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Lesbian Sex Scenes that Made Movie HistoryThe Fox (1968) This adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's novel, starring Sandy Dennis and Anne Heywood as doomed lesbian lovers (of course), was actually considered steamy when it was made, although it doesn't have anything you could call a sex scene in it. But The Fox did make the sexual nature of the women's relationship a central focus of the film — more so than the novel, in fact.
The Killing of Sister George (1968) The Killing of Sister George is an iconic lesbian film starring Beryl Reid as June Buckridge, an actress who plays a beloved character on a British television show, and a luscious young Susannah York as her girl toy, Childie McNaught. Childie is stolen away by sophisticated lesbian lady killer Mercy Croft (Coral Browne), leaving June without job, lover or future. Filmmaker Robert Aldrich was determined to make the lesbianism in the film as explicit as possible. In the Celluloid Closet, Vito Russo quoted him as saying, "the picture had to play out the betrayal, and the story itself is so genteel, it's possible you could be sitting in Sheboygan and the film could be so 'well done' that nobody would know that the hell you were talking about."
Russo then recounted how infamously homophobic critic Pauline Kael complained at the time that lesbians "don't really do anything, after all," adding, "I always thought that was why lesbians needed sympathy — because there isn't much they can do." Ironically, when she saw the sex scene from Sister George, she entitled her review "Frightening the Horses." Some people are never happy. The sex scene was cut from the film for its release in a number of American cities, but even with that cut, the film was given the problematic — and new at the time — "X" rating on theme alone; Aldrich's offer to make further cuts to get an "R" rating was rejected. One year later, Midnight Cowboy, also rated "X" for its gay themes, won the Oscar for best picture. Therese and Isabelle (1968) Kind of the quintessential French art house film of the '60s, Therese and Isabelle is a black-and-white trip down memory lane to the boarding school where a woman had her first love affair. It's very respectful of its subject matter and shot with all kinds of soft focus, and was actually considered soft-core porn at the time of its release. The film features lots of gauze everywhere and some bad acting, but it was unquestionably both groundbreaking and influential. It's still one of the most recognizable lesbian film titles in movie history and was based on the memoirs of French lesbian novelist Violette Leduc. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
Great List!
Claire Of The Moon
??
I feel this article is seriously lacking in links to clips of the scenes discussed!
By the time a person has found and watched all these movies herself and is there for able to form her own opinion, this article will long be forgotten, so to speak!
"call me old fashioned but I prefer feminism that leaves a little something to the imagination!"
desert hearts
still one my favourites out there. And you say something about Patricia being hot, but aren't you forgetting Helen?! I think she's soooo beautiful!
It's nice to see that I've seen practically everything out there. I really, really didn't like Go Fish, but I don't really remember the early 90's, so that might be it.
oh yeah
Still one of my favorites, too.
It was the first full-fletched lesbian movie I saw (at the age of 12 or 13), and it changed my world. It was the first time I didn't feel alone with my "problem". ;)
> but I don't really remember the early 90's, so that might be it.
LOL!!
Puhlease. That Better Than
Puhlease. That Better Than Chocolate fingerpainting "sex" scene does not count. The mother with the vibrators was hotter. Otherwise, excellent article.
Interesting how tastes can change though. I think if I came to Go Fish fresh now, it'd be an exercise in cringe, but it was perfect for the time. Although, hm, the wanky monologue scenes were painful even then. But how nice to have a butch character given some sexin's.
I also thought Patricia Charbonneau was hot when Desert Hearts came out (I was 18), but Helen Shaver totally floats my boat now. And she can act.
That scene with the chewing gum in The Incredibly True Adventure still grosses me out. At least they get rid of it ...eventually.
Yay When Night is Falling - probably my favourite ever lesbian romance. Bound does have hotter sex though, and it probably the most real in its depiction. It's amazing how well it works, because neither actress is my type, although Violet would be fine if she didn't talk.
A woman like Eve
There is this Dutch movie from the 70's.Een vrouw als Eva (A woman like Eve)
http://gayinfo.tripod.com/eenvrouwalseva.html
I don't know if it ever made it to the US.
When Night is Falling
you are right
They always cut movies on VHS at will
That's why DVDs are so great--people who put them together actually CARE about preserving the movie in its original form. BOUND also had a slight cut, during the scene in which the camera pans slowly down Jennifer Tilly's hand as she's servicing Gina Gershon in bed. The uncut version is VERY explicit.
Why do they mess with a director's vision?
When Night is Falling
When Night is Falling...
Uncut version...
The List
Sweet List
but i'm a cheerleader!?
I don't remember any hot
lesbian without borders
BIAC is a nice film but the
Did I just miss it?
What about The Children's Hour (1961)? Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine. It was especially relevant due to its cast and where they were in their careers at the time.
Yeah, but the Children's
list happy goodness
tummynoq, I don't recall any sex scene in The Children's Hour--or maybe I'm wrong.
Just to comment on stuff. Let me just say that the Aimee & Jaguar sex scene is one of the most intense I've ever seen. When Lilly found it hard to breathe, so did I. Yay for including it.
Also, despite the serious typical issues I have with The Fox, that's kind of a cool poster.
Thanks for the list and a fun start to Monday at work.
Saving Face?
Saving Face's so good!
Saving Face is propably the first lesbian movie I saw in my life... And it's really goog! I think it should be on the list, because, a lesbian movie with to asian actresses is rare!
-Zabe- Let the sun come to your heart
How Americans Define Asian
I mean no disrespect, just pointing out a quirk in my American culture.
I'm not sure what country you're from, but I know that Europeans consider those from India Asians. Americans do not. We consider those from India as Indians, and not the ones with the cowboys here in the states.
The only people we consider Asians are the ones from China, Japan, the Koreas, and (depending on who you ask) Filipinos (who are then sometimes mistaken for Mexican, but that's a different issue for another day).
I don't know if you would call us Americans close-minded for limiting Asians to that particular set, but that's how we see it.
I may be one of the most open-minded people there are, but I can't see myself considering those from India and that area, Asian.
Its stupid, I know. Throw flames.
Yeaaah, that's
Yeaaah, that's technically/semantically incorrect due to colloquialism and the natural assumption that one's personal experience is the boundary of truth. This misconception is probably derived from the fact that the larger subsets of Asian immigrants or hyphened Asian Americans/Canadians are mainly from China, Japan, Korea or the Philippines (or they claim that they are to make things simpler).
I'm not going to throw flames, but rather just some concise facts to elucidate things. By listing only these four countries, you're basically missing 33 other diverse countries (e.g. Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Nepal, Burma, Kazakhstan ... the list goes on). And please do not lump these cultures together, as they are very Very VERY different.
Furthermore, each country contains several different races/ethnicities and is thus multicultural. Often North Americans do not recognize this and consider only the US and Canada as "multicultural." For example, China officially recognizes 55 ethnic minorities, and there remains hundreds that are not even offically recognized.
Anyway, just thought I'd clear this misunderstanding up, as I am (you guessed it) an Asian whose identity is often assumed/mistaken because people do not realize there are other countless Asian ethnicities out there. And it's a little deleterious to not have the existence of your race properly respected or even acknowledged by others.
Lesbian movies have come
Lesbian movies have come along way but still needs work. I do like the sex scenes in more then half of the movies you mention.
I did see most of these movies except for 1 or 2. I do not recall ever seeing any sex scenes in Therese and Isabell and The killing of Sister George. I'm sure they were ground breaking movies but I would never recommend either one of them. Especially The killing of sister George. The way the main character tries to control "girl toy" was just awful. In short the movie was just awful. I think I saw both of these movies in the early 80's and I know I didn't want to see them again.
Sorry, but I think I'm one of the few that hated Go Fish as well.
With Ya
Im with ya on go fish.. I thought it was awful. I saw it once.. and thats as much as I needed to.
//~ YouTube.com/CyberWoolf ~//
Sex scene in Sister George
I remember a sex-ish scene from the Killing of Sister George between the Susannah York character and nasty religious programming lady. Although I would much rather banish it from my memory completely. That movie was so horrible that even looking at the box for months afterward turned my stomach.
Hmmm
You guys are right, there wasn't actually a sex scene in The Children's Hour. My memory must have just wishfully placed Audrey Hepburn in bed with another woman.
...and don't worry marshnood, you aren't alone in your distaste of Go Fish!
"greatest sex scenes" from Nerve w/ clips
A friend sent this link to me a few days ago - Nerve's Greatest Sex scene (with clips!). I thought it would just be hetero sex scenes, but it's not! It has clips from Mulholland Drive, But I'm a Cheerleader, Wildthings, Gia, High Art, and Bound:
http://www.nerve.com/video/Video.aspx?VideoGroupId=61
=D
Overall...
A pretty good list. I personally didn't agree with Better Than Chocolate sex scene, it didn't settle well with me, but than again, I didn't care for the movie either. My personal favorite is the sex scene in Loving Annabelle. I thought it had all the elements of a great sex scene and their chemistry rocked. Nevertheless, I was pleased with the list although I think a movie/scene was missing and I'm having a major brain-fart at the moment. I'll post it when I remember.
Mulholland Drive
MD
"Mulholland Drive" rocks!!!
I totally love "Mulholland Drive". David Lynch rules!!! I have seen it at least 20 times and could easily watch it 20 more times. Every time I watch it, I pick up something I never noticed before.
This was the movie that introduced Naomi Watts to America. I had never heard of her before, but when I emerged into the San Diego sunlight after seeing this film in 2001, I was madly in love with her, and have been ever since. She just had her first child, a boy named Alex (with boyfriend Liev Schrieber), and will be in "Eastern Promises", a film about the Russian mob in London, which opens September 21st.
And, I think the love scene in "Mulholland Drive" between Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring is hot!!! You gotta rent it just for that alone.
The Hunger
The Hunger
The List
Not to argue with the author of the article and/or the editor of this article, but the version of "Gia" that originally aired on HBO was the one that initially appeared on video.
Subsequently there was an "unrated" version that appeared first on video and then much later on DVD. I dunno if Ms. Jolie had anything to do with "suppressing" the unrated version either on VHS or DVD, but I can say whilst that version did feature additional footage of Gia and Linda in intimate situations, they also featured longer versions of Gia's first boyfriend making out with a male photographer and more graphic footage of the goings-on in the bathrooms of Studio 54.
For what it's worth.
Stranger Inside
Thanks!
Good list. Desert Hearts
Crossing Jordan's Jill H.
Really JH played lesbian in Chutney Popcorn, never heard of the movie? Now it is on top of my list. I kept wondering why I am attracted crossing jordan's main star Jill H. Even in my head I kept saying you know she's make a great lesbian in a movie. She's got cute lesbian look. Not too feminie not too tough. Simple and uncomplex, you know. Now I know she did. My Lesbian Vibes I tell ya.
Does she like women in real life?
Jill H.
She is married to a man and
TTV vs. FS
I liked them both, but I think Tipping the Velvet was much more ground-breaking than Fingersmith. For one thing, it came first. Also, Fingersmith has one sweet little sex scene just like most other lesbian movies, but Nan of TTV had all sorts of sex. And what about that big ol' dildo? That's not something we'd seen much of before.
Wow, I hope we're not really in the golden age of lesbian sex scenes. With some of the movies listed (yes, I'm talking to you, sucky Loving Annabelle), it would be sad if we've reached some kind of high point.
What about.....
Saving Face? Spider Lilies was not the only asian film with an intense sex scene.
when night is falling
Not sure if these two films have lesbian sex scenes...
but Ai Nu (1972) and The Berlin Affair (1985) are explicitly lesbian themed.
I haven't seen these two films but only looking at a few clips on Youtube and they both have heavy lesbian "foreplay" scenes.
Ai Nu is significant because it's one of the oldest (Asian) movie with explicit lesbian scenes while The Berlin Affair is one of the rare (early) film that features an interracial (Asian & Caucasian) lesbian relationship.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
""My love life is terrible. The last time I was inside a woman was when I visited the Statue of Liberty."
Ack. The Berlin Affair is
Sister My Sister
So, I'm not if you just don't know about this movie, or didn't include it because it's not exaclty a positive portrayal of lesbians?
Sister My Sister - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111205/
There's incest and murder and all sorts of nastiness. As well as some very intense sexual tension (+ scenes). It stars Julie Walters, Joley Richardson and Jodhi May, and while it's not exacty an easy movie to watch, it is -- at all times -- fascinating and brilliantly acted.
My favorite lesbian films...
I have seen almost all of the films that you mention. I would have to say that "Personal Best", "Lianna", and "Desert Hearts" had the biggest impact on me, because they were my "coming out" films. The early 80s was a great time to be young, lesbian, and living in San Francisco. A lot freer than today.
For sheer guilty pleasure viewing, I have to recommend the original "Wild Things", and the two sequels, "Wild Things 2" and "Wild Things 3". All three films have lesbian characters and lesbian sex scenes. Totally ridiculous plots, but we are not watching these movies for the storylines or great script.