruckheimer movie.
While there is a bit of Sado-masochism, particularly in "Attachment" where some "cool guy" gets more than he expected while tied to a chair, most settings involve couples, threesomes and affectionate lesbians. My favorite was probably "The Woman With The Portrait" where some Salvator Dali look alike (check out his moustache and painting) gets in bed with two of his models; by looking at the opening credits, you can also notice that already in these times, they were thinking hard about their showbiz image as the stage name "Clio Clitoris" can attest.
You will also witness the usual candid moments like walking around naked in the fields or by the river, but whatever the setting might be, the overall effect remains closer to unintentional comedy than excitement.
