The Clitoris: Forbidden Pleasure

Exposing the many historical omissions and peculiar myths surrounding this most complex part of the female anatomy, Stephen Firmin and Variety Moszynski's The Clitoris is a serious, but also playfully risqué, documentary featuring an international group of writers, medical researchers, sex therapists, psychologists, and others discussing a myriad of sex-related topics, from age-old offensive historical depictions of female sexuality to the humorous misrepresentations (or, more accurately, total lack of representation) of women's orgasmic potential in medical, educational, and literary texts. Subjects tackled include the challenges facing sex research today (providing a sneak peak into some contemporary sex-research methodology), the clitoris' role in female orgasm, whether or not the "G spot" exists, gender identity and sexual awakening, and the importance of drugs like Viagra in helping to spur the study of feminine sexuality. The filmmakers do their best to draw the viewer in with silly and titillating film clips, including foreign television advertisements, some surreal Monty Python-esque animation, and artsy close-ups of the female body--all of which drive home the point that centuries of ignorance and fear have combined to make women's sensuality an all-too-often forbidden pleasure. Offering plenty of information and lots of saucy fun, The Clitoris is recommended. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)