-----Original Message-----
From: Brad Chisholm <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 16 July 1998 17:53
Subject: the on-screen nude
> DIRECT ALL RESPONSES TO
> [log in to unmask]
> Subject: on-screen nude
>
>I am a film studies instructor who recently began offering a
>course entitled "Controversial Cinema." A recurring source of
>controversy that both I and my students brought up involved
>the disparities that exist when the male and female bodies are
>displayed in love scenes in contemporary films. I am visiting
>this Art Librarians list in search of discerning people versed
>in the history of the artistic display of the body, who would be
>willing to answer eight research questions on a topic that might
>make you blush. My intention is not to shock anyone, but to
>gather comments from individuals who are likely to enjoy
>watching films and talking about them. I do not wish to create
>an unrelated thread on this list; rather anyone who chooses to
>respond to the questions below should email me directly.
>
>My research involves erotic imagery in mainstream motion
>pictures. In particular, I am trying to understand what I
>call the "invisible penis" phenomenon. Films have been
>depicting full female nudity at least since Hedy Lamarr's
>appearance in ECSTASY (1933), but in the 1990s the sight
>of male frontal nudity is still a rarity on screen. In an
>effort to better understand our cultural taboos, as well as
>similarities and differences between what men and women
>want to see (and what they want to remain unseen), I ask the
>following...
>
>1. Have you ever felt uncomfortable viewing a movie with a
> date because of the way nudity was handled in a
> particular scene? If so, please describe the causes
> of the discomfort.
NO
>
>2. What, if any, general types of images in motion pictures
> do you find erotic?
SUBTLE, SEMI CLOTHED, NATURAL SCENES WHICH OF COURS HAVE AN EROTIC OR SEXUAL
PURPOSE IN THE FILM
>
>3. How do you think your perception of the erotic image
> differs from what members of the opposite sex find
> erotic?
I'M NOT SURE BUT I THINK THAT MOST EROTIC SCENES/IMAGES ARE DESIGNED BY MEN
FOR MEN. AGAIN, I'M NOT SURE WHAT TURNS WOMEN ON. A MAN'S BUM DOES NOTHING
FOR ME BUT A WOMAN'S NECK CAN, IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, BE VERY PLEASANT.
>
>4. Describe what you would call "tasteful female nudity,"
> and then "tasteful male nudity."
NATURAL NUDITY, NOT SURE WHAT TASTEFUL NUDITY IS, IS WHEN THE PERSON WALKS
FROM THE SHOWER, TO IT, OR GENERALLY DOES WHAT ONE DOES WHEN ONE IS NAKED.
BUMP AND GRID NUDITY AIN'T NATUARAL OR TASTEFUL.
>
>5. Do you recall the first time you saw a man's penis in
> a mainstream movie (any film other than an "adult
> video") and if so, do you remember what you thought
> and felt at the time?
NO, BUT PROBABLY THOUGHT THAT WAS UNUSUAL. THE DANGLY BITS DON'T OFTEN
COME INTO VIEW. MALE PRUDERY PERHAPS.
>
>6. Have you ever seen an uncircumcised penis in a
> mainstream film?
NO
>
>7. Do you think your own feelings about seeing nudity
> on the screen have evolved as you've gotten older
> or more educated? How?
AS AGAINST PUBERTY AND THE DISCOVERY OF GIRLS, NO
>
>8. Please indicate whether you are ____female _x___male
>
>Thanks in advance to those of you who take the time to
>answer the questions. Please direct your responses to
>my email address.
>
>Brad Chisholm, Associate Professor
>Department of Theatre & Film Studies
>St. Cloud State University
>St. Cloud, MN 56301
>320/ 255-3228
>
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