Feature-length Sex Films

Abstract

The recent interest in sex books and films has generated some fierce controversies about how this material is to be understood. So far, the bulk of this analysis has concentrated upon theoretical definition of what sexual representation is. Whilst this is a useful approach, there does seem to be a risk that commentators will concentrate on the theoretical issues at the expense of practical analysis of the material they are discussing. Accordingly, I think there is room for a more practical approach in which the material may be examined in its historical context. Such an approach cannot be offered as a replacement for theoretical perspectives, but rather as a complement to them. Nevertheless, in proposing the need of a more historical approach, it is first necessary to discuss the limitations of the theoretical one.