The documentary explores the evolution of adult films over the first 50 years, comparing the explicit content of French films with the more subtle yet technically advanced productions from the US. In Europe, early cinema featured explicit sexual content, whereas in the US, the 1930 production code and Puritan values led to striptease films showcasing bare breasts. As US adult films gained mainstream popularity, they became even more restrained, with the late 1940s and 1950s seeing the rise of films featuring women fighting and bondage, often with minimal nudity.
Taboo: The Beginning of Erotic Cinema
The film explores the evolution of adult entertainment over the first 50 years, highlighting different styles and degrees of explicitness in French and American cinema.