Peter Alilunas
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520291706
- eISBN:
- 9780520965362
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520291706.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Smutty Little Movies traces the adult film industry’s transition from celluloid to home video beginning in the late 1970s alongside an examination of the cultural and legal efforts to regulate, ...
More
Smutty Little Movies traces the adult film industry’s transition from celluloid to home video beginning in the late 1970s alongside an examination of the cultural and legal efforts to regulate, contain, limit, or eradicate pornography. Drawing on a wide variety of materials, Smutty Little Movies de-centers the film text in favor of industrial histories and contexts. In doing so, the book argues that the struggles to contain and regulate pleasure represent a primary entry point for situating adult video’s place in a larger history, not just of pornography, but media history as a whole.Less
Smutty Little Movies traces the adult film industry’s transition from celluloid to home video beginning in the late 1970s alongside an examination of the cultural and legal efforts to regulate, contain, limit, or eradicate pornography. Drawing on a wide variety of materials, Smutty Little Movies de-centers the film text in favor of industrial histories and contexts. In doing so, the book argues that the struggles to contain and regulate pleasure represent a primary entry point for situating adult video’s place in a larger history, not just of pornography, but media history as a whole.
Peter Alilunas
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520291706
- eISBN:
- 9780520965362
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520291706.003.0002
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This introduction offers an overview of relevant literature, a brief trajectory of the history of pornography before the video era, and an analysis of why the topic has not received much attention. ...
More
This introduction offers an overview of relevant literature, a brief trajectory of the history of pornography before the video era, and an analysis of why the topic has not received much attention. Additionally, it offers one of the central arguments in the book, that the industry’s quest for respectability by foregrounding quality (both aesthetically and narratively) had critical ramifications in terms of gender and sexuality—particularly for women—that have been previously overlooked.Less
This introduction offers an overview of relevant literature, a brief trajectory of the history of pornography before the video era, and an analysis of why the topic has not received much attention. Additionally, it offers one of the central arguments in the book, that the industry’s quest for respectability by foregrounding quality (both aesthetically and narratively) had critical ramifications in terms of gender and sexuality—particularly for women—that have been previously overlooked.
Peter Alilunas
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520291706
- eISBN:
- 9780520965362
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520291706.003.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
In this prologue, I describe my own background in relation to this topic, particularly important given my religious family upbringing describe the book’s guiding questions, and set the stage for the ...
More
In this prologue, I describe my own background in relation to this topic, particularly important given my religious family upbringing describe the book’s guiding questions, and set the stage for the rest of the book.Less
In this prologue, I describe my own background in relation to this topic, particularly important given my religious family upbringing describe the book’s guiding questions, and set the stage for the rest of the book.
Peter Alilunas
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520291706
- eISBN:
- 9780520965362
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520291706.003.0003
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Chapter one examines the early history of adult video from a variety of technological, cultural, and industrial perspectives beginning with the Panoram, a device invented in the 1940s and completely ...
More
Chapter one examines the early history of adult video from a variety of technological, cultural, and industrial perspectives beginning with the Panoram, a device invented in the 1940s and completely unintended for pornography. Following is an analysis of the adult motel landscape of Southern California, an early site of adult video distribution. The chapter concludes with a history of the early pioneers of adult video, including George Atkinson, who created the first video rental store in the United States.Less
Chapter one examines the early history of adult video from a variety of technological, cultural, and industrial perspectives beginning with the Panoram, a device invented in the 1940s and completely unintended for pornography. Following is an analysis of the adult motel landscape of Southern California, an early site of adult video distribution. The chapter concludes with a history of the early pioneers of adult video, including George Atkinson, who created the first video rental store in the United States.
Peter Alilunas
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520291706
- eISBN:
- 9780520965362
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520291706.003.0004
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Chapter two explores the creation in 1983 of Adult Video News (AVN), a newsletter initially aimed at the public but gradually transformed into an industry trade journal in the vein of Variety or ...
More
Chapter two explores the creation in 1983 of Adult Video News (AVN), a newsletter initially aimed at the public but gradually transformed into an industry trade journal in the vein of Variety or Hollywood Reporter. In its attempts to provide a more sophisticated, nuanced, and professional set of discourses for adult video, AVN represents a major turning point in this history, focusing on the industry as an industry, rather than merely as content made by unseen, hidden forces. Additionally, AVN repeatedly emphasized and encouraged the creation of quality material as a strategy to gain the respectability that would lead to greater acceptability and profits, a stance it also replicated within its own pages and editorial practices. Ultimately, AVN crafted something new: a space in which to promote, sell, and celebrate adult video.Less
Chapter two explores the creation in 1983 of Adult Video News (AVN), a newsletter initially aimed at the public but gradually transformed into an industry trade journal in the vein of Variety or Hollywood Reporter. In its attempts to provide a more sophisticated, nuanced, and professional set of discourses for adult video, AVN represents a major turning point in this history, focusing on the industry as an industry, rather than merely as content made by unseen, hidden forces. Additionally, AVN repeatedly emphasized and encouraged the creation of quality material as a strategy to gain the respectability that would lead to greater acceptability and profits, a stance it also replicated within its own pages and editorial practices. Ultimately, AVN crafted something new: a space in which to promote, sell, and celebrate adult video.
