I ran across this interview with Joe Rubin of Vinegar Syndrome, an archivist who specializes in adult and x-rated films. It’s a pretty fascinating take on old movies, the difference between “porn” and “adult film” and the film industry in general.
One of my favorite quotes describes how older filmmakers often pushed boundaries far harder than their contemporary counterparts:
They were often pretty radical, though, incorporating aspects of sex that remain taboo in modern porn, such as homosexuality in “straight” films, rape, pedophiles, non-fetishized portrayals of incest, etc. The sex wasn’t always there to turn you on. In fact, it’s pretty 50/50, with most filmmakers using some of the explicit content in their works to be decidedly anti-erotic.
If you’re interested in film, especially adult film, then it’s completely worth a read. Some really great stuff in there.