Nudity in film

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Publicity photograph of Audrey Munson circa 1916. She is reputed to be the first woman to appear nude in a motion picture.

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 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. More recently, in feudal Japan, nudity, particularly female nudity from the waist up, was considered normal. Over time, pressure from westerners, as in many other parts of the globe, caused the Japanese to cover up. It is assumed, in many cultures, that such culturally-specific beliefs concerning nudity are universal.

1 United States
- 1.1 History
2 Famous nude scenes
3 Footnotes
4 Further reading
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] United States

Few American films dare to show both male and female genitalia (in what is called by many full frontal nudity). Instead, buttocks and breasts are shown to titillate, surprise, or amuse viewers. 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 mainstream US films, the genitals are rarely shown, and the penis is never shown erect, because of the NC-17 code threat.

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 actors refuse nude scenes out of personal values or the belief that it will harm their reputation. Elisha Cuthbert, Lindsay Lohan and Eliza Dushku are among those who have stated that they will never do a nude scene.^[1]^[2]^[3]

[edit] History

Audrey Munson appeared in the first American film to feature nudity by a leading actor, Inspiration.

Several early films of the silent era and early sound era featured nudity; one standard justification for a nude scene was to include it in a historical or religious context. Cecil B. DeMille, whose later reputation was that of a family entertainment specialist (The Greatest Show on Earth), included several nude scenes in his early epics. Other filmmakers followed suit. The film Dante's Inferno featured many naked women suffering in the bowels of hell. The early Johnny Weismuller Tarzan films featured at least partial nudity justified by the natural surroundings in which the characters lived. Nudity of natives was also portrayed in jungle epics. In response to objections voiced by several groups, scenes of nudity were forbidden in films from the major American studios from 1934 until the late 1960s under the Motion Picture Production Code, also known as 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.

Nudist films are a genre of films associated with the 1950s and 1960s, although the genre has roots dating back to the 1930s. Nudist films claim to depict the lifestyles of members of the nudism or naturist movement — known commonly as nudists — but were largely a vehicle for the exhibition and commercial exploitation of female nudity within the context of public theatrical screenings.

Famous examples of nudist films are Garden of Eden (1954) directed by Max Nosseck. Other producers and directors active in the genre included David F. Friedman, Herschell Gordon Lewis, and Barry Mahon. Filmmaker Doris Wishman was probably the most active producer/director in the genre, with eight nudist film to her credit during the early 1960s.

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, the British-Italian film Blowup became the first mainstream English-language film to show a woman's pubic hair, although the particular shot was only a few seconds long.

In autumn 1966 the Motion Picture Association of America unveiled a new Production Code. The new Code replaced specific rules, including those on nudity, with more general principles advising caution in matters like nudity and sexual intimacy. It also gave the MPAA the power to label certain films as "Suggested for Mature Audiences". In November 1968, the MPAA abandoned the Production Code altogether and replaced it with the voluntary rating system. Full frontal 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. Many movie theaters refuse to show films with these ratings. Nevertheless, many X-rated films became culturally significant, including A Clockwork Orange (1971), Last Tango in Paris (1972), and Midnight Cowboy, which won an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1969. In the 2000s, 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:

Alexander (2004). Colin Farrell shows his penis, scrotum and buttocks in a very brief nude scene as he gets into bed.
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.
American Beauty (1999). Thora Birch and Mena Suvari each have topless scenes. Kevin Spacey and Wes Bentley each have rear exposing scenes. Annette Bening has implied nudity during a sex scene.
American Gigolo (1980). First full frontal nude appearance of a major Hollywood actor — in this case, Richard Gere.
American Pie (1999). Shannon Elizabeth was plays a Czech foreign exchange student duped into changing clothes on a webcam broadcast. Elizabeth was displeased that people only remembered her thereafter as the woman who showed her breasts in the movie. It's rumored that since, she's signed a "no-nudity" clause in her contract.
And God Created Woman (1956). The film opens with a shot of some clothing on a washing line with a nude Brigitte Bardot sun tanning herself beneath.
Animal House (1978). Featured the infamous scene where Bluto (John Belushi) is on a ladder peering through the window watching Mandy Pepperidge (Mary Louise Weller) undress until the ladder falls.
At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1990). Hector Babenco directed adaptation of a story of fundamentalist missionaries sent to the jungles of South America to convert the Indians, includes numerous nude scenes with the indegenous population, as well explicit scenes with most of the cast — Tom Berenger, Daryl Hannah, Kathy Bates (twelve years before About Schmidt), and nine-year-old Niilo Kivirinta as the son of John Lithgow and Kathy Bates.
Basic Instinct (1992). Known for a notorious police interrogation scene in which Sharon Stone, wearing a tight-fitting skirt with no underwear, uncrosses her legs, revealing her genitals. Also shows a scene of a dead man, with his penis exposed.
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.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970). Features all main female cast members in nude scenes in addition to numerous extras nude.
Blow-up (1966). First mainstream (and British) film to feature female pubic hair — in this case, Jane Birkin's.
The Blue Lagoon (1980). Which featured several nude scenes of actors Brooke Shields (or her body double) and Christopher Atkins, as well as the children who played them in the first third of the movie, William Daniels and Elva Josephson.
Body Of Evidence (1993). Features Madonna and Willem Dafoe in numerous nude scenes.
Boogie Nights (1997). Features Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, and others in numerous nude scenes, some feature simulated sex.
Borat:Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006). Sacha Baron Cohen and Ken Davitian wrestle naked in a hotel room, hallway, and in full view of a conference, in a scene that appears to have been inspired by the nude wrestling scene in Women in Love. However, Cohen's genitals were blocked by a superimposed black bar.
British Sounds (1970). In this experimental film by Jean-Luc Godard, there is a scene with an extended close-up of a woman's genitals.
Caligula (1979). This film, about a Roman emperor, featured nudity as well as masturbation (with ejaculation) and explicit sex scenes.
Child Bride (1938). Twelve-year-old Shirley Mills appears nude in an infamous skinnydipping scene.
Contempt (1963). Features several extended shots of Brigitte Bardot's bare buttocks in parodic reference to her nude scenes in And God Created Woman.
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.
Crash (1996). Deborah Kara Unger is nude in several scenes. While in bed with husband James Spader, her labia majora are clearly visible to the camera. Spader then mounts her from behind and penetrates her anally (simulated) as she continues talking.
The Crying Game (1992). The sex scene between Stephen Rea and Jaye Davidson is pivotal to the movie's plot, since it shows Dil's (Davidson's) genitals and reveals her to be a male transvestite rather than a biological female.
A Daughter of the Gods (1916). The first film in which a major star (Annette Kellerman) appeared fully nude.
Devil in the Flesh (1987). Maruschka Detmers appears casually nude during several scenes in this film of Raymond Radiguet's novel by Italian director Marco Bellocchio. In one noted scene, Detmers fellates her co-star, Federico Pitzalis (unsimulated).
Don't Look Now (1973). Features 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 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 to the camera in close-up and Pitt runs his fingers through her pubic hair.
Ecstasy (1933). Hedy Lamarr famously skinnydips in the lake and runs through a forest in the nude. Years later, her millionaire husband reportedly tried to buy every print and destroy them.
Equus (1977). Featured extended full frontal and rear nudity from Peter Firth and Jenny Agutter.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999). This film attracted pre-release publicity for nude scenes of then-married couple Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, as well as extensive nudity during an orgy scene, featuring nude women wearing masks. The film opens with a shot of Kidman disrobing, letting a dress fall off her body, revealing her bare buttocks. Early on, both Kidman and Cruise apprear topless as they prepare to get dressed for a night out (somewhat reminiscent of Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie's famous postcoital nude scene in Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now). Cruise also tends to a nude woman who lies incapacitated on a sofa from a drug overdose. Shocked by Kidman's revelation of a sexual fantasy (in which she again appears nude), he walks out and later attends an orgy, but remains fully clothed (at one point he is ordered to strip, but another participant intervenes on his behalf). Some film critics accused Warner Brothers of censorship when they reedited the film for an R-rating after the death of director Stanley Kubrick.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). The scene in which Phoebe Cates emerges from a swimming pool and removes her bikini top has been endlessly imitated and parodied.
Havoc (2004). Anne Hathaway 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.
I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967), Vilgot Sjöman and Lena Nyman. Explicit portrayal of sex and nudity in a non-pornographic film.
If... (1968), Malcolm McDowell. The film features frontal male nudity in a shower scene by three of the film's lead actors. The female lead, Christine Noonan also appears nude, grappling with McDowell during a feral sex scene. There is also a surreal sequence of the headmaster's wife somnambulating nude through the school hallways at night.
Inspiration (1915), Audrey Munson. The first film featuring its leading actress in the nude.
James Joyce's Women (1985), Fionnula Flanagan appears casually nude. In one explicit sequence, she is seen lying on a bed and ecstatically masturbating her hirsute labial folds to the point of orgasm in full view of the camera while reciting a monologue (Molly Bloom's famous erotic soliloquy from Ulysses). In this scene, she appears to be actually stroking and penetrating her labia majora with her fingers. Flanagan also appears in another scene squatting over a chamber pot with her pubis exposed and urinating.
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.
Killing Me Softly (2002). Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes appear nude in numerous sex scenes.
Last Tango in Paris (1972). Maria Schneider appears fully and casually nude in several long scenes. In one scene, Marlon Brando pins her to the floor facedown and spreads margarine in between her exposed buttocks before penetrating her anally (simulated). In a later scene, 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.
Los Años Bárbaros (1998). Hedy Burress appears in a full frontal nude scene as she runs across the beach to jump in the ocean. Since the film takes place during the 1960s, director Fernando Colomo had a large tuft of faux pubic hair attached over Burress's shaved crotch because he believed few women shaved their pubic hair in the 1960s.
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.
Maya, fourteen-year-old child actor, Jay North, strips naked after falling into the river, revealing his bare bottom.
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). The film features David Bowie, Candy Clark and Rip Torn in a number of explicit nude scenes, including full frontal.
Maurice (1987). James Wilby and Rupert Graves appear fully nude, both rear and frontal, in a gay postcoital scene on a hotel bed.
Medium Cool (1969). First mainstream American feature to show full male and female nudity.
Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979). Brian (Graham Chapman) appears naked on a balcony in front of a crowd exposing his penis and minute later Judith (Sue Jones-Davies) appears with him in the full frontal nudity scene.
9 Songs (2004). Margo Stilley and Kieran O'Brien are nude for much of the movie, which also includes graphic footage of unsimulated fellatio, cunnilingus, masturbation and penetrative sex.
1900 (1976). Features a scene in which the characters of Robert DeNiro and Gerard Depardieu visit a prostitute. Both actors are seen completely nude 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. An earlier scene (that was never edited out of the U.S. release) with the two characters as young boys examining their own penises was wildly criticized as child pornography.
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 thick pubic and underarm hair.
The Pawnbroker (1964). First American film to show a woman (Thelma Oliver) nude from the waist up and still be granted a Production Code seal.
Planet of the Apes (1968). Charlton Heston is stripped, in rear view; one of the few instances of adult nudity in the last months of the Production Code era. His character is also featured in a nude bathing scene.
Popi (1969). Alan Arkin stars in this controversial G-Rated "family film" with several, extended nude scenes by underaged male leads - Miguel Alejandro and Reuben Figueroa.
Prénom Carmen (1983). Maruschka Detmers appears nude for much of her screen time, including one close-up shot of her pubic area, while her lover puts his hands between her legs.
Pretty Baby (1978). Featured nude scenes of actress Brooke Shields, who was eleven and twelve during the shooting, which raised allegations of child pornography.
Promises! Promises! (1963). Jayne Mansfield becomes the first mainstream American star to appear nude in in the sound era, baring her breasts and buttocks.
Prospero's Books (1991). Nearly all of the inhabitants of Prospero's island are nude in this deconstructionist interpretation of Shakespeare's The Tempest.
Quadrophenia (1979). Jimmy (Phil Daniels), the main mod character, enjoys a full-frontal bath in a private cubicle of a public bath-house when his enjoyment is cut short by the sound of a rocker (the mods' cultural enemies) singing Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-A-Lula" in the next cubicle. It incenses Jimmy, who bursts into a rendition of "You Really Got Me" by mod favourites, The Kinks. Jimmy and the rocker are both seen fully naked in their cubicles as they compete in a raucous singing display. The baths' caretaker angrily bangs on their doors and shouts 'What do you think this is ? The bleedin' Eurovision Song Contest?' Later, the rocker is revealed to be Jummy's old school-mate, Kevin (Ray Winstone).
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Nell Campbell is seen topless after she is turned to stone by the Medusa Device.
Romeo and Juliet (1968). This film caused some controversy for a brief postcoital nude scene featuring its two teenage leads, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. Whiting exposes his buttocks while Hussey appears topless.
A Room with a View (1985). Rupert Graves, Simon Callow, and Julian Sands frolic naked around a pond during a swimming scene.
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).
Savage Messiah (1972). Helen Mirren walks up a staircase, flaunting her voluptuous nude body and striking poses.
Schindler's List (1993). Shows many nude scenes of Jewish deathcamp prisoners in Auschwitz.
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.
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.
Summer with Monika (1953). The first nude scene in postwar European cinema. Harriet Andersson's bare buttocks are seen briefly as she runs over the rocks to skinnydip in a lake.
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), thirteen year old Mario Van Peebles' bare buttocks are seen at the beginning of the film when the character of "Sweetback" is seen visiting a prostitute. The controversial scene limited the film's distribution; it was banned in Australia for years. The scene was revisited 32 years later when Peebles made a biopic about his father, Rated X by an All-White Jury.
Tarzan of the Apes (1918). Tarzan (Gordon Griffith), at eleven years old, is nude for much of the first half of the film; the African natives also briefly appear nude.
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.
The Terminator (1984). Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Biehn appear nude early in the film, exposing their buttocks (Schwarzenegger shows — although shadowed — a bit more than just his buttocks). Linda Hamilton also bares her breasts during a love scene.
Titanic (1997). Kate Winslet poses nude and wears only a diamond necklace for her portrait.
Two Moon Junction (1988). Sherilyn Fenn and Richard Tyson share steamy nude scenes that feature frontal nudity from both. Kristy McNichol exposes her breasts in two scenes.
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.
The Unashamed (1938). Typical nudist exploitation film of the 1930s, showing bare breasts and buttocks.
Walkabout (1971). Famous scene showing David Gulpilil, Jenny Agutter and Luc Roeg (as the Agutter's 11-year-old brother) skinny-dipping in a lake in the Australian outback.
What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? (1970). This film examines the public response to unexpected nudity.
Women in Love (1969). Known for its full frontal nudity in a wrestling match between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed. Glenda Jackson became the first actress to do a nude scene and win an Academy Award for Best Actress.

[edit] Footnotes

[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.