Whether by design or by default, the topic of mainstream movies that contain real sex scenes tends to bring out the voyeur in all of us. Moviegoers and movie fan websites produce endless lists of what they consider the best movie sex scenes but its interesting that those scenes are rarely the same as the famous (and infamous) mainstream movies that capture actors having real sex on the screen.
Our fascination with these mainstream movies with real sex scenes seems a little odd in light of the multi-billion dollar porn industry, which offers "real" sex on film in every imaginable way. Of course it's worth asking the question about whether the real sex scenes in adult films are more or less real than sex scenes in mainstream movies, given the staged nature of their production.
The issue of real sex in movies raises a question about what constitutes real sex or sex at all. And who gets to say which films had real sex? The actors who were in the film? The publicists? There's no icon on IMDB to guide us in this realm. But for the curious, here is a list of mainstream films that are purported to contain real sex scenes.
El Topo (1970)
This cult classic, considered by some to be the goriest western ever made also features a notable real sex scene between the director-star Alexandro Jodorowsky and Mara Lorenzio, which is apparently un-simulated.
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
Melvin Van Peebles, the director and star of this seminal blaxploitation film refused to submit it to be rated and apparently used the explicit (and in some cases un-simulated) sex to his marketing advantage, advertising on posters "Rated X By An All-White Jury!" It is also rumored that he acquired an STD while filming, and filed for and received workers compensation benefits.
Pink Flamingos (1972)
Another cult classic, this was John Waters' feature film debut. The characters in the film are competing for the title of the "Filthiest Person Alive" and in the process expose us to any number of sexual and (really) non-sexual acts designed to incite, arouse, disgust, and make us laugh like we've never laughed before.
In the Realm of the Senses (1976)
Confiscated by U.S. customs while on its way to the New York Film Festival and later released unrated, this influential film by Oshima Nagisa follows a passionate and sexually obsessive relationship to its destructive end. Apparently the film has never been shown in its entirety in Japan, and was not approved by the British film board until 1991.
Caligula (1979)
Directed by Tinto Brass and starring, among others Malcolm McDowell, John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole, and Helen Mirren, this was Penthouse founder Bob Guccione's star-studded pornographic look into the world of Ancient Rome.
Spetters (1980)
Better known for movies like Robocop, Total Recall, and the classic Showgirls, this lesser known Paul Verhoeven film follows a group of sexually-charged Dutch teenagers as they deal with dramatic life changes that involve sex in a lot of different ways.
Devil in the Flesh (1986)
This film, loosely based on the infamous novel by Raymond Radiguet, follows the highly passionate love affair between a shy and studious young man and an explosively sexual woman. Directed by Marco Bellocchio and starring Maruschka Detmers.
