The Golden Age (1972-1986)

Within the adult movie world, the oft-used phrase The Golden Age has its own relevance. It refers not just to any kind of adult movie -- but to feature-length narrative works shot on film, often 35mm but perhaps 16mm (and blown up to 35mm for projection in adult cinemas). Secondly, it refers to a specific period of that type of production within the larger history of adult film.

So the first question is, "When is that larger history of adult film?"

Adult film - meaning publicly exhibited, sexually explicit movies - date from the end of the 1960s. One could certainly argue years from 1968 through to 1972 as the official genesis of the industry, depending on one's particular criteria. For example, Mona (1970) is often cited as the first long-form adult movie with a narrative plot, and thus that year might be claimed as the beginning of adult film. I take the line of dating the beginning by looking at the strict definition of adult film. And at some date still within that epochal decade of the 1960s, films began to be made and shown in theatres that clearly depicted human beings engaging in the sex act.

Then there's the end. When did adult films stop being made? Actually, they never did, and even today there are sex movies shot on film (though they are not released on film). But then there is the question of quality. Many people just assume that as the 80's wore on that all adult films became crappy. I disagree. Yes, piles of crappy adult movies were made and the quality sank to abysmal levels -- but those were the video productions. Even at the late date of 1987 there were still narrative adult movies being made on film and of decent quality. The great divide -- meaning the end of the history of adult film -- occurred when two situations arose. One was when the number of films made was overwhelmed by the number of video productions made. The other was when the number of adult theatres projecting film dwindled so low as to no longer represent a cultural force in the adult entertainment world.

Personally, I peg that date at 1988. Others might say 1986, or 1987. But even in 1987 there were a respectable number of adult films made and released on 35mm film, and presented on the big screen in however many adult film theatres were still hanging on. But by the end of 1988 it truly was the end of an era.

The terminal event could be described another way -- when production companies ceased to make prints of the new films at all and instead went "straight to video". This meant that the remaining adult film theatres ceased showing new adult movies but instead just re-played film prints already in existence. I admit I have seen original 35mm adult film prints for movies made in 1988 -- but one wonders how many prints they could have made by that late date? None too many, no doubt.

Thus, the history of adult film, as defined above, can be ascribed a twenty-year span at maximum, from 1968-1988. 1969 might perhaps be technically a more accurate beginning date, which would net a nineteen-year history span -- but twenty is a nice, round figure so I'm going with '68.

So the next question is, "Within that twenty years, when was The Golden Age?" Some might want to just call that whole time a golden age - a time when sex movies were shot and released on film and shown in actual theatres. But I believe we can describe a specific era within that history that is unique in terms of quality. In other words, a golden age. The late adult film historian Jim Holliday claimed the years 1975-1983 as The Golden Age. I think I understand his position -- basically, that it wasn't until '75 that the adult film industry had it together enough to make a decent movie, and that by '83 the best of it was done. Yet I must respectfully disagree. At the earlier end, 1975 leaves out the bona fide classics - Deep Throat, Behind The Green Door, and The Devil In Miss Jones. All three of those movies have their own merits - not just historic but culturally and artistically. Deep Throat cannot be called a good film, but it has some interesting and entertaining elements. And though the Mitchell Brothers never claimed to be artists - or perhaps even serious filmmakers - Behind The Green Door has definite power as a film, mirroring the experimental slant that many mainstream movies of that time also explored. And The Devil in Miss Jones is indisputably a legitimate work of film art.

But aside from this historic triumvirate, there are certainly many noteworthy and significant movies made in those fresh and exciting earliest days of the hardcore feature movie. For example, those beginning years are the mini-era of the heavy New York porn scene as the major locale of the adult industry -- taking the reins from the foundation city of San Francisco -- and that was certainly a unique, valid and envelope-pushing time of adult film.

That leaves the latter date. Dating the end of The Golden Age at 1983 quite simply leaves out way too many great movies, and denies the fact that the adult feature film as a genre was still maturing and flowering at that time. It cuts it off in its prime. I would say that the momentum of adult movie genre growth continued through to 1986. At risk of repeating statements I've made elsewhere, video did not kill the porn film. At least, not right away. Just the opposite. Video was a boon to the adult filmmakers because it increased the revenues of their movies. Now it wasn't just theatrical business their film relied upon - video sales and rentals were part of the gross (as well as cable). Thus, the filmmakers could command larger advances for their movies - and this was reflected in larger budgets and more ambitious productions. There was also the factor of the mainstreaming of adult film at that time. Or near-mainstreaming, anyway. In the early 1980s it appeared as though there would be acceptance of adult film beyond the core audience - the imagined merger of Hollywood and hardcore. That did not happen, and the election of Ronald Reagan as President in 1981 might be a symbolic explanation. But for a short time, the cream of adult film shared production and acting values, and occasionally venue, with mainstream film.

Many of the great directors reached their prime in the early 1980s and were actively producing their best work in the mid-80's. Chuck Vincent and Cecil Howard are two noteworthy examples.

Even if the writing was on the wall by 1984, it takes time for change, and momentum can keep things rolling for a good while. I definitely would not set the end-date of The Golden Age any earlier than 1986.

Thus, my argument for the dates of The Golden Age of Adult Film is 1972-1986, a period of fourteen shimmering years of sex within cinema.

(Dm Otis)