Nudity in film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nudity in film is the appearance in motion pictures of humans without clothing. A so-called nude scene is an individual scene of a film that features nudity when the rest of the film does not. Nude scenes can be controversial due to the fact that they go beyond culturally specific boundaries regarding appropriate modesty in clothing.
In many cultures, nudity in cinematic film is governed by a tiered system of censorship — such as the American Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ratings. Such systems are predominately aimed at limiting children's access to content that is deemed harmful to their development by the masses, the government, the industry, or a combination of these collectives.
Because nudity is a universal (someone with no clothing at all), culturally-specific (someone with one or more body parts exposed, but not completely unclothed), tonally specific (the context of the exposure of parts of the body), and individually-defined (someone with a certain exposed part may be considered nude to one person in a culture but not another), it is a volatile subject. Moreover, the majority of contemporary societies are uncomfortable with nudity, usually to the point of making it illegal in public. This contrasts with several cultures of the ancient world, such as the Roman Empire, where public nudity was considered only a reflection of the person's social status, and the Gauls of ancient France, whose soldiers fought unclothed.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
 |
The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
Few American films dare to show both male and female genitalia (in what is called by many full frontal nudity).
In many cases objects are used to obscure the view of an actor's primary erogenous zones. This can prevent films from receiving an NC-17 rating from the MPAA ("No one 17 and under admitted"), which usually leads to commercial failure for films targeting the mainstream theatre market in the US. Some nudity may be found in PG and PG-13 films as well, particularly when it isn't presented in a sexual context (e.g. a scene in the PG-rated Footloose in which a minor character is seen from behind taking a shower after a PE class).
In many instances, the presentation of nudity is perceived inconsistently between the sexes; male buttocks are shown more often than female buttocks, because the latter are deemed more erotic. Male rear nudity in a film does not preclude a PG-13 or PG rating, although female rear nudity almost always receives at least a PG-13 or R.[citation needed]
Despite the market demand for female nudity from some segments of the population, female nudity is a source of major controversy to American society in general when it appears in an environment that is supposed to be family-friendly, such as when Janet Jackson's breast was exposed during a Super Bowl halftime show (see Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy).
In US film, the genitals are rarely shown, and the penis is never shown erect, because of the NC-17 code threat. Like female genitalia, male genitalia is considered pornographic by a large portion of the American public, or at least those who actively censor. The burgeoning sales of pornographic material suggests that the primary source of America's sexual mores as they relate to the human body in its natural state is social concern for the welfare of children.
The tastefulness of nude scenes is hotly debated in the United States. Adding nudity to films can increase audience interest and pre-release publicity. However, some movie critics take a negative view of gratuitous nudity that has little to do with the plot of the film.
Some actresses refuse nude scenes out of personal values or the belief that it will harm their reputation. Elisha Cuthbert [1], Lindsay Lohan [2] and Eliza Dushku [3] are among those who have stated that they will never do a nude scene.
[edit] History
 |
The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
The portrayal of nudity in motion pictures has long been controversial. Several early films of the silent era and early sound era featured nudity; in response to objections voiced by several groups, scenes of nudity were forbidden in films from the major US studios from 1934 until the late 1960s under the Hayes Code. During this time, the only acceptable cinematic displays of nudity in the U.S. were in naturist quasi-documentary films and foreign films. Other portrayals were in early pornographic films which, due to limited means of distribution, were not widely seen.
The 1959 film The Immoral Mr. Teas by Russ Meyer, in which the main character was overcome with fantasies of nude women, was the first non-naturist feature film to openly exhibit nudity. The 1964 film The Pawnbroker became the first movie under the Hayes Code to show a woman with bare breasts. In 1966, Blowup became the first English-language film to show a woman's pubic hair, although the particular shot was only a few seconds long.
In 1968, film studios abandoned the Hayes Code for the voluntary Motion Picture Association of America rating system. Nudity could then be legitimately included in a commercially distributed film.
At present, genital nudity is still rare in U.S. cinema. Further, the MPAA finds it more acceptable for a male's genitals to be depicted in a flaccid state. The film Angels and Insects (1996) was the first to be given an NC-17 rating specifically because an actor had an erection.
A large amount of genital nudity, especially in a sexual context, often leads to an X or NC-17 rating, which virtually bans a film, as many movie theaters refused to show films with these ratings. Nevertheless, many X-rated films became culturally significant, including Midnight Cowboy (1969) and A Clockwork Orange (1971). Today, most nude scenes only lead to an R rating from the MPAA, instead of NC-17. Many films that were once rated X have been "re-rated" R.
[edit] Famous nude scenes
Films with nude scenes that have attracted significant attention include:
- Inspiration (1915), the first leading actress (Audrey Munson) to appear nude.
- A Daughter of the Gods (1916) was the first film in which a major star (Annette Kellerman) appeared fully nude.
- Tarzan of the Apes (1918), Tarzan at eleven years old (Gordon Griffith) is nude for much of the first half of the film; the breasts and rears of African natives are shown briefly.
- Ben-Hur (1925), Roman soldiers pull off a woman's top, exposing her breasts; rear nudity of galley slave; bare-breasted maidens in parade scene.
- Ecstasy (1933), Hedy Lamarr skinnydips in the lake and runs through forest nude.
- Child Bride (1938) Twelve-year-old actress Shirley Mills appears nude in an infamous skinny dipping scene.
- Unashamed (1938), typical nudist exploitation film of the 1930s, showing bare breasts and buttocks.
- Summer with Monika (1953), film by Ingmar Bergman which features the first nude scene in postwar European cinema. Harriet Andersson's bare buttocks are seen briefly as she runs down to beach to skinnydip in the lake.
- And God Created Woman (1956), opens with a shot of some clothing on a washing line with a nude Brigitte Bardot sun-tanning herself beneath.
- Le Mépris (1963), Jean-Luc Godard film which features several extended shots of Brigitte Bardot's bare buttocks.
- Promises! Promises! (1963), Jayne Mansfield becomes the first mainstream actress to appear nude, baring her breasts and buttocks in an American film.
- The Pawnbroker (1964), first US film to show a woman nude from the waist up and be granted a Production Code seal.
- Blowup (1966), first mainstream feature to show female pubic hair (in this case, Jane Birkin's).
- I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967), explicit portrayal of [sex] and nudity in a non-[porn]ographic film.
- Romeo and Juliet (1968), Franco Zeffirelli's film of Shakespeare's play raised some eyebrows with brief nude scenes featuring its two teenage leads, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey.
- Planet of the Apes (1968) Charlton Heston is stripped of his loincloth, in rear view; one of the few instances of adult nudity in the last months of the Production Code era. There is a nude bathing scene as well.
- If... (1968), frontal nudity in shower scene by three of the film's male actors.
- Age of Consent (1969), a young Helen Mirren is featured in several revealing nude scenes, including one where she skinnydips in the ocean.
- British Sounds (1969), experimental film by Jean-Luc-Godard which features an extended close-up of a woman's pubis.
- Medium Cool (1969), first mainstream American feature to show full male and female nudity.
- Women in Love (1969), known for its full frontal male nudity in a wrestling match between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed.
- What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? (1970), exmaines people's responses to unexpected nudity.
- Macbeth (1971), Francesca Annis performs Lady Macbeth's famous sleepwalking soliloquy in the nude, baring her buttocks. A young male child is also shown, fully nude, being bathed.
- Walkabout (1971), famous scene showing David Gulpilil, Jenny Agutter and Luc Roeg as her 11-year-old brother skinny-dipping in a lake in the Australian outback.
- Savage Messiah (1973), Helen Mirren walks up a staircase in the nude.
- Last Tango in Paris (1972), Maria Schneider appears fully and casually nude in several long scenes. In one scene, Marlon Brando spreads margarine between her buttocks before sodomizing her (simulated), and in another he rubs her breasts and pubic region with a wet sponge while she bathes in a tub. There is also a scene in an elevator which features a close-up shot of Maria Schneider lifting up her dress and revealing her pubic hair.
- Don't Look Now (1973), featured an explicit scene where Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie are about to get dressed after having made love (some believe that the sex was unsimulated).
- The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), features David Bowie, Candy Clark and Rip Torn in a number of explicit nude scenes, including full frontal.
- 1900 (1976), featured a scene in which the characters of Robert DeNiro and Gerard Depardieu visit a prostitute. Both actors are seen completely naked as the woman visibly fondles both their penises. The scene was edited out for the US release of the film, and later reappeared on the 1993 NC-17 re-release.
- Equus (1977), featured extended full frontal and rear nudity from Peter Firth and Jenny Agutter.
- Ultimo mondo cannibal (1977), Lead actors Massimo Foschi and Me Me Lai are nude throughout most of Ruggero Deodato's predecessor to the controversial Cannibal Holocaust, which also contains an explicit close-up of Foschi's genitals.
- Pretty Baby (1978), which featured nude scenes of actress Brooke Shields, who was eleven and twelve during the shooting, raising allegations of child pornography.
- Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), Brian (Graham Chapman) appears naked on a balcony in front of a crowd.
- 10 (1979), Bo Derek's nudity in 10 is limited to a darkly-lit bedroom scene, but the movie made her an overnight sex symbol and led to a profusion of nudity in her later movies.
- American Gigolo (1980), first full frontal of a major Hollywood actor (Richard Gere).
- The Blue Lagoon (1980), which featured several nude scenes of actors Brooke Shields (or her double) and Christopher Atkins.
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), a scene in which Phoebe Cates emerges from a swimming pool and removes her top has been endlessly imitated and parodied.
- All the Right Moves (1983), Tom Cruise appears nude.
- Prénom Carmen (1983), Maruschka Detmers appears nude for much of her screen time, including one close-up shot of her pubic area.
- Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), Suzanna Hamilton strips in the woods and performs two other long scenes casually in the nude. Her full-frontal nudity is frankly presented with particular emphasis on her ungroomed pubic and underarm hair.
- The Terminator (1984), Arnold Schwarzenegger appears nude early in the film.
- A Room With a View (1985), Rupert Graves, Simon Callow, and Julian Sands frolic naked around a pond during a swimming scene.
- James Joyce's Women (1985), Fionnula Flanagan appears casually nude and masturbates in full view of the camera while reciting a monologue.
- Je vous salue, Marie (1985), controversial film by Jean-Luc Godard which presents Myriem Roussel as a modern Virgin Mary who appears nude (and in close-up) for much of her screen time.
- Angel Heart (1986), controversial film by Alan Parker featuring an explicit love scene between Mickey Rourke and Lisa Bonet.
- Devil in the Flesh (1987), Marushka Detmers appears casually nude during several scenes in this film of Raymond Radiguet's novel by Italian director Marco Bellocchio. In one notable scene, Detmers fellates her co-star, Federico Pitzalis (unsimulated).
- Maurice (1987), James Wilby and Rupert Graves have spent the night together in a London hotel. While relaxing in bed, and then getting dressed, both rear and frontal nudity are shown.
- The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), Helen Mirren and Alan Howard appear nude for most of their screen time. They begin by secretly having sex in a toilet, and in a later scene they hide together in a meat freezer while nude.
- Henry & June (1990), the first film to receive an MPAA NC-17 rating, most notably for an explicit lesbian sex scene featuring (simulated) cunnilingus.
- Prospero's Books (1991), nearly all of the inhabitants of Prospero's island are nude in this deconstructionist interpretation of Shakespeare's The Tempest.
- Basic Instinct (1992), known for a scene in which Sharon Stone uncrosses her legs, revealing her genitals. Also shows a scene of a dead man, with his penis showing.
- The Crying Game (1992), the sex scene between Stephen Rea and Jaye Davidson is pivotal to the movie's plot, since, showing Dil's (Davidson's) genitals, it reveals her to be a transvestite rather than a biological female.
- Showgirls (1995), Elizabeth Berkley performs an intense nude lapdance for Kyle MacLachlan and Gina Gershon. Rena Riffel also contributes an intense nude performance with Berkeley at a strip club where they are both employed, and Gina Gershon leads a glitzy topless group dance number before Berkeley replaces her as the star of the show.
- Crash (1996), Deborah Kara Unger is nude in several scenes. While in bed with husband James Spader, her labia majora is clearly visible. Spader then sodomizes her (simulated) as she continues talking.
- Titanic (1997), a scene in which Kate Winslet poses nude and wears only a diamond necklace for her portrait.
- Eyes Wide Shut (1999), gathered pre-release publicity for nude scenes of then-married couple Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, as well as extensive nudity during an orgy scene. Some film critics accused Warner Brothers of censorship when they reedited the film for an R-rating after the death of director Stanley Kubrick.
- Swordfish (2001), Halle Berry appears topless in a scene
- Mulholland Drive (2001), the sex scene between Naomi Watts and Laura Harring has become popular on peer-to-peer downloading networks.[citation needed] In another scene, Watts masturbates in full view of the camera.
- About Schmidt (2002), a scene in which Kathy Bates appeared nude while taking a whirlpool bath was much discussed, due to the fact that she was in her fifties and overweight. Jack Nicholson also reveals his buttocks in this film.
- The Rules of Attraction, 2002. Nudity in bathub during suicide scene, nudity in context of sexuality, intercourse, nudity during male masturbation (seen from behind), and nudity at a party (sexualized).
- The Brown Bunny (2003), caused major scandal in the Cannes Film Festival because of an explicit scene in which the main female character (played by Chloë Sevigny) performs oral sex on the main male character (played by Vincent Gallo).
- The Dreamers (2003), Eva Green plays several long scenes in the nude as do her male co-stars, Michael Pitt and Louis Garrel. In one scene, Louis Garrel masturbates to a photograph of Marlene Dietrich, in another Eva Green handles Michael Pitt's penis. In one close-up shot, Eva Green's labia majora is clearly visible.
- Havoc (2004), Anne Hathaway (actress) appears in one graphic nude scene, as well as several tamer ones. Hathaway was known as a Disney "good girl," starring in the Princess Diaries films, before taking on this role. The second Princess Diaries movie was released the same year. Bijou Phillips also appears nude several times in Havoc.
- Shallow Ground (2004), Rocky Marquette is nude throughout the entire film, in much of the film he is also covered in fake blood, only briefly having it wiped off.
- American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile, 2006. The Naked Mile of the title most likely refers to a real event that was carried out annually by students of the University of Michigan until 2004.[1] UofM's naked mile traditionally occurred between the last day of classes and the last day of finals each school year. The participants, mostly senior students, would run or bike a pre-designed course through campus while partially or entirely nude. The last "Naked Mile" was in 2004 after the University worked hard to end the tradition through arrests and threats to students who ran. 100 extras were asked to run naked for the shooting of the film at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario during July 2006.
- Shortbus, 2006. Scenes of nudity, especially in the context of solo, partner and group sex.
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- Jones, Marvin. (1996). Movie Buff Checklist: Male Nudity in the Movies. (5th ed.) Panorama City, Cal.: Campfire Productions. ISBN 1-888211-04-0.
- Hosoda, Craig. (2001). The Bare Facts Video Guide. Bare Facts. ISBN 0-9625474-9-2.
- Skin, Mr. (2004). Mr. Skin's Skincyclopedia: The A-to-Z Guide to Finding Your Favorite Actresses Naked. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-33144-4.
- Storey, Mark. (2003). Cinema Au Naturel: A History of Nudist Film. Naturist Education Foundation. ISBN 0-9740844-0-9.
[edit] See also
- Nudity in art
- Nudity in American television
- Nudie film
- Sex in film
- List of mainstream films with unsimulated sex
- Nudity in The Simpsons
- No-nudity clause
