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The Pleasure Principle
From Victorian voyeurism to Soho striptease: how a hidden film industry emerged to satisfy the sexual appetites of (male) viewers.
Sex and cinema have been bawdy bedfellows almost since the first flickering frames hit a screen. As early as 1896, saucy shorts were already being cranked out to titillate voyeuristic - and invariably male - Victorian viewers. Time and tastes have moved on, and taboos have been swept away, but sex remained a constant preoccupation, and filmmakers continued to explore, enact and exploit our deepest, darkest desires - often attracting the attention of the censor in the process. This highly-combustible collection revisits and contextualises these sometimes scandalous, oft-disreputable films, incorporating 'mondo'-style exposés of Soho striptease, voyeuristic studies of British nudists and tragic tales of good girls gone bad - and much more besides.
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A Woman UndressingA Woman Undressing
Pornography18961 minsSilent
A treat for Victorian voyeurs - and Britain's oldest erotic film?
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Dream DollDream Doll
Animation & Artists Moving Image197912 minsSilent
A relationship liable to blow up at any moment is at the heart of this animated short about a man and an inflatable sex doll
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MomentMoment
Animation & Artists Moving Image196912 mins
An intimate, unusual encounter with the progressive narrative of orgasm.
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The Sex VictimsThe Sex Victims
Horror197337 mins
A truck driver thinks he’s in luck when he meets a strange girl by the road in this supernatural horror short
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Beauty in BriefBeauty in Brief
Drama19554 minsSilent Location: London
A young bride-to-be models a modish nylon nightie before a voyeuristic camera in this silent 1950s striptease film.
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Xcitement!Xcitement!
Pornography19605 minsSilent
Glamour goddess Pamela Green reveals all in a key ‘60s striptease collaboration with George Harrison Marks.
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Grecian Princess and the Slave GirlGrecian Princess and the Slave Girl
19725 minsSilent
Erotica doesn't get much lower budget than this musty 8mm reel made for the home movie market
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Exeter School of StripteaseExeter School of Striptease
Current affairs19706 mins Location: Exeter
Teaching exotic dance moves has a reporter going with the flow.
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VampireVampire
Horror196410 mins Location: Soho
Soho 'glamour' filmmaker George Harrison Marks plays girl-hungry vampire Count Dracula III in this strange striptease short
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Burlesque QueenBurlesque Queen
Documentary19616 minsSilent Location: Soho
Tassel-spinning showgirl Tina stars in this rare 60s British burlesque stage show reel.
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Off the ShoulderOff the Shoulder
Amateur film19514 minsSilent
Odd 1950s short film which simply celebrates the contours of the female upper torso
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Pleasure PillPleasure Pill
Drama20024 mins
In this 3 minute drama, Kath, played by Sharon Morgan, discovers the drug-enhanced delights of leeks and lamp posts.
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Fiona Richmond at her PleasureFiona Richmond at her Pleasure
Current affairs19709 mins Location: Plymouth
Fiona Richmond is interviewed about her Men Only column and attitudes towards sex.
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The Look of Lingerie at Castle DrogoThe Look of Lingerie at Castle Drogo
Current affairs19805 mins Location: Castle Drogo
Lingerie models dress for a titillating chase around Castle Drogo.
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Dear Margery BoobsDear Margery Boobs
Animation & Artists Moving Image19775 mins
Agony Aunt finds her romantic match in a man with increasingly complicated sex fantasies.
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Talent Contest (Fun Palace outtakes)Talent Contest (Fun Palace outtakes)
Amateur film196310 minsSilent Location: London
A compelling glimpse inside an unnamed East End pub in 1963 where a talent show takes place featuring singers and strippers.
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ShirleyShirley
Inside Film19686 mins
An unedited interview with striptease artiste 'Shirley', conducted by broadcaster Bernard Braden.
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Union Street on a Saturday NightUnion Street on a Saturday Night
Current affairs19664 mins Location: Plymouth
Punters gather for a night out on Plymouth’s famed Union Street.
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IrresponsiblesIrresponsibles
Documentary drama192939 minsSilent Location: Welwyn Garden City
This striking female-focused silent drama muses on the long-term perils of sexually transmitted diseases
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Once Upon a SundayOnce Upon a Sunday
Amateur film196910 mins Location: Leeds
The disappointment of youthful love, as the gritty realism of the early 1960s stands in stark contrast with the fantasies of the later 1960s.
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Merry Moments in FranceMerry Moments in France
19073 minsSilent
Lively Gallic goings on in an early film sound experiment
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Chinese CheckersChinese Checkers
Animation & Artists Moving Image196513 mins
Two masked women make love while playing the board game.
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Nude Woman by WaterfallNude Woman by Waterfall
192011 minsSilent
A model poses in and out of her diaphanous shift in this risqué experiment from British cinema pioneer Claude Friese-Greene
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Uncharted SeaUncharted Sea
Documentary drama192839 minsSilent
This silent 1920s public information film warns of the dire consequences that will arise from visiting prostitutes
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AloneAlone
Animation & Artists Moving Image196313 mins
A girl alone in her room, smoking, putting on make-up, masturbating.
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Stranger in the CityStranger in the City
Documentary196122 mins Location: London
Pay a voyeuristic visit to the striptease bars on some of London's shadow-shrouded backstreets in this 1961 short film
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Action in Slow MotionAction in Slow Motion
19433 minsSilent
A naked woman cavorts innocently at the seaside in this 1940s nudist film, strictly for artists and students only
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More Pleasure Principle films in our Subscription collection.
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More Pleasure Principle films in our Rentals collection.
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More related films in the Free collection, Beat Generations.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/blocks/promo-images/Punk%20in%2060.jpg?itok=8FPAXCOA)
More related films in the Free collection, Other Grooves.