Made for British television, this six-part, five-hour documentary series from filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (Inside Deep Throat, Party Monster) argues that pornography's progress (porn is defined broadly here as extremely explicit erotica) has followed that of Western civilization as a whole, specifically because technological innovations that have advanced the wider culture have also driven (and sometimes been driven by) changes in the modes of pornographic expression. The series proceeds in roughly chronological sequence, beginning with the introduction of the concept of pornography, which arose in response to the discovery of highly graphic ancient Greek and Roman artifacts in Pompeii (and their being secreted away in closed sections of museums), before backtracking to a discussion of curious marginalia in medieval religious manuscripts and the impact of the invention of the printing press (followed closely by its constant companion, censorship). The remaining programs trace the progressive democratization of pornography through the successive mechanisms of still photography, film, video, and the Internet, concluding with a vision—wonderful or deplorable, depending on one's point of view—of a so-called future “pornotopia” of virtual sex or cybersex. Pornography is a serious study of its subject, very slickly crafted, with crisp narration and extensive commentary from experts as well as makers and consumers of pornography. It's not an attempt to titillate—the first two episodes, in particular, are quite sober and scholarly—and while the coverage (or uncoverage in the form of prodigious amounts of nudity) grows increasingly explicit as the series proceeds, the tone remains instructive rather than sensational. An incisive, if admittedly provocative, treatment of a subject of perennial interest, this historical survey is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Pornography: The Secret History of Civilization
(2000) 2 discs. 312 min. DVD: $29.98. Koch Vision (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 1-4172-2885-7. Volume 21, Issue 5
Pornography: The Secret History of Civilization
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