Product Details

• Actors: John Holmes, Cherrie Knight, Bettie Page, Gail Palmer, Bobby Shields
• Directors: Brandon Christopher
• Writers: Brandon Christopher
• Producers: Dante J. Pugliese
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: PASSPORT VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: November 9, 2004
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002O764C
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,991 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Taboo - The Beginning Of Erotic Cinema" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis:
Item Type: Unknown Type
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 11/09/04
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: yes
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, But Nothing To Rave About, December 26, 2004

By 

K. Brown "El Rudo Lucky Pierre!" (Walnut, Ca USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taboo - The Beginning Of Erotic Cinema (DVD)

If you want to see some quality antique eye candy, you'll enjoy this DVD. If you want a historical documentary on early erotica, this DVD is lacking. There is some interesting information, but for the most part, the makers of this piece rely too much on letting the stock footage do the talking. While the footage is fun, the narrative should play a larger part in the production.

The narrative is tongue in cheek, and what history they do provide is really vague. An example is when they bring up the movie code, they merely mention its arrival, but never even refer to "The Hays Code" by name.

There is some interesting information on the contrast between the French and American erotic filmmakers. The French were bold and liberal, the Americans gearing more towards cheesecake & striptease.

Also lacking are comments by historians and enthusiasts on the subject of erotica. There is so much potential here!

While I have no doubt that the subject of early erotic cinema is not the easiest subject to dig up historical info on, I can't help think that there is a much better documentary on the subject just waiting to be made.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent introduction and documentary, but a little lean, December 6, 2004

By 

Robert Pratte (charleston, il USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taboo - The Beginning Of Erotic Cinema (DVD)

This documentary is a decent introduction to erotic and burlesque cinema, presenting major figures, periods, as well as rare footage. However, there is too strong a focus on American erotic cinema, particularly the relatively staid 1950s period. Moreover, there are claims made regarding American cinema that really aren't backed up with footage. The major comparison with American cinema, upon which many of these claims are based, is French cinema. However, there isn't much information on French erotic cinema past a cursory introduction (primarily French erotic film through the '20s). I think that a broader international basis would benefit this DVD. Also, in terms of its documentary style, the information is limited in scope.

My criticisms aside, however, several films, covering a variety of forms and times, are included as special features with this DVD. The snippets included are contextualized with an introduction (however well founded) and do provide a history and contrast to the modern adult cinema. In short, if you are interested in the history of film, erotic film, or American popular culture, this DVD may provide a good introduction into obscure material.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Skip it, September 10, 2005

By 

Early A. Dopter - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Taboo - The Beginning Of Erotic Cinema (DVD)

The film is inaccurate (ignorant of how early porno films began), shows boring parts of boring films (explicitly cuts hard-core scenes), a know-it-all narrator won't shut up with his useless unimaginative commentary, absurd newsreel intercuts that the director thinks gives the film "weight". Gets two stars instead of one for a contribution to history of cinema. The real history of porno is a 1970s film called "History of the Blue Movie" which apparently was allowed to copy some early stuff from the Kinsey archives; this film was definitely available on VHS at one time, and is well-worth tracking down.