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X-rated: Adult Movie Posters of the 60s and 70s
The bestselling cult compilation of adult-movie posters, now expanded This magnificent book is the new, expanded, complete edition of Nourmand and Marsh’s cult bestseller, with text by renowned writer Peter Doggett. The 1960s and ’70s were the Golden Age of the X-rated movie. For the first time, these films were shown in mainstream cinemas to a fashionable, young crowd. The “porno chic” movement around films like Deep Throat (1972), The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976) and Debbie Does Dallas (1978) gave skin flicks an air of credibility that had never existed before. Johnny Carson and Bob Hope talked about Deep Throat on TV, and respected artists became involved in promotional campaigns for adult films.
Of all film genres, the X-rated movie is possibly the one that lends itself best to the use of posters as a promotional medium. Screaming taglines, provocative titles and scantily clad bodies are all elements that can be used to great advantage in poster form. Even though many of the adult movies of the ‘60s and ‘70s have faded into cinematic history, their posters remain an inspiration for graphic designers. And today they are wonderful, joyful period pieces that evoke the temptations and taboos of a bygone age of suspender belts, stockings and eye-popping, gravity-defying brassieres. To quote Steve Frankfurt’s iconic ad campaign for the soft core masterpiece Emmanuelle , “X was never like this.”
Of all film genres, the X-rated movie is possibly the one that lends itself best to the use of posters as a promotional medium. Screaming taglines, provocative titles and scantily clad bodies are all elements that can be used to great advantage in poster form. Even though many of the adult movies of the ‘60s and ‘70s have faded into cinematic history, their posters remain an inspiration for graphic designers. And today they are wonderful, joyful period pieces that evoke the temptations and taboos of a bygone age of suspender belts, stockings and eye-popping, gravity-defying brassieres. To quote Steve Frankfurt’s iconic ad campaign for the soft core masterpiece Emmanuelle , “X was never like this.”
288 pages, Hardcover
First published November 30, 2014
About the author
Peter Doggett
48 books60 followersPeter Doggett has been writing about popular music, the entertainment industry and social and cultural history since 1980. A regular contributor to Mojo, Q and GQ, his books include The Art and Music of John Lennon, a volume detailing the creation of the Beatles’ Let It Be and Abbey Road albums; the pioneering study of the collision between rock and country music, Are You Ready for the Country? and, most recently, There’s a Riot Going On: Revolutionaries, Rock Stars and the Rise and Fall of 60s Counter-culture.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 3, 2024
I found this book informative and interesting. Porn parody titles galore.
September 21, 2017
"X-Rated: Adult Movie Posters of the 60s and 70s" by Tony Mourmand and Graham Marsh (Reel Art Press)
You can't overestimate the sexual urge even in the era of Trump. Still, a look back into the era when there were actual dirty movie theaters that showed dirty movies in one's neighborhood or more likely in the borderline between your 'safe' area and the 'bad' neighborhood. Usually, it's the folks from the 'good' area that frequents these type of theaters. For my generation, and I was a child/teenager in the 60/70s, the attraction of an X-rated movie theater was hard to avoid. Not only for the pleasures of seeing the flesh, but also the beautifully designed film posters that advertise these films. Reel Art Press publisher and editor Tony Nourmand has the largest collection of these posters from that era. With the great assistance of Graham Marsh, they have made a book that is essential to not only dirty movie lovers but also anyone who even has the flicker of interest in cinema practices as well as pop cultural history.
Russ Meyer is clearly the genius of the X-Rated film, that is more exploitative than sexual. Still, when one watches a Meyer film, you're clearly exposed to another version of a demented world away from your own surroundings. His film posters are pretty much an excellent representation of what you are going to see in his cinematic work. Beyond that, not that many other geniuses in this field of work, still, the graphic art aspect is brilliant and often witty. For me, I prefer the posters of the 60s because, for one, it was truly an underground landscape. There was something forbidden in that world, and these posters express the iconic naughtiness of those times. The 70s were a time of more openness and more self-aware of the issues of that era. Still, as the budget got bigger, the posters became more sophisticated in the sense of movies made for the mainstream. It's interesting to compare the two eras of dirty movie posters.
And sadly the book also exposes that the time of the dirty movie poster is now dead. There is no need, especially when the VHS and DVD world came into prominence. And even worse, streaming! Also fantastic introduction by Peter Dogett.
You can't overestimate the sexual urge even in the era of Trump. Still, a look back into the era when there were actual dirty movie theaters that showed dirty movies in one's neighborhood or more likely in the borderline between your 'safe' area and the 'bad' neighborhood. Usually, it's the folks from the 'good' area that frequents these type of theaters. For my generation, and I was a child/teenager in the 60/70s, the attraction of an X-rated movie theater was hard to avoid. Not only for the pleasures of seeing the flesh, but also the beautifully designed film posters that advertise these films. Reel Art Press publisher and editor Tony Nourmand has the largest collection of these posters from that era. With the great assistance of Graham Marsh, they have made a book that is essential to not only dirty movie lovers but also anyone who even has the flicker of interest in cinema practices as well as pop cultural history.
Russ Meyer is clearly the genius of the X-Rated film, that is more exploitative than sexual. Still, when one watches a Meyer film, you're clearly exposed to another version of a demented world away from your own surroundings. His film posters are pretty much an excellent representation of what you are going to see in his cinematic work. Beyond that, not that many other geniuses in this field of work, still, the graphic art aspect is brilliant and often witty. For me, I prefer the posters of the 60s because, for one, it was truly an underground landscape. There was something forbidden in that world, and these posters express the iconic naughtiness of those times. The 70s were a time of more openness and more self-aware of the issues of that era. Still, as the budget got bigger, the posters became more sophisticated in the sense of movies made for the mainstream. It's interesting to compare the two eras of dirty movie posters.
And sadly the book also exposes that the time of the dirty movie poster is now dead. There is no need, especially when the VHS and DVD world came into prominence. And even worse, streaming! Also fantastic introduction by Peter Dogett.
September 1, 2023
Yes I really read this whole thing… my roommate brought it back from the library and at first I flipped through it to make fun of him but ngl it helped with some composition inspo… these mf porns have better posters than marvel movies 😭 solid 3.5
November 23, 2021
Features a large collection of adult film posters and some film data and images. Interesting to seee words and images used to generate interest.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews