DVD label Cult Epics continue their quest to bring rare erotic films to DVD. Having collected together many European short erotic films in their Vintage Erotica Collection (such as those from the 1920's), they now turn their attention to the US.

America is probably the most culturally schizophrenic nation when it comes to sex and sexual expression. On the one hand You have the Christian right and its "traditional family values" allies that form a puritanical Juggernaut. On the other you have a nation that floods itself and the rest of the world with sexualized advertising, products, film, music and of course its enormous porn industry. Young girls cheer-leading flash their knickers before the game, but god forbid one of Janet Jackson's tits falls out?!

In this collection Cult Epics Nico B puts together, what I assume are some of his favourite short erotic films. Selected from the 1940's, 50's and 60's, Up until around 1970 where the hardcore explosion pretty much put an end to more innocent seeming forms of erotic expression. There are a few hardcore films on the third disk, but the first two are pretty much soft-core all the way. While I don't know that I would sit around watching 215 minutes of retro erotic action in one go normally (I did before I wrote this and it gets a bit much), I always find this kind of thing interesting. The way our idea's of about that which constitutes attractiveness and the aesthetics of the erotic change, gives us an insight into ourselves. It certainly forms an interesting comparison to today's American produced porn with its plastic bodies, high definition gynecology and super misogynistic Bang Bus adventures.

All the discs are set to music which is sympathetic to the time periods and some amongst the earlier films have classic narration. 

Take a journey back in time and watch repressed fascination with the female slowly evolve into our modern day obsession with the mechanics of sex. Fans of Irving Klaw, Bettie page, Nudist movies, burlesque and rockabilly will all probably be in their element, for the rest of you I guess it will be a case of whether retro floats your boat or not. 

www.cultepics.com