Sex in the Movies or Whew! Is the Air Conditioning Working in This Theater?

Hey, hey, Dr. J. here again. Just a quick word of thanks for the invitation to be a regular here at DIK. Not always sure I'll be able to keep up with all those who have come before me--some contributors can be truly funny. But I'll always try to come up with something that may "click" with you or which will be thought-provoking.

Sex in movies is sooooooo graphic these days. Not that I am a fan of all that repression generations of Western civilization have had to live with. But there really is a difference between the sexually graphic and the erotic, and some of Hollywood's offerings have been so subtle and sooooo erotic that it has driven the censors crazy. Along those lines I have been remembering some of my favorites so here goes.

There are some movies that pop into my head that I remember hit the big screen AND the front page at the same time, all because they caused men to sweat and women to fan their blushing faces. One such movie was Picnic. Starring William Holden (who was gorgeous throughout his entire career, no matter his age) and Kim Novak (who aroused every man in America with that throaty voice), this story of a small town girl and a rabble-rousing, out-of-work drifter set America on its sexual ear. Their dance together was so erotic it was almost banned by the censors. Thankfully it made the cut and we have that wonderful film intact.

And who can forget the beach scene in From Here To Eternity? Burt Lancaster, who always depicted characters that were raw and simmered sexuality was a mean dude in this movie, but he drew beautiful Deborah Kerr to him like ants to honey. She had always been seen as the lovely and proper English lady. Not in this movie!! And their affair scalded the eyeballs of the American movie fan--not in today's graphic sense, but it was what wasn't seen and only hinted at which made people shift in their seats.

Two of Paul Newman's movies stand as classic sexy movies, taut with undeclared emotion, making everyone in the theater aware of what was going on behind the scenes, alive with sexual tension that never let up. From the Terrace was filmed with Joanne Woodward as his wife and a woman who was sexy as all get out, but whose real desire was power and prestige. She was the boss' daughter and she flaunted it non-stop. Paul was gorgeous as usual so every woman in the theater sat mesmerized by his purposeful demeanor and wished they were up there on the screen being kissed.

Any movie buff knows that every Tennessee Williams story is really about the massive dysfunction in the families and relationships that caught his eye. And who can imagine any movie with Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor, especially in her heyday, not burning up the screen? It is powerful and armpit drenching from the word go, and Americans were aware of sex in the bedroom in a way that had never been expessed before. Sexual frustration was the word for the day, and it had everyone breathing fast and panting hotly as this movie unfolded. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof made movie history and it was just such movies that began to force the censors to lighten up just a little on the censorship of movie content. It wasn't long after this that the public forced the censors to begin formulating and implementing the beginnings of the rating system we have today.

And finally, my all-time favorite--well maybe not my all time favorite but it ranks right up there: Love Is A Many Splendored Thing. It is based on the experiences of Dr. Han Suyin, an Eurasian woman who was practicing medicine in a hospital in Hong Kong when she fell in love with an American journalist who was separated from his wife and from whom he could not obtain a divorce. Ultimately he was killed during a battle in Korea where he was assigned. It is beautiful, sexy and one of the first overt "affairs" that hit the screen--a married man with his lover. Yet is stands today as one of the great love stories of American movie history and it is truly one of my favorites. Starring William Holden (what's not to like here?) and Jennifer Jones in the main roles.

It's been great to visit with all the DIK ladies and to share some of my ideas about books and movies. Since this is my first time around, hope you all will visit back again soon. We have some great ladies getting ready to share in the days to come. Until next time . . .