Erotic movies - The sensuous trangression
If the cultural transgression was natural and even a duty in the 60s, eroticism was frontline on several occasions.
Always doomed to the alternative ghettos, erotic productions in cinema had best commercial opportunity during the 60s, especially in Europe which already explored eroticism as the central screenplay subject in movies such as Io Emmanuelle (1969), Scacco a la Regina (1969), Camille 2000 (1969) or Meti Una Sera Cena (1969) among many others.
Through the decade of 70, after the success of Emmanuelle (1974) and Historie D'O (1975) both the American and European production surrender to the soft-core erotic appeal on the movies. American production would see the genre take the theater box offices both as commercial soft films or assuming the explicitness of Deep Throat (1972) and Behind the Green Door (1973). And the erotic aesthetic insinuated into commercial cinema stating its healthy outrageous irreverence. Films such as Midnight Cowboy (1969) or Don't Look Now (1973) received an unappeasable "X" by censorship because the its sex scenes more daring than usual in American production.
The rescue of soundtracks currently taking place on CD market brought back unavoidable works as collections of Gerard Heinz and Peter Thomas, both released by German label Diggler. And even less ambitious productions have interesting soundtracks like Ritratto Di Borghesia in Nero, Sessomatto or the comedies of Gloria Guida. The sex-comedy The Teasers (1975) had a very good easy listening score by Vittorio Pezzolla. And the release of genre-collections reached the hardcore ghetto of explicit films within the Deep Note series, unexpectedly impressive for its musical quality on several moments.
Even more alternatives than just appeal to humor and nudity, would be the cinematic experience of directors as Jose Larraz (Wampyres), Jess Franco and Jean Rollin that alternates between atmospheric proposals, erotic provoke or were simply resorting to the moment taboos (sex and violence). Movie or aesthetic exercise? Provocative work or cheap appeal? It will depend on the viewer´s will in reading. In Rollin´s Frisson des Vampires (1971), the pinkfloydian score by group Acanthus supports the setting in authentic castles and European woods (no woods shoots better than European woods for ghoulish mood), besides the erotic daring scenes. Similarly, in Franco´s Vampyros Lesbos (1970), the Countess Carody, descendant of Dracula family, attacks the girls that cross her way, always accompanied by suggestive instrumentals filled of electric organs for the libertine/transgressive climate essential to that time and to the long seduction sequences. Sensorial immersion through music: primal function of a musical score. On the edge to explicit cinema, Cicciolina Amore Mio (1979) is almost an erotic show for its absence of narrative and constant need of musical score (by Gianni Marchetti) to connect isolated sequences.
Director Tinto Brass was also an important name in 70´s eroticism. A director that seldom neglected the musical content of his movies. Detached composers done scores for his landmark films as Salon Kitty (1976, music by Fiorenzo Carpi), La Chiave (1983, Ennio Morricone) and specially Riz Ortolani in films Miranda (1985), Paprika (1991) and Fermo Posta Tinto Brass (1995). For his turn, Riz Ortolani and his known romantic vein had remarkable position in the erotic movies as Casanova & Cia (1976) and Mondo Candido (1978).
The variety of productions that gone from consistent dramas to the cheapness of WIP adventures, comedies, period films or pop fantasies is uncountable. Just consider that films as La Monaca di Monza (1969), The Night Porter (1974) and Decameron (1971) derivate in isolated sub-genres (nunxploitation, naziexploitation and period comedies, respectively) to see how have been busy the “alternatives” of the 70s. Here are some highlights, especially for their soundtracks.
Piero Umiliani with its perpetual creative touch in music arrangements had secured orders in the erotic cinema. His scores for Baba Yaga (1973), Il Corpo (1974) or La Ragazza Dalla Pelle di Luna are unmistakable in the genre and great exponents of the 70s. In Il Corpo, the music fulfills its immersive role so well that many sequences dispense sounds (foley) summing up the music and image.
The French production Les Onze Mille Verges (1975) makes the classic sadomasochistic novel of Guillaume Apollinaire into a soft core with music by Michel Colombier that explores several music ways: from Brazilian samba to Renaissance madrigals. Also from 1975, Black Emanuelle, starring Laura Gemser, had considerable popular repercussions spreading for five films, all of them with inventive music by Nico Fidenco. Just as Fidenco, other known name from Italian pop was Fred Bongusto that did a nice score for Malizia (1973), starred by Laura Antonelli. Malizia´s team would repeat the good work in Pecato Veniale (1974).
In Bilitis (1977) the photographer David Hamilton exercised cinematographic styling and a lot of controversy in the beauty of nymphet protagonists. For Bilitis Francis Lai composed one of his best film scores in its captivating ethereal lightness.
A rarity was Lialeh (1974), an erotic film from blaxploitation genre that had nice musical score by veteran drummer Bernard Purdie.
Darned, outsider, alternative, Je T´Aime Moi Nom Plus (1976), directed by same, same, Serge Gainsbourg had his score (by Gainsbourg himself) derived from the famous song of same title. Song and film as true cultural landmarks in the erotic transgression.
And the gender misplace power, or its trangressive meaning, for repetition of formulas or after ambitious dramas as Mogliamante (1977), Madame Claude (1977) or Montenegro (1981). After them, pure pop fun film would go into decline and eroticism find continuity in the wave of 80´s explicit movies, very popular with the success of home videos.
In the delirious adventure Gwendoline (1983) directed by Just Jaekin (loosely based on John Willie´s comics) erotic genre begins to lose meaning in both aesthetic and as simple cinematic pleasure. Pierre Bachelet score for this film also sounds misplaced in its techno-pop-romantic form. Gwendoline virtually closes the classic cycle of erotic cinema in its golden age.
