Coming Attractions: The Making of an X-Rated Video [Hardcover]

Robert J. Stoller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 26, 1993

What do porn films tell us about our own erotic impulses? What can we learn about our culture's sexual attitudes, fears, and fantasies from the ways that porn films are designed and produced? This book examines the ideas and psychological makeup of the participants in an adult heterosexual X-rated video, "Stairway to Paradise". Their interviews with performers, writers, directors, producers and technicians provide extraordinary insights into the technical aspects of this type of videok the motivations and backgrounds of the people involved, and the porn industry's view of the video's intended audience. Stoller, Levine, and the porn filmmakers have wide-ranging discussions about the aesthetics, ethics, and etiquette of the porn industry; the hostility that Dr. Stoller claimed underlies all erotic excitement; the liberating - and educational - function of porn in a puritanical culture; the misconceptions of antiporn crusaders; the impact of AIDS on the participants; and the future of the porn film industry. The authors hope that if we understand how and why a pornographic work is created, we will be better able to understand the implications of the legal and moral issues it raises.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The late UCLA psychiatrist Stoller ( Porn: Myths for Our Time ) and Levine, a journalist and screenwriter with X-video credits, have collaborated on an unusual (and necessarily explicit) oral history of the world of erotic films. The voyeuristic and curious may learn much, as well as lose what Levine calls "lurid misconceptions," through such interviewees as a male actor who confesses fears of AIDS or a female counterpart who cites Piaget in discussing the emotional unreadiness of 18-year-old women for the trials of public sex. There are provocative observations: one porn director calls her work "a document of contemporary Western sexuality"; a male producer believes it's healthy for men to see violence against women; a female actress maintains that women from dysfunctional families go into porn for "adoration and love." Levine himself dubs the industry a "hideout for arrested development cases." Surrounded by much incidental verbiage, these points would benefit from more explication. There are no photographs, either.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 246 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition edition (May 26, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300056540
• ISBN-13: 978-0300056549
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,816,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good, December 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Coming Attractions: The Making of an X-Rated Video (Paperback)

Through a series of interviews with writers, directors, cast and crew, the author dissects the process of making a pornographic movie from conception to release. Far from the giggly bimbo-fest one might expect, all the persons interviewed come across as intelligent adults who have made the conscious decision to be involved with the x-rated film industry. I was especially impressed with veteran actress Nina Hartley's thoughts on her illustrious career and her complete confidence that what she is doing is not wrong. Another affecting piece was from an actor who is trying to leave the industry, but with a wife and new baby at home, he finds it difficult to stay away from the money. Made me think of Boogie Nights, and the ex-porn star couple trying to get a loan to start their own business. All in all a very impressive academic study.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, albeit repetetive, look inside the XXX industry, April 30, 2000

By 

Chadwick H. Saxelid "Bookworm" (Concord, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coming Attractions: The Making of an X-Rated Video (Paperback)

This book is an incredible, shocking, and educational look into the misunderstood and much maligned "adult video" industry. Although the interviews seem, at first, way too repetetive, it actually allows the readers a clearer view of what was really happening on the set, getting past all the ego blinders the interviewees threw at the interviewers. Those wishing for cheap thrills and juicy photos need look elsewhere. Those interested in actually learning something about this industry and the people who work in it will definitely finish this book happy.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Movie magic... XXX style, June 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Coming Attractions: The Making of an X-Rated Video (Paperback)

After reading this book you will never view another adult video the same way.

Prior to reading this book, I had no idea how hard actors and actresses work on the set of an adult movie.

This book goes in-depth via candid interviews with all the participants involved in the production of "Stairway to Paradise". Their individual perspectives on the making of this XXX masterpiece will make you realize how difficult it is to produce a quality "hard core" movie.