There are so many high quality porn movies right now that I've got to think that we are in the golden era of porn. Never has porn been better produced. The actresses are hot as hell the camera work is ultra sharp with excellent lighting and there is no lame'o storyline like there was in the 80's that just slowed everything down. Whenever I look at the old stuff I say to myself it just doesn't compare. The actresses were great in the 80's but the production value really hurt. I can't remember how many times I used to say to myself that this would have been a great scene if they didn't screw up the filming and lighting. And the equipment is several generations better (digital - HD) I rembember when the girl would be doing something fantastic and they would pan to the dude's face for 30 seconds to show you he's having a good time. Like -- "Who cares!?!?" The fact that you don't have to forward through a vcr tape forever is great too. I'd be interested to know your thoughts. I'm sure there are some die-hard oldies buffs but I really can't understand how films of yesterday can compete at all with today. .02
Legal and political issues aside, now is a pretty good time to be a porn consumer. In the 90s, I thought that overall porn was better than it had ever been. I thought the same thing of the early 00s in the early 00s, and I now think the same thing of recent years. Overall, porn with higher quality picture and sound is getting progressively cheaper. There are other aspects of each period that I like. Also, there are companies that I thought were outstanding in each period. I like the fact that the vignette style of porn is popular on websites like Brazzers. I think that the story set-ups can add greatly to the scenes, but I'm definitely not a features guy. If companies could string together a bunch of these sorts of scenes into a full length feature I would probably like it. On the other hand, porn companies may not view the current time as the best of times. Their margins are getting thinner and it is becoming more difficult for many to produce a profit. This is particularly true of smaller companies. Several companies, particularly those that are already established and those that can adapt their business model, will continue to do quite well. On occasion I will buy a DVD of porn made in the mid 90s that I remember as being great and am disappointed by the poor quality relative to today's standards. I suppose that I have been spoiled by the porn made today. In addition, I have seen a lot more porn and am not as easily impressed.
What makes you think they compete? They just exist as a niche for people who appreciate nostalgic porn. In the same way, any old (classic) movies exist.
No way. the golden age of porn in my opinion was the late 80's and the 90's. those were the Bruce seven years. porn was at it best. today directors could care less what a lot of the fans want. they just keep feeding us the same thing over and over and over.
When I think of Golden Age of Porn I automatically think of the 70s and 80s with Seka, Sharon Mitchell, Ron Jeremy, John Holmes, Ginger Lynn, etc. To me when describing something as “Golden” it means older or classics. Like Golden Hits in music or like the Golden Girls. We all know what a slut those grey haired bitches were. Granted porn girls and guys look better than ever now and the scenes are insanely different. But I don’t consider it the Golden Age.
I don't think we're anywhere close to a "Golden Age" of porn. No, that ship has long since sailed. The Golden Age of porn was when you could watch porn in a movie theater. Adult Theaters proudly displayed the titles of this week's newest porn release on their marquis and advertised them in the daily newspaper. It was perfectly acceptable to take your girlfriend out on a date to see porn in a theater. In the Golden Age of porn, Roger Ebert would review current porn releases in the Chicago Sun. Reviewers in the New York and LA Times would throw in their two cents as well. Porn movies had real budgets and stories were more than just a loose scaffold used to justify a sex scene (well... usually). Gonzo was a character on the Muppet Show and Ron Jeremy looked more like Luigi than Mario (actually, he's starting to look a bit like Bowser now....)
pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world 12377 Posts 9/07
Posted - Jun 8 2008 : 10:03PM
Hasn't this been discussed before? I prefer the 'classic' era (75-84') as well, a combination of the best from that period (in terms of production, directing, acting) and today would be ideal, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
I am sorry, but this is the golden age. I remember the theaters in the 70s and 80s - that is where guys went to jack off in the dark - the reason porn got out of the theaters was b/c of VCRs. In terms of plot? acting? please. There were a few rare gems - mostly anything that Veronica Hart appeared in - she could act and could out-fuck and out-suck anyone. But really - watch those old movies - the plots and acting are not good, and the production values blow too. When those movies could be brought home to watch, we fast-forwarded through the "acting". At least today, everything is in focus and well-lit. More importantly, the women today are drop-dead gorgeous and completely uninhibited. There is a lot of crap but also movies that are packed with fantasies. As for main-stream porn today, was there anything back then like Pirates or some of the other Digital productions? Or the best John Stagliano movies? We look fondly back on the pioneers like Seka b/c they had guts and were trailblazers, but I vastly prefer the movies of today. I will say that the early 90s were awful, so from that perspective, the 70-80s were golden, but today is the product of all those trailblazers. As for bringing women to a porn movie? - I do think guys and girls watch porn today together to help get off, and there are good movies for both sexes today - but I never saw a woman in a porn theater back then - maybe at the drive-ins, but those weren't dates either, just kids partying. FBB
As long as you like fake tits and wood killing tats, yes, today's porn stars are hot. I'll take the 1970's and early 1980's chicks---ALL NATURAL and almost no tats---any day. Edited by - xformyzombie on 6/8/2008 11:30:12 PM
I think we are in a modern era similar to the advent vhs over strictly film and, to some extent, the birth of dvd. Now we have blu ray and web porn and it always seems to lead to an explosion of content as new medium are discovered and adapted. As previously posted the golden era has to be the dated stuff, Seka and Chambers and such. Then you have several modern and post modern booms since. Most notably the birth of video and gonzo/pro-am. Maybe we are in the golden age of gonzo... ;)
pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world 12377 Posts 9/07
Posted - Jun 9 2008 : 3:38AM
I'm sure it was hard to sort the wheat from the chaff back in the day, but even the films with bad acting, etc at least had charm or a sense of humour. The production values were not equal to mainstream Hollywood films but many films often looked as good as a low-budget regional film or TV movie. The only person working today who comes close in terms of making his films look like that is Eli Cross, and he use to work in 'legit' films. Stagliano makes great gonzo semi-features but Pirates is frankly a terrible film on every level, it certainly doesn't stand comparison to V: The Hot One, Pretty Peaches, Babyface, Anna Obsessed, Misbehavin', Through the Looking Glass or The Taking of Christina.
Just one question. What have you been watching? In my opinion, there is more good porn being made than ever before but it's much harder to find. Edited by - randomprecision on 6/9/2008 4:10:15 AM
I'd say yes. There was a lot of censorship during the Reagan/Meese era, and here in the computer age, it's much easier to research porn titles and read reviews of what you're interested in before making a purchase. If there's a particular girl or fetish that you wanna see, it's not difficult to find what you want. Also, all the free online porn is a big plus for today being a new golden age.
True That! Pirates has AWFUL CGI, bad acting, and just looks cheap! I'll take Captain Love & The Pirate Women, as flawed as it might be, over Pirates any day. We are living in an age of mixed quality. A few directors, chiefly Paul Thomas, Nic Andrews, and Eli Cross are attempting to be today's Chuck Vincent, Gary Graver, Anthony Spinelli, etc. They just don't meet the filmmaking abilities of the aforementioned three or many of the other top filmmakers of the 70s/early 80s. Gonzo is gonzo is gonzo. Take it or leave it (I'll leave it) but don't tell me that continuous, nondescript screwing with a bunch of cookie cutter plastic looking women is an improvement over real filmmaking! Even the best "plotted" or "arty" features of today are nothing more than bland narrative filler between tediously long sex scenes. In addition to the outstanding films that BlackSix mentioned, what contemporary X rated film has the emotional force of Roommates or the scathing social commentary of Cafe Flesh (no, the inferior 90s sequels don't count) or the psychological depth of 3 A.M.? What modern X rated film will keep me glued to the screen as so many films from the real golden age have? As (I think) Bill Margold said, porn today thinks it can compensate for its lack of narrative creativity and quality actors by throwing lots of money into the productions. Well, it just don't cut it.
I pretty much watch everything. I find it hard to actually find a bad porn flick. I mean the bar has been raised so high that even the worst movie today is still better than great flicks from the 80s. Don't get me wrong -- I loved the stars of the 80's and 90's -- they were fantastic! But the technology of the cameras and the maturity of the production was nowhere what it is today. The films were geared towards people sitting in a theater which -- for porn -- doesn't come across correctly when watched at home. (I mean -- who really gives a crap about the guy's face during a climax scene?) Yeah black and white movies of the 1940's with storylines (non-porn) still can have that nostalgic feel to them and the acting can move you. But with porn the poor quality takes away from the enjoyment. Who's getting turned on by Black and White porn? I'd dare say only about 1-5% of consumers. My point is that normal movie techniques don't port over to porn well. Especially not in the digital age of today. As far as not finding a lot of good porn -- I guess I have pretty broad horizons and have seen WAY too much... When I fire up the old stuff -- it leaves me reaching for the forward button very frequently. I say to myself -- this could have been a great scene if the bozo behind the camera knew what he was doing...
IMO, we are so NOT in the Golden Age of Porn. The female performers today just are not as pretty (without make-up) as the girls from the 1980s & 90s. The people behind the camera have zero/zip/nada creativity, can't tell a story, can't visually compose a shot in front of their cameras, can't build sexual heat in a scene to a climax. There's so, so, so, so much more BAD porn today than ever before. Porn sex is about The Power Game, not The Pleasure Game. The industry is filled with producers, directors and performers who don't respect each other, or give a shit about health issues--be it HI-V, herbes, or the common cold. Golden Age? More like the wild, wild west of "Deadwood."
I've been watching some titles from Caballero Classics, and while I like a lot of the girls (Christy Canyon, Keisha, Alicia Monet, Tracey Adams, Shanna McCullough, Taija Rae), I have to say that most of the scenes are disappointing by today's standards. You tend to forget just how bad some of the camera work and lighting was in those days, and the scenes are so short, sometimes just a blow job and missionary, such a waste of the female talent. So I agree that the scenes today are much better, but I did like many of the girls in the 80s, especially as there were less tattoos and boob jobs, and girls had some pubic hair.
pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world 12377 Posts 9/07
Posted - Jun 10 2008 : 11:45PM
Porn shapes the viewers tastes to a much greater degree than most are aware, I think, look at those on this forum who are now repulsed by female pubic hair due to being raised on shaven pussy porn. The old scenes were considered mighty dirty and erotic back in the day, it is only in comparison to today's scenes that they seem short, etc.
The porn of the past (1980-1990) featured real people having sex in front of the camera today its sex for the camera. The camera and equipment did not lend itself to anyone who did not have the required training and expertise. Many of the director were moonlighting and working under a ridiculous nom de plume The lighting was varied from scene to scene. Does anyone shoot night scene anymore? the performer were not mashed into a generic parody labeled "Porn star". The better performer were able to express their individual sexual persona. There is no doubt orgy scenes were better shot than today's. Women were an active participants in the scenes, rather than props for the males to perform upon. Golden age porn is like exceptional musicians having a good time jamming together. Todays porn is garage bands beating the shit out of their instruments. Edited by - ntfighter on 6/11/2008 12:19:42 AM Edited by - ntfighter on 6/11/2008 11:15:53 AM
Not sure if I'd call Thundercrack! porn, per se... Oh Miss Brodie is color (at least my version is). Where did you find a black and white copy? The other "famous" black and white XXX flick is Steckler's Sacrilege which was also shot in color but strangely had a few black and white prints struck. Personally, I love black and white (frequently more than color) as there are so many great lighting techniques that can only be done in black and white. Black and white has been used exceptionally well in a number of otherwise color XXX films, namely Take Off and Naked Came the Stranger.Yeah, the oily pile-up at the end of Pretty Peaches is second to none. It's simultaneously sleazy, sexy, and downright gross. Same goes for the end of Femmes DeSade. I'd have to say though that my personal favorite orgy sequence is the surreal, fog machine filled bout which concludes Baby Rosemary.
The arguement could be made either way on that one.It's on After Hours Cinema's College Coed Corruption collection. The liner notes that come with it state "and shot on b&w end stock." Of course they could be wrong. Some of their liner notes I've noticed have been incorrect in the past.I've only seen that one in color.
I think porn today is better than ever, and I have to give credit to the girls. I loved Annette Haven in her day, but Jenna Haze has done 20 scenes that are all better than Annette's best scenes. (And 8 of them are easily found by renting Jenna Haze Darkside. As a big-tit fan, I used to love Sue Nero and Lisa DeLieuw, but can either of these girls hold a candle to Gianna? Blondes with big natural tits-- would you rather watch Seka or Bree Olson? Vanessa Del Rio liked hard sex, but Belladonna gets my vote. Versonica Hart could act, so can Hillary Scott. I loved Stacey Valentine, but if you like bleach blondes with fake tits, lets see, there's Teagan, Jesse Jane, Carmen Luvana, Janine, Stormy Daniels, Jessica Drake, Gina Lynn, Savannah Samson.... And I haven't even mentioned Amy Reid, Sasha Grey, Dana DeArmond, Kylie Ireland, or Stoya.
Yep. Sure, I like the fact that there is quantity and something for everyone, but that doesn't really mean that there is more "good" porn. The state of male talent is still pretty sad, lots of guys looking unfit or scary, and that does matter. Peter North and Julian made a LOT of good stuff and had great cumshots as well, but they have retired. Girls these days STILL pump their great looking natural tits full of silicone. Lots of porn is still shot in boring or ugly settings, like garages or small apartments. I could probably go on and on, but there is still lots of stuff left to be desired.
pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world 12377 Posts 9/07
Posted - Sep 4 2008 : 5:43AM
Strangest thing I've ever heard. What are you thinking of when you say this? I remember the early 90s as the worst of fuzzy VHS sub-gonzo crapola with waaayyy too many close-ups, no tease or foreplay.
For me there was a mini golden age of porn from 2001 to 2004 when Eric Everhard, Mike John and Jay Sin were active in Eastern Europe. Eric's Cum Filled Asshole Overload I may be the best DVD of that time. The actresses had beautiful faces, long slim bodies and full breasts. And they were intelligent and charming. Plus they were willing to do almost anything. For me Julie Silver, Anastasia Christ, Lisa Sparkle, Michelle Wild, Jane Darling, Daria Glower, Angel Dark and the most beautiful of all Luisa Rossellini (Terezka Dvorakova) just have not been matched since. Plus the DVDs had a sense of fun back then. The directors seemed like kids in a candy shop.
