European pornography
Encyclopedia
Pornography in Europe has been dominated by a few pan-European producers and distributors, the most notable of which is the Private Media Group
that had successfully claimed the throne of Color Climax Corporation
in early 1990s. Most European countries also have local pornography producers, from Portugal
(e.g. Naturalvideo) to Serbia
(e.g. Hexor), with varying potentials of competition with international producers.
Hungary
is noted for having liberal pornography laws. Czech Republic
, with its specialised companies such as the spanking
producers Lupus Pictures, gay pornography
label Bel Ami
, and for having become the regular European destination of the U.S.
and Japan
ese producers as well as its culturally open attitude to pornography and extremely low religiousness, is a likely rival. Romania
is also considered a "rising star" of European pornography in mid-2000s, mainly thanks to pornographic auteur Raul Cristian
of Floyd-Agency.
The once popular style of Euro-chic pornography represented by directors Lasse Braun
, Joe d'Amato
, and Michel Gentil
has lost ground and the Pierre Woodman
style of video porn now attracts a larger audience. A few directors like Luca Damiano
, Mario Salieri
, and Alain Payet
continue with the "older" cinematographic and dramatic styles that often distinguish European pornography from those of other cultures.
viewers had become familiar with stag films shot in the Netherlands
, featuring French actresses such as Claudine Beccarie
and Sylvia Bourdon
. The first genuine French pornographic film Les Baiseuses by Guy Gibert was released in 1975. The first French porn film that met international success was Le Sexe qui parle by Claude Mulot, which was released the same year (followed by a sequel two years later). This film was so successful that it was exported to the US, with the name Pussy Talk.
In 1976, a law that put considerable sanctions on pornographic films in distribution and taxation, known popularly as Code X was imposed, creating a situation that forced pornography develop itself on its own right. Since then, pornography has been a growing economy in France, now existing in various forms from magazines to satellite TV broadcasting.
Producers of video pornography can be divided into two segments: companies like Vidéo Marc Dorcel
, which produces "chic" adult feature films for the international market and companies that produce low-budget videos almost exclusively for domestic market (Œil du Cochon, Euro Choc, Ragtime, etc.). The latter type also tends to focus on popular fetishes such as rape
, incest
, and fisting
(as indicated in the classic series Viol, inceste & fist-fucking (Rape, Incest, and Fist-Fucking) by Fabien Lafait).
pornography began with the softcore film Graf Porno und seine Mädchen (Count Porno and his girls) in 1968. The movie's success (more than 3 million admissions) lead to a whole series of films that was and is referred to in German media as the Sex-Welle (sex wave). The most well known film of this period is Schulmädchen-Report
: Was Eltern nicht für möglich halten (The School-Girl Report, what the parents don't believe possible) by Ernst Hofbauer
in 1970. The sex scenes had become bolder with time and by 1975, when the legal ban of pornography was lifted, the era of German hardcore pornography
began.
Director Hans Billian
was the protagonist of the period and the films were usually in line with the so-called "Bavarian porn sex comedies
", often depicting male performers as comic characters, like Sepp Gneißl in Kasimir der Kuckuckskleber (1977). This era was also characterised by several Josephine Mutzenbacher
films.
Today's German pornography is generally very similar to the American "glamour" pornography though often tailored primarily for the German market. In contrast several German labels focus on a more "home-made" amateur flair, often focusing on intense hardcore themes such as gang bang
s, bukkake and urine fetishism; most notably 'German Goo Girls' and other series by John Thompson Productions
.
Due to popular belief outside of Germany, fecal pornography
known as "Scheisse porn" (using the German slang word for faeces) or, more commonly, as "Kaviar" (a generic term) supposedly is particularly popular in Germany, with companies like SG-Video and performers like Austrian Veronica Moser or English Ben Chambers specializing in the concept. Although German companies have their fair world market share in producing for this niche market, the major percentage is sold into export. http://www.beh-ev.de/
, the production of pornography mainly dates from the period after the fall of communism in 1989. The production and distribution of pornography was illegal under communism, but the laws were liberalised with the emergence of democracy. Permissive government policies soon propelled the country to the forefront of the European pornography industry. Several foreign directors were attracted to the country's liberal legislation, cheap production costs and large supply of attractive female performers. Eventually, domestic producers began to prosper as well, and several female actresses made big names for themselves within the industry. Hungarian pornography is different from that produced in American in the more natural appearance of its performers. The sex scenes also tend to be more extreme, with frequent use of anal sex
and various forms of multiple penetration.
had accumulated a lot of softcore
pornography in 1970s, hardcore pornography was not a usual trend until 1980s. The first pornographic film in Italy was Il Telefono rosso (The red telephone) in 1983 by Riccardo Schicchi
with Ilona Staller
(aka "Cicciolina"). The film caused much controversy and it was restrained from legal release until 1986 with an alternate revision of Italian censorship laws.
With this atmosphere of liberty, Italian producers rushed to meet on-screen curiosities of viewers to even gain the title of presenting "bestiality" in mainstream pornographic films; a trend shared by Rocco Siffredi
in his 2003 film Hazardous Duty (in the European release by Night Trips). Italian pornography producers depended on French actresses or expatriates like Marina Hedman
(with the notable exception Moana Pozzi
with her Valentina, ragazza in calore by Raniero di Giovanbattista in 1981) till the arrival of Hungarian Gabriella Kovács (aka "Angelica Bella") in 1991 but following this, Italy faced an influx of female pornography performers from ex-East Europe.
In today's Italian pornography, the strong emphasis is placed on aggressive anal sex
often with implied coercion. Many Italian films have no vaginal intercourse at all, being strictly about anal sex. Another popular theme is age disparity
between sexual partners, giving way to the Incesto films by directors like Andy Casanova and Eros Cristaldi. Director Andy Casanova's popular series Stupri Italiani also introduces rape as a popular theme.
and in St. Petersburg
where the largest adult film producer, SP-Company, is based. The types of Russian adult films may range from gonzo pornography
to adaptations of Russian classics (Eugene Onegin
(by Tatiana Taneyeva (2003)), The Master and Margarita
(by Armen Oganezov & Sergei Pryanishnikov (2002)) etc.) and these productions basically aim the domestic market. Much of the pornography is produced for the international internet market.
Recently, there have been a proliferation of internet sites featuring Russian porn. The Russian nationality of the models is emphasised by some of these porn sites, but in other cases the model may be presented as "European", "American" or even "Latina
". Also, certain internet sites are now featuring Russian porn in the reality porn
genre. Sites that offer predominantly Russian content routinely block access to Russian users to maintain the privacy of the models. Some studios also produce or used to produce both adult pornography and child pornography
(see 2004 Ukrainian child pornography raids
).
(in England and Wales), the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982
and the Video Recordings Act 1984
leads to a confusing situation in which there is a theoretical ban on the publication and distribution (but not possession) of pornographic material in any form, which is in practice unenforcable due to the vagueness of the legal test of material that "depraves and corrupts". In practice, hardcore material on video and DVD was until recently banned by the requirement under the Video Recordings Act to be certified by the BBFC, while mainstream hardcore material in other forms such as magazines and websites is essentially unrestricted. European, American and British hardcore pornographic magazines are now openly sold in many British newsagents, for instance. Due to libralisation in BBFC policy, mainstream hardcore DVDs now receive R18
certificates, legalising them but restricting their sale to licensed sex shops such as those in Soho
.
British-made pornography tends to focus on a rough-and-ready semi-amateur look rather than the more stylized glamorous look of Continental European pornography.
The UK is still the only Member State of the European Union that prohibits private imports of adult pornography by consumers coming from other Member States of the European Union. In the 2004–2005 fiscal year, the agents of Her Majesty Revenue & Customs seized 96,783 items of pornographic media carried by people travelling into the UK.
The UK porn industry is estimated to be now worth about £1 billion, compared to £20 billion worldwide.
Private Media Group
Private Media Group, Inc. is a production and distribution company that distributes adult entertainment via print publications, DVDs, the internet, and mobile....
that had successfully claimed the throne of Color Climax Corporation
Color Climax Corporation
Color Climax Corporation ApS is a Danish pornography company founded in 1969. It has its headquarters in Copenhagen. It had been one of the leading producers of European pornography up until the 1990s....
in early 1990s. Most European countries also have local pornography producers, from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
(e.g. Naturalvideo) to Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
(e.g. Hexor), with varying potentials of competition with international producers.
Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
is noted for having liberal pornography laws. Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, with its specialised companies such as the spanking
Erotic spanking
Erotic spanking is the act of spanking another person for the sexual arousal or gratification of either or both parties...
producers Lupus Pictures, gay pornography
Gay pornography
Gay pornography is the representation of sexual intercourse between men with the primary goal of sexual arousal in its audience. There is also a tradition, and continuing considerable output, of lesbian pornography....
label Bel Ami
Bel Ami (adult film company)
Bel Ami is an gay pornographic film company with offices in Bratislava, Prague and Budapest. It was established in 1993 by filmmaker George Duroy, a Slovak native who took his pseudonym from the protagonist Georges Duroy in Guy de Maupassant's novel Bel Ami...
, and for having become the regular European destination of the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese producers as well as its culturally open attitude to pornography and extremely low religiousness, is a likely rival. Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
is also considered a "rising star" of European pornography in mid-2000s, mainly thanks to pornographic auteur Raul Cristian
Raul Cristian
Raul Cristian is an ex-pornographic actor, director and producer of pornographic movies. Usually credited under the name Raul Cristian, he is also working under another pseudonym: Chris Rolie....
of Floyd-Agency.
The once popular style of Euro-chic pornography represented by directors Lasse Braun
Lasse Braun
Lasse Braun is an Italian pornographer, film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and researcher.- Introduction :...
, Joe d'Amato
Joe D'Amato
Joe D'Amato, was a prolific Italian filmmaker who directed roughly 200 films, usually at the same time acting as producer and cinematographer, and sometimes providing the script as well...
, and Michel Gentil
Jean Rollin
Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil was a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his films in the fantastique genre such as the vampire film Le Viol du Vampire and the first French gore film Les Raisins de la Mort .-Early life:Jean Rollin was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine , France to...
has lost ground and the Pierre Woodman
Pierre Woodman
Pierre Woodman is a pornographic film director. He is the creator of more than 65 pornographic films, more than 2,000 hardcore scenes, around 1,500 photosets and more than 7,000 castings.-Early life:...
style of video porn now attracts a larger audience. A few directors like Luca Damiano
Luca Damiano
Luca Damiano is an Italian film director who began his career as an assistant to Vittorio de Sica...
, Mario Salieri
Mario Salieri
Mario Salieri, born Mario Altieri, on November 29, 1957 in Naples, is an Italian porn director. He started with semi-amateur films in Amsterdam for the Italian market. Since early 1990s he has directed and written many porn titles with divas like Zara Whites and the Italian actress Selen. He is...
, and Alain Payet
Alain Payet
Alain Payet , also known under the pseudonyms John Love, John Pardaillan, John and Frederick Brasil Amor, James Gardner, James Gartner, Alain Garnier was a film director of French porn movies and erotica.- Biography :He began his career in 70s and for a decade served as an assistant director on...
continue with the "older" cinematographic and dramatic styles that often distinguish European pornography from those of other cultures.
France
In early 1970s, FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
viewers had become familiar with stag films shot in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, featuring French actresses such as Claudine Beccarie
Claudine Beccarie
Claudine Beccarie was a French pornographic actress of the 1970s.She started her porn career early in 1972 with an 8 mm loop of Lasse Braun, released in the Netherlands...
and Sylvia Bourdon
Sylvia Bourdon
Sylvia Bourdon is a French former porn star. She made her first appearances in loops shot in the Netherlands and distributed clandestinely in France...
. The first genuine French pornographic film Les Baiseuses by Guy Gibert was released in 1975. The first French porn film that met international success was Le Sexe qui parle by Claude Mulot, which was released the same year (followed by a sequel two years later). This film was so successful that it was exported to the US, with the name Pussy Talk.
In 1976, a law that put considerable sanctions on pornographic films in distribution and taxation, known popularly as Code X was imposed, creating a situation that forced pornography develop itself on its own right. Since then, pornography has been a growing economy in France, now existing in various forms from magazines to satellite TV broadcasting.
Producers of video pornography can be divided into two segments: companies like Vidéo Marc Dorcel
Marc Dorcel
Marc Dorcel is a French producer of pornographic films who founded the company Video Marc Dorcel. Besides producing films by himself, he also produces films in partnership with people like Michel Ricaud, Cyril Randuineau, Marc Ange and Michel Barny...
, which produces "chic" adult feature films for the international market and companies that produce low-budget videos almost exclusively for domestic market (Œil du Cochon, Euro Choc, Ragtime, etc.). The latter type also tends to focus on popular fetishes such as rape
Rape pornography
Rape pornography is a genre of pornography involving the depiction of rape.There is debate over if this form of pornography encourages men to commit rape. The pairing of sex with violence distinguishes the issue of rape pornography from that of pornography in general...
, incest
Incest pornography
Incest pornography is a genre of pornography involving the depiction of sexual interaction between relatives . Incest pornography can feature actual relatives, but the main type of this pornography simply uses actors of similar looks to suggest family relationship. It is illegal in many...
, and fisting
Fisting
Fisting is a sexual activity that involves inserting a hand into the vagina or rectum. Once insertion is complete, the fingers either naturally clench into a fist or remain straight. In more vigorous forms of fisting, such as "punching", a fully clenched fist may be inserted and withdrawn slowly...
(as indicated in the classic series Viol, inceste & fist-fucking (Rape, Incest, and Fist-Fucking) by Fabien Lafait).
Germany
Early years of GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
pornography began with the softcore film Graf Porno und seine Mädchen (Count Porno and his girls) in 1968. The movie's success (more than 3 million admissions) lead to a whole series of films that was and is referred to in German media as the Sex-Welle (sex wave). The most well known film of this period is Schulmädchen-Report
Schulmädchen-Report
Schulmädchen-Report: Was Eltern nicht für möglich halten...
: Was Eltern nicht für möglich halten (The School-Girl Report, what the parents don't believe possible) by Ernst Hofbauer
Ernst Hofbauer
Ernst Hofbauer was an Austrian film director.During the early 1970s, in Munich, Hofbauer teamed with Walter Boos, Wolf C...
in 1970. The sex scenes had become bolder with time and by 1975, when the legal ban of pornography was lifted, the era of German hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often displayed in magazines or on the Internet, or films. It can also...
began.
Director Hans Billian
Hans Billian
Hans Billian was a German film director, screenwriter, and actor who is renowned for the "sex comedies" he directed in 1970s...
was the protagonist of the period and the films were usually in line with the so-called "Bavarian porn sex comedies
Bavarian porn
Bavarian porn is a campy subgenre of softcore porn comedy. The apogee of the genre was the late 1960s and early 1970s, corresponding roughly to the chancellorship of Willy Brandt, but these films continued to be produced up to about 1980. Today they live on as staples of late night European cable...
", often depicting male performers as comic characters, like Sepp Gneißl in Kasimir der Kuckuckskleber (1977). This era was also characterised by several Josephine Mutzenbacher
Josephine Mutzenbacher
Josephine Mutzenbacher – The Life Story of a Viennese Whore, as Told by Herself is an erotic novel first published anonymously in Vienna, Austria in 1906...
films.
Today's German pornography is generally very similar to the American "glamour" pornography though often tailored primarily for the German market. In contrast several German labels focus on a more "home-made" amateur flair, often focusing on intense hardcore themes such as gang bang
Gang bang
A gang bang is a situation in which one person has sexual intercourse and performs other sex acts with a number of people, either in turn or at the same time. When the person has not consented to such activity, it is called gang rape or pack rape.A limited study by Joan and Dwight Dixon indicate...
s, bukkake and urine fetishism; most notably 'German Goo Girls' and other series by John Thompson Productions
John Thompson Productions
John Thompson Productions is a German pornographic film studio, based in Berlin, Germany. The studio is best known for its bukkake themed series, GGG , however it has other series focusing on gangbangs, urolagnia and urophagia, BDSM, erotic humiliation and rough sex. The company is one of the...
.
Due to popular belief outside of Germany, fecal pornography
Coprophilia
Coprophilia , also called scatophilia or scat, is the paraphilia involving sexual pleasure from feces...
known as "Scheisse porn" (using the German slang word for faeces) or, more commonly, as "Kaviar" (a generic term) supposedly is particularly popular in Germany, with companies like SG-Video and performers like Austrian Veronica Moser or English Ben Chambers specializing in the concept. Although German companies have their fair world market share in producing for this niche market, the major percentage is sold into export. http://www.beh-ev.de/
Hungary
In HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, the production of pornography mainly dates from the period after the fall of communism in 1989. The production and distribution of pornography was illegal under communism, but the laws were liberalised with the emergence of democracy. Permissive government policies soon propelled the country to the forefront of the European pornography industry. Several foreign directors were attracted to the country's liberal legislation, cheap production costs and large supply of attractive female performers. Eventually, domestic producers began to prosper as well, and several female actresses made big names for themselves within the industry. Hungarian pornography is different from that produced in American in the more natural appearance of its performers. The sex scenes also tend to be more extreme, with frequent use of anal sex
Anal sex
Anal sex is the sex act in which the penis is inserted into the anus of a sexual partner. The term can also include other sexual acts involving the anus, including pegging, anilingus , fingering, and object insertion.Common misconception describes anal sex as practiced almost exclusively by gay men...
and various forms of multiple penetration.
Italy
Although ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
had accumulated a lot of softcore
Softcore
Softcore pornography is a form of filmic or photographic pornography or erotica that is less sexually explicit than hardcore pornography. It is intended to tickle and arouse men and women. Softcore pornography depicts nude and semi-nude performers engaging in casual social nudity or non-graphic...
pornography in 1970s, hardcore pornography was not a usual trend until 1980s. The first pornographic film in Italy was Il Telefono rosso (The red telephone) in 1983 by Riccardo Schicchi
Riccardo Schicchi
Riccardo Schicchi is an Italian pornographer who became famous with his photography and films featuring Ilona Staller and Moana Pozzi in the 1980s...
with Ilona Staller
Ilona Staller
Ilona Staller , also known by her stage name la Cicciolina, is a Hungarian-born Italian porn star, politician, and singer. She continued to make hardcore pornographic films while in office. She is famous for delivering political speeches with one breast exposed.-Early life:Anna Ilona was born in...
(aka "Cicciolina"). The film caused much controversy and it was restrained from legal release until 1986 with an alternate revision of Italian censorship laws.
With this atmosphere of liberty, Italian producers rushed to meet on-screen curiosities of viewers to even gain the title of presenting "bestiality" in mainstream pornographic films; a trend shared by Rocco Siffredi
Rocco Siffredi
Rocco Siffredi is the stage name of an Italian pornographic actor, director and producer of pornographic movies, famous for his rough sex scenes...
in his 2003 film Hazardous Duty (in the European release by Night Trips). Italian pornography producers depended on French actresses or expatriates like Marina Hedman
Marina Hedman
Marina Hedman Bellis, also known as Marina Frajese and Marina Lotar is a Swedish former pornographic actress and model....
(with the notable exception Moana Pozzi
Moana Pozzi
Moana Pozzi , often called simply Moana, was an Italian pornographic actress, actress, television personality, model, politician and writer.-Early years:...
with her Valentina, ragazza in calore by Raniero di Giovanbattista in 1981) till the arrival of Hungarian Gabriella Kovács (aka "Angelica Bella") in 1991 but following this, Italy faced an influx of female pornography performers from ex-East Europe.
In today's Italian pornography, the strong emphasis is placed on aggressive anal sex
Anal sex
Anal sex is the sex act in which the penis is inserted into the anus of a sexual partner. The term can also include other sexual acts involving the anus, including pegging, anilingus , fingering, and object insertion.Common misconception describes anal sex as practiced almost exclusively by gay men...
often with implied coercion. Many Italian films have no vaginal intercourse at all, being strictly about anal sex. Another popular theme is age disparity
Age disparity in sexual relationships
Age disparity in sexual relationships refers to sexual relations between people with a significant difference in age. Whether these relationships are accepted and the question of what counts as a significant difference in age has varied over time; and varies over cultures, different legal systems,...
between sexual partners, giving way to the Incesto films by directors like Andy Casanova and Eros Cristaldi. Director Andy Casanova's popular series Stupri Italiani also introduces rape as a popular theme.
Russia and Ukraine
Most Russian porn is produced in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and in St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
where the largest adult film producer, SP-Company, is based. The types of Russian adult films may range from gonzo pornography
Gonzo pornography
Gonzo pornography is a style of pornographic film that attempts to place the viewer directly into the scene. The name is a reference to gonzo journalism, in which the reporter is part of the event taking place...
to adaptations of Russian classics (Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin.It is a classic of Russian literature, and its eponymous protagonist has served as the model for a number of Russian literary heroes . It was published in serial form between 1825 and 1832...
(by Tatiana Taneyeva (2003)), The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, woven around the premise of a visit by the Devil to the fervently atheistic Soviet Union. Many critics consider the book to be one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, and one of the foremost Soviet satires, directed against a...
(by Armen Oganezov & Sergei Pryanishnikov (2002)) etc.) and these productions basically aim the domestic market. Much of the pornography is produced for the international internet market.
Recently, there have been a proliferation of internet sites featuring Russian porn. The Russian nationality of the models is emphasised by some of these porn sites, but in other cases the model may be presented as "European", "American" or even "Latina
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
". Also, certain internet sites are now featuring Russian porn in the reality porn
Reality porn
Reality pornography is a genre of pornography where staged scenes, usually shot in cinéma vérité fashion, set up and precede sexual encounters. These scenes may either have the cameraman directly engaging in sex or merely filming others having sex. The genre presents itself as "real couples having...
genre. Sites that offer predominantly Russian content routinely block access to Russian users to maintain the privacy of the models. Some studios also produce or used to produce both adult pornography and child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
(see 2004 Ukrainian child pornography raids
2004 Ukrainian child pornography raids
The 2004 Ukrainian child pornography raids occurred in July 2004, when police in Ukraine raided a softcore child pornography ring operating in the cities of Kiev, Kharkiv and Simferopol. The ring had operated since 2001, and used a modeling agency as a front. Approximately 1,500 girls aged from...
).
United Kingdom
In Britain, where pornography is more restricted than it is in many other English-speaking or Western Europe countries, sexual media is easily smeared for an audience that is seldom given an opportunity to see what really is sold under the name of "pornography". However the current British legislative framework including the Obscene Publications Act 1959Obscene Publications Act 1959
The Obscene Publications Act 1959 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom Parliament that significantly reformed the law related to obscenity. Prior to the passage of the Act, the law on publishing obscene materials was governed by the common law case of R v Hicklin, which had no exceptions...
(in England and Wales), the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982
Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982
The Civic Government Act 1982 is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which makes provision for a wide range of civic government matters....
and the Video Recordings Act 1984
Video Recordings Act 1984
The Video Recordings Act 1984 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was passed in 1984. It states that commercial video recordings offered for sale or for hire within the UK must carry a classification that has been agreed upon by an authority designated by the Home Office...
leads to a confusing situation in which there is a theoretical ban on the publication and distribution (but not possession) of pornographic material in any form, which is in practice unenforcable due to the vagueness of the legal test of material that "depraves and corrupts". In practice, hardcore material on video and DVD was until recently banned by the requirement under the Video Recordings Act to be certified by the BBFC, while mainstream hardcore material in other forms such as magazines and websites is essentially unrestricted. European, American and British hardcore pornographic magazines are now openly sold in many British newsagents, for instance. Due to libralisation in BBFC policy, mainstream hardcore DVDs now receive R18
R18 certificate
The R18 certificate represents a film or video classification given by the British Board of Film Classification . It is intended to provide a classification for works that are within British obscenity laws, but exceed what the BBFC considers acceptable for its 18 certificate...
certificates, legalising them but restricting their sale to licensed sex shops such as those in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
.
British-made pornography tends to focus on a rough-and-ready semi-amateur look rather than the more stylized glamorous look of Continental European pornography.
The UK is still the only Member State of the European Union that prohibits private imports of adult pornography by consumers coming from other Member States of the European Union. In the 2004–2005 fiscal year, the agents of Her Majesty Revenue & Customs seized 96,783 items of pornographic media carried by people travelling into the UK.
The UK porn industry is estimated to be now worth about £1 billion, compared to £20 billion worldwide.
See also
- Pornography by regionPornography by regionThe production and distribution of pornographic movies are economic activities of some importance. The exact size of the economy of pornography and the influence that it plays in political circles are matters of controversy...
- Pornography in JapanPornography in JapanPornography in Japan.-Before the 20th century:Shunga or pornographic wood-block pictures were printed with all imaginable situations. These often took the form of a book with sentences to describe verbal utterances of the partners, as well as to offer brief descriptions of a scene...
- Pornography in the United StatesPornography in the United StatesIn the United States, there have been several notable court decisions relating to the definition of pornography and obscenity, personal possession, and its relation to prostitution. The total market value of pornography in the U.S. is estimated between $2-$13 billion per year...
- Russian pornography and eroticaRussian pornography and eroticaRussian pornography and erotica.-Pornography in the Soviet Union:Pornography in the Soviet Union was largely suppressed until the final years of the USSR...
External links
- European Girls Adult Film Database Website about films and female performers from 1970s to present Warning: Pornographic content
- Eurobabeindex Website about Central and Eastern European female performers (listing by country) Warning: Pornographic content
- Euro Pornstars Website about European adult actresses Warning: Pornographic content
- British Girls Adult Film Database A database of British based or British born adult film actresses and films. Warning: Pornographic content