# are some sex scenes in movies real **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680 "2011-10-14T22:18:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/41 "2011-10-15T17:16:40Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/42 "2011-10-15T17:19:24Z")
_Don’t Look Now_ (1973) has a scene (well edited with more mundane activities) between Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie that has been purported to be authentic. Sutherland has denied it, but observers on the set disagree with him. Here’s a [Wikipedia link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Look_Now#The_love_scene_controversy) on it. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/43 "2011-10-15T17:37:48Z")
> [@Penguinlady](#): > > You betray your age. > > Porn has been around a lot longer than CGI. “Behind the Green Door” was pretty much for real; there was no way to fake it with CGI. Ditto all the other porn that was made before CGI. Yes, there are of course exceptions. But don’t be naive–before CGI there was claymation. (Common, you all just heard _I don’t know, Davey…_ in your sick, sick, wonderful minds.) ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/44 "2011-10-15T17:48:34Z")
> [@Penguinlady](#): > > You betray your age. > > Porn has been around a lot longer than CGI. “Behind the Green Door” was pretty much for real; there was no way to fake it with CGI. Ditto all the other porn that was made before CGI. I _meant_ to betray my intelligence! ---
**Author:** ![Penguinlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Penguinlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penguinlady)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/45 "2011-10-15T18:09:12Z")
“Claymation”? “Beyond the Green Door”??? I think not. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/46 "2011-10-15T18:21:13Z")
No, **Evil Captor** has it right. That’s why vintage porn is so rare: The computers in the 30s and 40s were so slow that it took a really long time to make. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/47 "2011-10-15T18:22:31Z")
> [@NineToTheSky](#): > > I’m sorry but I can’t remember the film or the actors, but I do remember the quote where the actor (both he and the actress are famous), said to the actress as he was getting into bed with her for a sex scene, “One of two things is going to happen. I apologise in advance for either of them.” I’ve heard this multiple times, attributed to different actors. I think it’s an urban legend. I did once read an interview with Ewan McGregor where he confessed to getting an erection while shooting a sex scene for the miniseries _Scarlet and Black_. I can’t find the original interview online right now, but it’s mentioned in this [Daily Mail](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-183448/Me-Ewan-love-jealousy.html) piece. He said it was very embarrassing and that they had to stop shooting for a few minutes to let him get things under control. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/48 "2011-10-15T18:23:46Z")
> [@Penguinlady](#): > > “Claymation”? “Beyond the Green Door”??? I think not. Don’t forget that [Cynthia Plaster Caster of Chicago](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Plaster_Caster) was in action then. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/49 "2011-10-15T18:24:32Z")
> [@Penguinlady](#): > > “Claymation”? “Beyond the Green Door”??? I think not. Maybe not in the original, but by the time they got to the umpteenth sequel (I think One Door, Two Door, Red Door, Green Door was the only one true to form) they were using all sorts of non-computerized special effects. Claymation, stop-motion, animation, you name it, it was in there. I’m pretty sure most of the moans and groans are modified, slowed down Wilhelm Screams. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/50 "2011-10-15T18:53:40Z")
Another one famous for “it really happened” was Kris Kristofferson and Sarah Miles in [_The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075161/). The story was reenforced by a somewhat more explicit pictorial in Playboy: [Vintage Erotica Forums](http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/showthread.php?t=57408) One odd counter-example was Steven Soderbergh’s film [_The Girlfriend Experience_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1103982/). Sasha Grey, was specifically forbidden in her contract to have actual sex, even though she usually makes very explicit porn. ---
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/51 "2011-10-15T21:14:19Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > Sweet Sweetback’s Badaaaaasssss Song (or whatnot) is fairly famous for having unsimulated sex scenes, despite (to my knowledge) not explicitly showing anything that couldn’t have been simulated. > > The lead actor / director just really wanted the “authenticity.” I was going to mention “Sweetback.” Melvin Van Peebles contracted gonorrhea and successfully got worker’s comp for it. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/52 "2011-10-15T21:14:28Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Wouldn’t it be as simple as popping a viagra now? Viagra works when you _want_ to get wood but can’t. If you’re not in a mood to get your freak on, no amount of little blue pills will make your soldier stand at attention. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/53 "2011-10-15T21:29:07Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I’ve heard this multiple times, attributed to different actors. I think it’s an urban legend. > > I did once read an interview with Ewan McGregor where he confessed to getting an erection while shooting a sex scene for the miniseries _Scarlet and Black_. I can’t find the original interview online right now, but it’s mentioned in this [Daily Mail](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-183448/Me-Ewan-love-jealousy.html) piece. He said it was very embarrassing and that they had to stop shooting for a few minutes to let him get things under control. You’d think that _not_ having an erection around a hot girl would be embarrassing! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/54 "2011-10-15T21:50:54Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > You’d think that _not_ having an erection around a hot girl would be embarrassing! I would think that getting an erection while wearing a skin-tight, flesh-colored Speedo could be _painful_ as well. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/55 "2011-10-15T21:57:16Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > You’d think that _not_ having an erection around a hot girl would be embarrassing! How about having an obvious erection around a hot girl who happens to be a respectable fellow member of your profession, during your workday, while you’re working closely with her? ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/56 "2011-10-15T21:59:40Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Wouldn’t it be as simple as popping a viagra now? > [@Acsenray](#): > > Yeah, the whole “getting wood” problem is from the '90s and before. And I hear now that some professionals don’t use pills; they inject directly into the genitals. I’m sure modern medicine has helped, but the underlying problem is still there: getting an erection on cue, in front of a camera crew isn’t as easy as one would think even if provided with a lot of stimulation. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/57 "2011-10-15T22:26:14Z")
> [@adamchen](#): > > I think its not, there are many people around you, cameramens, directors and more, its too shy to make it real. I think the fact the actress you’re working with doesn’t know you, doesn’t want you and would slap the everliving piss out of you if you tried anything funny would also be a factor. I know “actress” is Victorian slang for whore, but a) every other English word is Victorian slang for whore (or vagina) and b) the times, they have a-changed. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/58 "2011-10-15T22:35:23Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > And even if they appear mostly naked the actors are often wearing nearly invisible crotch covers. In most shots they can actually wear some kinds of underwear. Unless you’re watching the rare movie with inconcealable full-frontal nudity, the actors are almost never completely unclothed. According to the DVD commentary for **The Blue Lagoon** all Brooke Shields, who was _14_ :eek: at the time, had on during the sex scenes was a washcloth covering her vagina; with a fully nude, 18 yr old Christopher Atkins on the other side humping. Shields did use body doubles (including the dolphin trainer) for alot of her scenes, but the sex scene wasn’t one of them. For most of the scenes she did do she had her hair glued to her nipples. Atkins on the other hand was completely naked (not even a sock) every time his character was naked; and apparently spent most of his free time off camera naked as well. He credits the film with turning him into a nudist. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/59 "2011-10-16T00:38:22Z")
Most (but not all) non-porn films that show explict, unsimulated sex, only show a little of it, and when they do, usually the sex scenes are typical sex scenes that are more explicit than usual. Shortbus is a bit different in that the film itself is about sexuality, it shows a lot of explicit, unsimulated sex in the sex scenes, and the sex scenes are often anything but typical. The production of it was non-typical as well, in that the cast worked together on it in a collaborative fashion for over two years. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a higher ratio of sex scenes to non-sex scenes than in some 1970s porn films, and the many sex scenes really are as explicit as what you get in porn movies, but despite this, it simply isn’t a porn film. It’s the sort of film that you would expect to see at a film festival. And yes, the DVD was available at my local Rogers video store (a mainstream video chain for the general public), not tucked away in a back room. For those of you who are wondering just how unsimulated the sex was, just go to xhamster, or xvideos, or spankwire, and search on the term shortbus. For those of you who are simply looking for a really good movie that delves into sexuality in a very sex positive way, just rent the thing and enjoy a very good movie, that will leave you thinking and leave you smiling. (That being said, I will never look at abstract expressionist paintings like Jackson Pollock “Autumn Rhythm” again with a straight face.) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680/60 "2011-10-16T00:54:20Z")
Netflix also has Shortbus. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-sex-scenes-in-movies-real/599680.md?page=4)