Pornographic Film
Pornographic films or sex films are films that depict sexual fantasies and seek to create in the viewer sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction. Such films usually include erotically stimulating material such as nudity and the explicit portrayal of sexual activity. The industry generally refers to such films as adult films, which generally fall into a number of sub-genres.
The invention of the motion picture in the early 1900s provided a new medium for the presentation of pornography and erotica. Like pornography in general, pornographic films were regarded as obscene and attempts have been made to suppress them, with varying degrees of success. They were typically available only by underground distribution, for projection at home or in private clubs and also at night cinemas. Only in the 1970s were pornographic films semi-legitimized; and by the 1980s, pornography on home video achieved wider distribution. The rise of the Internet in the late 1990s and early 2000s similarly changed the way pornography was distributed and furthermore complicated the censorship regimes around the world and the legal prosecution of obscenity.
Pornography is a thriving, financially profitable business. According to a 2004 Reuters article, "The multi-billion-dollar industry releases about 11,000 titles on DVD each year." Pornographic films can be sold or rented out on video or DVD, shown through Internet and special channels and pay-per-view on cable and satellite, and in adult theaters.
Read more about Pornographic Film: Terminology, Pornographic Film Industry, Pornographic Actors, Legal Status
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