Unsimulated sex
In the film industry, unsimulated sex is the presentation of sex scenes in which actors genuinely perform the depicted sex acts, rather than simulating them. Although it is ubiquitous in films intended as pornographic, it is very uncommon in other films. At one time in the United States, such scenes were restricted by law and self-imposed industry standards such as the Motion Picture Production Code. Films showing explicit sexual activity were confined to privately distributed underground films, such as stag films or "porn loops". In the 1960s, social attitudes about sex began to shift, and sexually explicit films were decriminalized in many countries.
With movies such as Blue Movie by Andy Warhol, mainstream movies began pushing the boundaries of what was presented on screen. Notable examples include two of the eight Bedside-films and the six Zodiac-films from the 1970s, all of which were produced in Denmark and had many pornographic sex scenes, but were nevertheless considered mainstream films, all having mainstream casts and crews and premiering in mainstream cinemas. The last of these films, Agent 69 Jensen i Skyttens tegn, was made in 1978. From the end of the 1970s until the late 1990s it was rare to see hardcore scenes in mainstream cinema, but this changed with the success of Lars von Trier's The Idiots, which heralded a wave of art-house films with explicit content, such as Romance, Baise-moi, Intimacy, Vincent Gallo's The Brown Bunny, and Michael Winterbottom's 9 Songs. Some simulated sex scenes are sufficiently realistic that critics mistakenly believe they are real, such as the cunnilingus scene in the 2006 film Red Road.
Terminology
Although it is common to discuss films for which the actors had sex on set using terms such as "real sex" or "unsimulated sex", some film scholars prefer to speak of "visible sex", "explicit sex", or "hard-core sex". Linda Williams, for instance, proposes that "we eliminate the awkward term 'unsimulated sex' entirely". This is also because most film censors have predominantly focused on whether sex acts or aroused genitals are visible when deciding whether a film should be classified as pornographic or be distributed on general release. For instance, it was not uncommon for two versions of pornographic films to be released: a hardcore version subject to restrictions, and a softcore version passed at "18" level. In both cases, the actors performed sex acts on set, but they were visible only in the hardcore version. Moreover, there has been a huge blurring of the distinctions between the use of prostheses, actual genital contact between actors and genitals added in post-production. The visibility of penetration/fellatio/cunnilingus on the screen is more important to the experience of watching the film, and often to the concerns of censors and critics, than exactly what took place on set.The idea of simulation also relates to questions about acting, unnecessarily denigrating pornography, and is too vague about what is being simulated. For instance, while an actor's penis may enter an actress's vagina on a porn set, this does not mean that each of their actions, emotions, noises, and so on, are not performed quite differently than they would be in the privacy of their own home: "it is both real—something that actually happens between people—and a fake, staged for the camera and sound equipment. Neither the directors of pornography nor the directors of hard-core art, from Warhol forward, document 'real sex' in the sense of what people do alone, in private."
Rationales
In an interview after the release of his film Love, when asked why audiences want to see realistic portrayals of sex, Gaspar Noé suggested it is about power structures: "In most societies, whether they're Western or not, people want to control the sexual behaviour or to organise it in a precise context. Sex is like a danger zone. Sometimes class barriers fall down and it scares a lot of people. It's about states controlling their systems, like religion."James Franco has cited "aesthetics and personal reasons" for working on Interior. Leather Bar. :
Production issues
A few directors have openly discussed or written about the technical problems inherent in filming of sexual acts, particularly with actors or actresses who have never performed such acts on film. In an interview with BlackBook, Gaspar Noé acknowledges that it is difficult for several reasons: an actor may not be able to get or maintain an erection in the presence of even a small crew, or on camera; either of the participants may have a current partner. "So I've decided that the best way to show real sex is to cast two single people who used to be a couple."Pornographic films reedited for mainstream release
Before the advent of home video, several hardcore pornography films were released to mainstream cinemas. In most cases, scenes of penetration were either cut or replaced by alternate shots. One exception to this was Deep Throat, which was released uncensored.Examples of this type of hybrid release include Café Flesh —an edited version of this science fiction porn film was released to mainstream cinemas; Stocks and Blondes, originally available as Wanda Whips Wall Street; and Droid, originally released as Cabaret Sin in 1987.
In films
The following mainstream films have scenes with verified real sexual activity, meaning actors or actresses are filmed engaging in actual coitus or performing related sexual acts such as fellatio and cunnilingus. This list does not include documentaries about pornography, which may contain unsimulated sexual activity.| Title | Year | Notes | Language | ||
| Gift | 1966 | One of the first Danish mainstream films with explicit and unsimulated sex scenes, although key sex scenes were blocked by censors during showings at the time in the United States. The film is directed by Knud Leif Thomsen. | Danish | ||
| They Call Us Misfits | 1968 | They Call Us Misfits is a Swedish documentary film, directed by Stefan Jarl and which was released to cinemas in Sweden on 25 March 1968. The film is about two young "hippies" and musicians and. This is the earliest "legal" film in Sweden to show a non-simulated sex scene. | Swedish | ||
| Blue Movie | 1969 | A 1969 film by Andy Warhol – the first film depicting explicit sex to receive wide theatrical distribution in the United States – a seminal film in the Golden Age of Porn and, according to Warhol, a major influence in the making of Last Tango in Paris, an internationally controversial erotic drama film, starring Marlon Brando, and released a few years after Blue Movie was made. | English | ||
| 99 Women | 1969 | According to the Stephen Thrower's book Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco there are four different versions of this film, including the director's cut and the 1974 French hardcore version which adds just over eight minutes of hardcore material shot by Claude Sendron. Both versions are available on DVD by Another World Entertainment. | English | ||
| Double Face | 1969 | There is a French hardcore version of this film by Riccardo Freda featuring actress Alice Arno. | Italian | ||
| Quiet Days in Clichy | 1970 | A film by Jens Jørgen Thorsen, based on the long-banned novel by Henry Miller feature real sex scenes with full penetration. | Danish, English | ||
| Groupie Girl | 1970 | Groupie Girl, directed by Derek Ford is also available in hardcore "export" version. | English | ||
| The Deviates | 1970 | A film directed by Eduardo Cemano released originally as a softcore and later re-released with additional hardcore scenes involving Harry Reems. | English | ||
| Bacchanale | 1970 | American film directed by John and Lem Amero, contains some hardcore inserts. Set in a dream, the film utilizes "erotic surrealism" and "dream-logic" in a mix of death, guilt, eroticism, and incest. | English | ||
| Kama Sutra '71 | 1970 | American film, directed by Raj Devi features hardcore scenes, involving an actress Ann Perry. | English | ||
| Cry Uncle! | 1971 | This film by John G. Avildsen shows unsimulated fellatio. | English | ||
| Slaughter Hotel | 1971 | A film, directed by Fernando Di Leo is also released in a version featuring hardcore inserts of female genitalia and lesbian intercourse. This version circulated in France under the title Les insatisfaites poupées érotiques du docteur Hitchcock. | Italian | ||
| A Lizard in a Woman's Skin | 1971 | There are three French versions of this film by Lucio Fulci: Carole, and two versions released in 1976: Le venin de la peur and the version with hardcore inserts under the title Les salopes vont en enfer. | Italian | ||
| Luminous Procuress | 1971 | A film, directed by Steven F. Arnold featuring some hardcore heterosexual sex. | English | ||
| Secret Rites | 1971 | British pseudo-documentary film by Derek Ford is also available in hardcore "export version". | English | ||
| Pink Narcissus | 1971 | This experimental erotic art film directed by James Bidgood features unsimulated ejaculation | English | ||
| A Clock Work Blue | 1972 | An American film directed by Eric Jeffrey Haims available in both softcore and hardcore versions. | English | ||
| Pink Flamingos | 1972 | This film by John Waters was banned in Australia in 1997. The Board unanimously noted a scene which included "close up real depictions of actual fellatio....which unambiguously contravene R classification guidelines.". | English | ||
| Who Killed the Prosecutor and Why? | 1972 | There is a version of this film, directed by Giuseppe Vari made for foreign market with hardcore inserts. These scenes are available as a part of deleted scenes presented in CineKult DVD. | Italian | ||
| ' | 1972 | This "psychological giallo" film by Renato Polselli had initially limited distribution. To bypass censorship and distribution problems, Polselli shot three different versions, added new footage to each print while deleted certain scenes. The "hardest" print of La verità secondo Satana features a close-up of the female orgasm. | Italian | ||
| So Sweet, So Dead | 1972 | This film, directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero was released in the USA under the title Penetration with hardcore inserts. | Italian | ||
| The Red Headed Corpse | 1972 | There are several versions of this film directed by, including the hardcore version. | Italian | ||
| Commuter Husbands | 1972 | British film by Derek Ford exists also in a version with hardcore inserts, but there is no suggestion that any of the credited cast did hardcore scenes. | English | ||
| Delirium | 1972 | A German double DVD from 2014 entitled Das Grauen kommt nachts contains four different versions of this film by Renato Polselli, including both the Italian original version and the French hardcore version. The uncut version as the director intended it to be seen is also available in French DVD. | Italian | ||
| Christina, the Devil Nun | 1972 | Uncut version of this film, directed by Sergio Bergonzelli contains hardcore scenes. | Italian | ||
| ' | 1973 | First film in the Danish Zodiac-series of mainstream-comedies, directed by Finn Karlsson with hardcore scenes. | Danish | ||
| ' | 1973 | There are two versions of this film by Brunello Rondi, softcore and hardcore. According to the source, the film was never released on home-video. | Italian | ||
| Thriller – A Cruel Picture | 1973 | A film by Bo Arne Vibenius containing both explicit violence and hardcore sex scenes performed by hired actors. Synapse Films released two versions of Thriller on DVD; Thriller: They Call Her One-Eye and Thriller – A Cruel Picture. | Swedish | ||
| Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion | 1973 | A film by Renato Polselli, shot in mondo-style containing twenty minutes of hardcore sex in the orgy scene. | Italian | ||
| Fleshpot on 42nd Street | 1973 | This film, directed by Andy Milligan exists in two versions: the hardcore version titled Fleshpot on 42nd Street and the softcore version titled The Girls of 42nd Street. | English | ||
| The Other Side of the Mirror | 1973 | This film by Jess Franco exists in at least five versions, including three different softcore versions and two different hardcore versions. | Spanish | ||
| Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac | 1973 | Le Journal intime d'une nymphomane was released in June 1973 in France, and then re-released in a version with hardcore inserts in 1977 under the title Les Inassouvies. There are both DVD and Blu-ray releases of the film. | French | ||
| A Virgin Among the Living Dead | 1973 | A Virgin Among the Living Dead is a film by Jess Franco and exists in many hardcore and edited versions. | French | ||
| The Sinful Dwarf | 1973 | A film by Eduardo Fuller. Severin Films features both the unrated US theatrical version under the re-release title The Abducted Bride and the original Danish hardcore version The Dwarf. | English | ||
| Anita: Swedish Nymphet | 1973 | Swedish film, directed by Torgny Wickman was released in two versions; softcore and hardcore. | Swedish | ||
| The Sex Thief | 1973 | There is also a hardcore version of this British film by Martin Campbell, although there is no suggestion that any of the credited cast did hardcore scenes. | English | ||
| The Porn Brokers | 1973 | A British pseudo-documentary film by John Lindsay containing hardcore footage for export version. | English | ||
| Emmanuelle | 1974 | A film, directed by Just Jaeckin contains a scene where a woman places the cigarette in her vagina and allows it to inhale and exhale the smoke. | French | ||
| The Eerie Midnight Horror Show | 1974 | A film directed by Mario Gariazzo, originally released in Italy in 1974 and re-released in US as Sexorcist Devil. | Italian | ||
| 1974 | For the French version, director Alberto Cavallone shot additional hardcore scenes. | Italian | |||
| ' | 1974 | Second film in the Danish Zodiac-series of mainstream-comedies, directed by with hardcore scenes. | Danish | ||
| Score | 1974 | American film by Radley Metzger, based on an off-Broadway play that included Sylvester Stallone. It features a scene of unsimulated fellatio between Calvin Culver and Gerald Grant. | English | ||
| Riot in a Women's Prison | 1974 | An erotic film, directed by Brunello Rondi was released in France in a version entitled Penitencier de femmes perverses containing additional hardcore scenes added by French distributor. | Italian, English | ||
| The Girls of Kamare | 1974 | A Situationist film, directed by René Viénet contains hardcore footage inserted by Viénet himself. | Japanese | ||
| ' | 1974 | A French film by contains a scene of fellatio. The penetration scene might or might not be real. | French | ||
| Sweet Movie | 1974 | This film by Dušan Makavejev contains some non-simulated sex acts. | English, French, Polish, Spanish | ||
| 1974 | A 1974 Swedish erotic film, featuring an actress Marie Forså, shot in two versions; explicit softcore and hardcore version. DVD released both versions. | Swedish | |||
| Immoral Tales | 1974 | This film, directed by Walerian Borowczyk consists of four stories, titled La marée, Thérèse philosophe, Erszébet Báthory, and Lucrezia Borgia, respectively. In the third story, there is a close up scene of vaginal pearl insertion performed by an actress Marie Forså. The German Blu-ray edition of Immoral Tales contains a film clip from Borowczyk's A Private Collection that features an unsimulated bestiality between a woman and a dog. | French, Italian, Hungarian | ||
| Lorna the Exorcist | 1974 | A film, by Jess Franco exists in a number of versions, including French versions of different lengths and an Italian version with hardcore footage shot by another director/producer Robert de Nesle. | French | ||
| Countess Perverse | 1974 | A film by Jess Franco has been released in at least four variants, including: the director's cut, two French versions and one different Italian hardcore version entitled Sexy Nature. Mondo Macabro contains the original director's cut and the Les Croqueuses version under the Sexy Nature title. | French | ||
| Carnal Revenge | 1974 | At least two versions of this film by Alfredo Rizzo were released theatrically; the original version and the hardcore one | 1974 | This film by Osvaldo Civirani was released in both softcore version and hardcore version. | Italian |
| Nude for Satan | 1974 | A film by Luigi Batzella exists in both Original Version and Hardcore Version. | Italian | ||
| ' | 1975 | Third film in the Danish Zodiac-series of mainstream-comedies, directed by with hardcore scenes. | Danish | ||
| ' | 1975 | Sixth film in the Danish Bedside-series of erotic mainstream-comedies, directed by and one of the two to have hardcore scenes. | Danish | ||
| The Image | 1975 | This film by Radley Metzger, based on the novel L'Image by Catherine Robbe-Grillet, features many unsimulated sex scenes including S&M, fellatio and cunnilingus. | English, French | ||
| Number Two | 1975 | Numéro deux is one of Jean-Luc Godard's most sexually explicit works, mixing pornography and politics. It contains at least one non-simulated scene. | French | ||
| The Teenage Prostitution Racket | 1975 | Film, directed by Carlo Lizzani and available in many different versions, including a version with 10 minutes of additional hardcore footage, shot by Giarda; this version may be found on Italian Raro Blu-ray released in 2018. | Italian | ||
| Black Emanuelle | 1975 | This film, directed by Bitto Albertini exists in both softcore and hardcore versions. Hardcore scenes were performed by body doubles. In Italy, it was released on DVD by Stormovie with the fully uncut hardcore print. | Italian | ||
| Emanuelle's Revenge | 1975 | A German version of this film directed by Joe D'Amato, and titled Die Lady Mit der Pussycat contains hardcore footage featuring Brigitte Lahaie. | Italian | ||
| Felicia | 1975 | A film by Max Pécas shot as the softcore film and then following Giscardian liberation and the creation of the X classification, Pécas was "forced" to shoot the hardcore version. Both versions may be found on Italian DVD. | French | ||
| But Who Raped Linda? | 1975 | There are two different versions of this film directed by Jess Franco: softcore version and hardcore French version. | French | ||
| Female Vampire | 1975 | Jess Franco originally made three different versions of the film, including a straight vampire film called La comtesse noire, a horror-oriented erotic film entitled La Comtesse aux seins nus, and the hardcore version Les avaleuses. The film premiered in France under the title La Comtesse noire in May 1975. | French | ||
| ' | 1975 | A film by Jess Franco. In addition to the French original version released in 1975, there is also the Italian hardcore version released in VHS. | French | ||
| ' | 1975 | A film by Jess Franco exists in many different versions, including a version titled "Sexorcisme" with hardcore scenes. | French, Latin | ||
| Justine and Juliette | 1975 | A film directed by Mac Ahlberg contains hardcore scenes. | Swedish | ||
| The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance | 1975 | This film, directed by Alfredo Rizzo was released in France under the title L’Insatiable Samantha. This version contains some hardcore scenes. | Italian | ||
| Lips of Blood | 1975 | Director Jean Rollin shoot two versions of this film: original softcore and hardcore. | French | ||
| Rêves pornos | 1975 | Rêves pornos is essentially a compilation of scenes from erotic movies shot by Max Pécas between 1965 and 1974 with additional hardcore sequences. The scenes are taken from movies like la Nuit la plus chaude, Je suis une nymphomane, Comment le désir vient aux filles and some others from that period. | French | ||
| Wham! Bam! Thank You, Spaceman! | 1975 | This film, directed by William A. Levey exists in both softcore and hardcore XXX version. The hardcore scenes were performed by body doubles. | English | ||
| Breaking Point | 1975 | The third film directed by Swedish director Bo Arne Vibenius features hardcore sex scenes. | English | ||
| Rolls-Royce Baby | 1975 | A film directed by Erwin C. Dietrich contains several onscreen fellatio scenes by Lina Romay. | German | ||
| Girls Come First | 1975 | There is also a version of this British film, directed by Joseph McGrath with extra hardcore sequences, but it is not clear if any of the credited cast was involved in it. | English | ||
| The Sexplorer | 1975 | British sex comedy film by Derek Ford has also a version with hardcore inserts for foreign markets. | English | ||
| Le Sexe qui parle | 1975 | This film, directed by Claude Mulot, was the first exclusive hardcore feature film produced and released in France to meet international success, and has been called a cult film. The film was theatrically released in France in November 1975. The film is available in both hardcore version and softcore version. | French | ||
| Thundercrack | 1975 | This black comedy horror film directed by Curt McDowell features several hardcore sex scenes. | English | ||
| Barbed Wire Dolls | 1976 | This film by Jess Franco in its uncut version contains explicit scene of digital penetration which had to be removed from the UK DVD version by Anchor Bay in order to achieve an 18 classification. | French | ||
| Emanuelle in Bangkok | 1976 | Directed by Joe D'Amato this film, in its uncut Italian DVD version, contains hardcore shots of vaginal penetration by ping pong balls. | Italian | ||
| 1976 | A film by Max Pécas exists in both original softcore version and hardcore version. | French | |||
| Alice in Wonderland | 1976 | An erotic musical comedy. Kristine DeBell performed in an unsimulated lesbian sex scene with Juliet Graham. It was produced as a softcore film, but later re-edited as a hardcore pornographic film, to include footage cut during the original production, including a sequence of De Bell performing oral sex on the film's producer, Bill Osco, which was edited into the film's Mad Hatter sequence. | English | ||
| ' | 1976 | Eighth and final film in the Danish Bedside-series of erotic mainstream-comedies, directed by and one of the two to have hardcore scenes, including extensive clips from the short Color Climax #1283: Mail Order Sex, watched on 8mm by the ship's crew. | Danish | ||
| ' | 1976 | Fourth film in the Danish Zodiac-series of mainstream-comedies, directed by with hardcore scenes. | Danish | ||
| In the Realm of the Senses | 1976 | This film, directed by Nagisa Oshima has many experimental and avant-garde elements features hardcore sex scenes, showing genitals of actors. Based on the story of Sada Abe, features fellatio and other non-simulated sexual acts. | Japanese | ||
| Through the Looking Glass | 1976 | Film by Jonas Middleton with many experimental and avant-garde elements. Middleton shot three different versions of the film in order to market the film to different audiences. | English | ||
| A Real Young Girl | 1976 | This film is Catherine Breillat's first feature film, shot in 1975, but banned for the next 25 years, mostly due to hardcore nature of its content. Some controversial scenes show: full frontal vagina, bodily fluids, urination and masturbation. | French | ||
| Die Marquise von Sade | 1976 | A film by Jess Franco. features the hardcore director's cut and softcore version. | German | ||
| Girls in the Night Traffic | 1976 | German Blu-ray Edition of this Jess Franco's film contains both softcore and hardcore version. | German | ||
| The French Governess | 1976 | A film, directed by Demofilo Fidani was released in two main versions; as Calde labbra/''Excitation and as Burning Lips – hardcore version, released on VHS. | Italian | ||
| 1976 | NoShame Films released both uncut version and cut version of this 's film. | Italian | |||
| Around the World in 80 Beds | 1976 | Film by Jess Franco available also in hardcore version. However, authenticity of the film as a "real" mondo is highly debated. | German | ||
| Sex Express | 1976 | Also known as Diversions, this British film directed by Derek Ford is also available in hardcore "export" version. | English | ||
| Keep It Up Downstairs | 1976 | This British film by Robert Young also exists in a version with hardcore inserts that involved body doubles for the main stars. | English | ||
| Secrets of a Superstud | 1976 | Directed by Morton L Lewis and Alan Selwyn, this British film was also shot in hardcore export version, entitled It's Getting Harder All the Time. | English | ||
| The Office Party | 1976 | British film, directed by David Grant, has also a hardcore export version. | English | ||
| The Angel and the Woman | 1977 | This film by Gilles Carle contains some explicitly unsimulated sexual activity between its stars Carole Laure and Lewis Furey. | French | ||
| ' | 1977 | Fifth film in the Danish Zodiac series of mainstream comedies, by with hardcore scenes. | Danish | ||
| ' | 1977 | There are at least two versions of this film by Jess Franco: explicit softcore, and hardcore. | French | ||
| ' | 1977 | A film by was shot originally as softcore and released in 1977. A hardcore version under the title Gli amori morbosi di una contessina was released a few years later. | Italian | ||
| Blue Rita | 1977 | There are at least two versions of this film by Jess Franco, Director's Cut and French hardcore version | German | ||
| Emanuelle in America | 1977 | A film by Joe D'Amato exists in both softcore and hardcore versions. | Italian | ||
| Emanuelle Around the World | 1977 | The hardcore European version of this film by Joe D'Amato, prepared for the French market contains penetration, oral sex, and bestiality scenes with a snake and a dog. | Italian | ||
| Sister Emanuelle | 1977 | There is also the Danish DVD version of this film by Giuseppe Vari with hardcore sex scenes. | Italian | ||
| Nazi Love Camp 27 | 1977 | Film by Mario Caiano, some versions of which contains hardcore inserts. | Italian | ||
| Under the Bed | 1977 | British film, directed by David Grant exists in a version with hardcore footage. | English | ||
| The Mark | 1977 | Greek film, directed by Ilias Mylonakos exists in both softcore version and hardcore version. | English | ||
| The Ceremony | 1977 | A film directed by the prolific Greek director Omiros Efstratiadis exists in many versions, including the hardcore ones. | Greek | ||
| ' | 1977 | A film, directed by Jacques Robin opens with one "truly pornographic scene", while the rest of the footage is mostly simulated. | French | ||
| Caligula's Hot Nights | 1977 | Erotic comedy directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero, shot in two versions, one softcore and one hardcore. | Italian | ||
| ' | 1978 | Sixth and final film in the Danish Zodiac-series of mainstream-comedies, by with hardcore scenes. | Danish | ||
| Behind Convent Walls | 1978 | The uncut version of this nunsploitation film by Walerian Borowczyk features hardcore scene of female masturbation by a wooden dildo with the face of Christ painted on one end of it; "the most graphic sexual scene in the film and what makes the film infamous". | Italian | ||
| 1978 | This film, directed by Alberto Cavallone, also exists in uncut 8mm version with hardcore material that includes fellatio and intercourse scenes. | Italian | |||
| Sister of Ursula | 1978 | The director confirmed the existence of both uncut softcore version and hardcore version of the film. | Italian | ||
| The Coming of Sin | 1978 | The film by José Ramón Larraz was originally released in two versions; international version and hardcore version. The 2019 Arrow Films Blu-ray released Larraz's original, uncensored cut for the first time. | Spanish | ||
| Pleasure Shop on the Avenue | 1978 | Erotic thriller film, directed by Joe D'Amato was originally shot as a softcore, and then at the request of the producers, some hardcore footage was added. The full hardcore version of the film can be found on the Italian DVD by Cinesexy, released in 2015. | Italian | ||
| You're Driving Me Crazy | 1978 | There is a hardcore version of this film by David Grant, but it is not clear if any of the cast participated in the hardcore inserts. | English | ||
| Immoral Women | 1979 | This film, directed by Walerian Borowczyk consists of three stories titled Margherita, Marceline, and Marie, respectively. In the first story, Margherita, there is an unsimulated intercourse scene. | French, Italian | ||
| Caligula | 1979 | The film's producer, Bob Guccione, added six minutes of several hardcore inserts, including penetration, fellatio and ejaculation. The scenes shot by Tinto Brass are entirely softcore. | English | ||
| Images in a Convent | 1979 | This film by Joe D'Amato contains many explicit sex scenes including hardcore sex in the rape scene. | Italian | ||
| Play Motel | 1979 | A giallo film directed by Mario Gariazzo contains hardcore sex scenes. | Italian | ||
| Giallo a Venezia | 1979 | A film by Mario Landi available in a Scorpion Releasing Blu-ray includes one hardcore insert. | Italian | ||
| Malabimba - The Malicious Whore | 1979 | A nunsploitation film directed by Andrea Bianchi containing hardcore footage. The film was distributed theatrically in Italy in September 1979. | Italian | ||
| Bare Behind Bars | 1980 | A women in prison film by containing some hardcore scenes. The film was released theatrically in Brazil in 1980, and later in DVD by Blue Underground. | Portuguese | ||
| Beast in Space | 1980 | Severin Films released both softcore version and hardcore version of this film by Alfonso Brescia; it is uncertain which of the versions is original. | Italian | ||
| Blow Job | 1980 | Director Alberto Cavallone stated that the film did not feature any graphic sex scenes except for one simulated scene of oral sex. This claimed was refuted by other members of the films production. A hardcore version of the film was shot with the cast featuring three uncredited performers who work with Cavallone again in his hardcore films, including Pauline Teutscher, Guya Lauri Filzi, and Hassan Jabar. The film was distributed theatrically in Italy by Distribuzione Cinematografica in May 1980. | Italian, French | ||
| ' | 1980 | Alberto Cavallone shot this film in both softcore and hardcore versions. | Italian | ||
| Erotic Nights of the Living Dead | 1980 | In his book assistant professor Danny Shipka of Louisiana State University gave Erotic Nights of the Living Dead negative review, criticizing the acting, gore, and sex scenes, and concluding that the merging of "hardcore sex and extreme violence is disturbing". | Italian | ||
| Sesso nero – Exotic Malice | 1980 | This film by Joe D'Amato is considered by authors of the book Luce Rossa. La nascita e le prime fasi del cinema pornografico in Italia as the first Italian hardcore film to be shown in Italian theatres. It is explained on the site www.mondo-digital.com why this film, like most of D'Amato's films from the period, "can't be classified as a traditional porn film". | Italian | ||
| Flying Sex | 1980 | An Italian film, directed by Marino Girolami contains hardcore sex scenes. The film was released in many European countries, including Italy and Sweden. | Italian | ||
| Libidomania 2 | 1980 | A mondo film by Bruno Mattei containing hardcore scenes. According to available sources, some of these "mondo sequences" are actually sections, retrieved from other mondo films, rather than being licensed news, reportage or actuality footage. | Italian | ||
| ' | 1980 | A film by Renato Polselli, according to the source "his most notorious, most offensive, most challenging film", shot in 1973 but not released theatrically until 1979/1980 due to censorship problems. The fully uncut version of the film contains both scenes of various kinds of sexual activities and scenes of strong violence/gore. | Italian | ||
| ' | 1980 | Uncut version of this film by Joe D'Amato contains hardcore scenes. | Italian | ||
| Hotel Paradise | 1980 | Both of softcore and hardcore versions of this film, directed by Edoardo Mulargia can be found on the Danish DVD by Another World Entertainment. | Italian | ||
| Sex and Black Magic | 1980 | This, mostly softcore film by Joe D'Amato shows one brief hardcore insert. | Italian | ||
| ' | 1980 | To produce Porno Esotic Love, director Joe D'Amato juxtaposed sequences from Black Cobra Woman and Emanuelle in Bangkok with hardcore footage added. | Italian | ||
| The Porno Killers | 1980 | Uncut version of this film by Roberto Mauri contains strong scenes of violence and hardcore sex. | Italian | ||
| Spetters | 1980 | This film directed by Paul Verhoeven features explicit hardcore sex scenes, including oral sex. | Dutch | ||
| Taxi zum Klo | 1980 | A film directed by Frank Ripploh features hardcore gay sex scenes. | German, English, French | ||
| Fruits of Passion | 1981 | This film by Shūji Terayama contains unsimulated fellatio. | Cantonese, Japanese, English, French | ||
| Emmanuelle in Soho | 1981 | British film, directed by David Hughes is also available in a hardcore version with different performers, two female and one male. | English | ||
| Porno Holocaust | 1981 | Assistant professor Danny Shipka of Louisiana State University gave Porno Holocaust negative review, criticizing the acting, gore, and sex scenes, and concluding that the merging of "hardcore sex and extreme violence is disturbing". | Italian | ||
| Daydream | 1981 | This Japanese pink film features Japanese actress Kyōko Aizome engaging in several unsimulated sex scenes. | Japanese | ||
| Caligula... The Untold Story | 1982 | The uncut European version of this film, directed by Joe D'Amato contains hardcore material of various sorts. Caligula... The Untold Story was released in Italy and in other European countries in both theaters and on home video in several different softcore and hardcore versions. | Italian | ||
| Scandale | 1982 | This film by George Mihalka contains both softcore and hardcore sex scenes. | French | ||
| '' | 1982 | A film by and Sergio Bergonzelli was released in both softcore version and hardcore version. | Spanish | ||
| Aphrodite | 1982 | A softcore film directed by Robert Fuest, which includes a scene showing the partial insertion of a big toe into a vagina. The film was released in French cinemas in July 1982. | French | ||
| Il nano erotico | 1982 | A film directed by Alberto Cavallone, exists in two version: the softcore version titled Essere tenuto – Being Captured and the hardcore version titled Baby Sitter | Italian | ||
| My Nights with Messalina | 1982 | A Spanish erotic peplum directed by Jaime J. Puig containing both hardcore scenes and violence. It is one of the first film with hardcore sex produced in that country after the death of Francisco Franco in 1975 which led to a more relaxed censorship environment. | Spanish | ||
| Luz del Fuego | 1982 | This Brazilian film, directed by David Neves tells the liberal and romantic story about the controversial Brazilian vedette Luz del Fuego. Film contains a scene in which the main actress rubbing up against the penis. | Portuguese | ||
| Perdida em Sodoma | 1982 | This Brazilian film, usually translated as Lost Girl in Sodom, written and directed by Nilton Nascimento contains several hardcore scenes of fellatio and penetration. | Portuguese | ||
| Killing of the Flesh | 1983 | This giallo film, directed by Cesare Canevari was released in both softcore version and hardcore version. | Italian | ||
| Satan's Baby Doll | 1983 | A film by Mario Bianchi, shoot in two versions: as an erotic horror and in hardcore version. | Italian | ||
| Taking Tiger Mountain | 1983 | A film by Tom Huckabee and Kent Smith, with Bill Paxton in the main role, contains several graphic scenes, including a brief hardcore shoot of fellatio. | English | ||
| Emmanuelle 4 | 1984 | This film, directed by Francis Leroi and Iris Letans exists in at least two versions. The Canadian VHS contains 3 hardcore scenes, including oral sex and intercourse. | French | ||
| Lillian, the Perverted Virgin | 1984 | A film by Jess Franco containing several hardcore sequences which, according to available sources were added later as an inserts just to extend the already existing sex scenes, since the film had been shot as a softcore – "low-budget" drama in the first place. The film was theatrically released in Spain in 1984 and is available via Spanish kiosk DVD. | Spanish | ||
| The Alcove | 1985 | Film by Joe D'Amato contains some real sex scenes. | Italian | ||
| James Joyce's Women | 1985 | This film, directed by Michael Pearce, is based on James Joyce's Ulysses and shows about twenty minutes of real, on camera masturbation by Fionnula Flanagan, the main actress. | English | ||
| Devil in the Flesh | 1986 | A film by Marco Bellocchio, featuring a short scene of fellatio, during which the man tells the woman about Lenin's return to St. Petersburg in 1917. | Italian | ||
| Matador | 1986 | This erotic thriller film directed by Pedro Almodóvar, features unsimulated sex in its opening sex scene with Assumpta Serna and Jesús Ruyman. | Spanish | ||
| Emmanuelle 5 | 1987 | This film, directed by Walerian Borowczyk, exists in at least three versions. A hardcore version was only released in France on VHS and contains scenes of intercourse, oral sex, masturbation and urination. | French, English | ||
| Emmanuelle 6 | 1988 | A hardcore version of this film by and Jean Rollin was released in France on VHS, making it about 10 minutes longer than US DVD version. | French | ||
| Hotel St. Pauli | 1988 | This film by Svend Wam shows unsimulated oral sex. | Norwegian, Swedish | ||
| Kindergarten | 1989 | This Argentinian film, directed by Jorge Polaco was banned for 20 years due to nude content involving minors, as well as because of a brief hardcore shot of fellatio. | Spanish | ||
| Kinski Paganini | 1989 | Klaus Kinski's directorial debut. According to one reviewer: " it is really extremely bizarre, in moments brutal and almost experimental film with plenty of softcore and hardcore scenes " | Italian | ||
| The Soft Kill | 1994 | The DVD version of this film, directed by Eli Cohen, features penetration. | English | ||
| Xue Lian | 1995 | A Hong Kong Category III film containing unsimulated penetration and fellatio. | Cantonese | ||
| A Single Girl | 1995 | This French drama by Benoît Jacquot features brief penetration. | French | ||
| La Vie de Jésus | 1997 | "In Life of Jesus, Dumont included extreme close-ups of penetration to emphasize the animal nature of the sex act." | French | ||
| Idioterne | 1998 | This film by Lars von Trier features extremely brief penetration and group sex. | Danish | ||
| L'Ennui | 1998 | A film by Cédric Kahn contains non-simulated sex scenes. | French | ||
| Fiona | 1998 | This film directed by Amos Kollek features a brief oral sex scene. | English | ||
| Sodomites | 1998 | The short film by Gaspar Noé is a hardcore safe-sex promo that was made for French television in the late 1990s. | French | ||
| Jezus is een Palestijn | 1999 | Dutch film containing a scene of penetration. | Dutch | ||
| Romance | 1999 | Directed by Catherine Breillat, features male and female masturbation, fellatio, penetration, ejaculation, and sadomasochistic bondage. | French | ||
| The Man-Eater | 1999 | Film by Aurelio Grimaldi contains a scene of non-simulated fellatio. | Italian | ||
| Guardami | 1999 | Film, directed by Davide Ferrario contains non-simulated sex scenes, including fellatio by Elisabetta Cavallotti. | Italian | ||
| Vampire Strangler | 1999 | A film by William Hellfire shows non-simulated fellatio and some other hardcore scenes. | English | ||
| Lies | 1999 | Contains unsimulated intercourse, fellatio, coprophilia and S&M. | Korean | ||
| Tokyo Elegy | 1999 | Contains unsimulated intercourse, fellatio, cunnilingus performed by Dutch actor Thom Hoffman and Japanese adult actress Mai Hoshino. | Japanese, Dutch | ||
| Baise-moi | 2000 | Several actual sex scenes, including penetration and fellatio. | French | ||
| O Fantasma | 2000 | Contains an unsimulated scene of homosexual fellatio. | Portuguese | ||
| Scrapbook | 2000 | This film by Eric Stanze includes non-penetrative sex acts. | English | ||
| Scarlet Diva | 2000 | Director, writer and actress Asia Argento confirmed that sex in this film was real. | English, Italian, French | ||
| Intimacy | 2001 | Features fellatio. | English | ||
| Le Pornographe | 2001 | This film by Bertrand Bonello shows many hardcore sex scenes, including penetration. | French | ||
| Lucía y el sexo | 2001 | This film by Julio Medem contains several real sex scenes, including penetration and fellatio from the porn movie made by |