‘Sex and the Silver Screen’ traces history of racy films

Few films nowadays spare us nudity and/or sex scenes, so we might be forgiven for thinking Hollywood features were always that liberal. Not so.

‘Sex and the Silver Screen’ (Scanbox; €44.99) shows that movies have fought a long and often controversial campaign to open up the minds of censors. While ‘Deep Throat’ may have given explicit sex a profitable outlet, it’s hard to believe Hollywood was once under the grip of a regime where couples always slept in separate beds and even a kiss might raise the hackles of the moral police.

This splendid three-disc collection shows us many of the most offensive scenes which in today’s climate look positively innocuous. Among the contributors are Dennis Hopper, Sally Field, Oliver Stone and Richard Donner, while clips run from silent star Theda Barry to a few Paul Verhoeven classics such as ‘Basic Instinct’.

Included are some curious shorts, including the amusingly dated ‘How to Undress in Front of Your Husband’.

Documentary

Star Rating: 4/5.