I’m talking about those movies that you see people having sex, but you only see them nude from the waist up. You also see them doing all the usual positions. My question is, are they really having sex, or, is the man limp and trying to think of Winston Churchill naked.
I really can’t tell.
I think the answer is:
It depends.
Sometimes you will find a real XXX movie edited down to softcore porn. But the kind you are talking about is more of the “acting” variety.
For the record, I believe that the distinction between soft and hardcore is that the former does not directly show penetration.
I’ve heard that the men actually have modesty cloths between them and their partner. My opinion is that they are not actually “doing it” just from their awkward positions, not that I’ve studied them, mind you. 
Is that possible?
I’m pretty sure that if I was fooling around in bed with an attractive woman, I’d be at attention, so to speak, whether it was appropriate or not. :o
I don’t think it would be much of a problem. From what I’ve heard and read, it’s a rare man who can maintain an erection while there are a dozen or more members of the production crew crowded around him, that’s part of the reason why in hardcore porn there are so many female actresses yet you keep seeing the same guys over and over again.
Well, I remember seeing a cable version of a XXX movie one time. There was a scene with the man behind the woman, plowing away, she’s screaming, etc. He pulled back a little too far, and the camera caught a shot of his equipment, clearly nowhere near ready for action. I found this rather amusing, personally.
First word Vi, second word agra.
And of course, don’t forget fluffers.
There’s the apocryphal story of an actor who told his co-star before they filmed a nude sex scene, “I’d like to apologize in advance if I get an erection during this scene. I’d also like to apologize in advance in case I don’t.”
Good story Little Nemo. 
But seriously, it must happen, no? (Please say it does, I’m beginning to think that I am strange.)
There is a memorable love scene which is considered a highlight of Nicholas Roeg’s film Don’t Look Now, based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier.
Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie make their activities appear so realistic that many observers believe they were by no means acting.
Naturally, both participants deny this proposition, and the allegation is probably an urban legend.
Probably.
Then there was Mickey Roarke and Carre’ Otis, who were dating when they made ‘Wild Orchid’ and it was widely rumored that they were doing it for real.
As to the more technical side of things… I’ve heard that women can wear someting called (I’m not making this up) a ‘Pussy Patch’, which I gather is some kind of adhesive device that covers the actual genitalia both for whatever modesty purposes could be left, and I guess also to prevent ‘accidental’ penetrations, STD transmissions, etc. This is not porn I’m talking about, but mainstream films.
I’m sure it depends, but if a producer wants to get the most bang for his buck, he’ll have more than one camera working and he will use the soft shots for the soft-core movie and the hardcore shots for the VHS tapes. I would think it varies but certainly in some cases its the whole thing.
I remember reading an interview with Pierce Brosnan about filming love scenes with Rene Russo for The Thomas Crown Affair.
Apperently after one scene he had to lie on the bed for a while until “things” calmed down!
I think it depends on the type of movie and who the actors are. If the movie is a Playboy production using their models from the glossies like Carrie Westcott, Patricia Ford, etc. etc. then I highly doubt they are actually having sex. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that we are quite far along this slippery slope and who knows where we may be in 10 years.
As far as I know only 1 of Playboy’s glossy models, Chloe Jones, has moved into hard core, and then only in pictorial forms for other magazines and on-line venues. I think she got into that by appearing in Penthouse, which I was shocked to learn from a post on this board has moved into hardcore.
But if it has real porno actors then it’s just creative filming. And then they only do this for broadcast TV like Spice, Adam and Eve (hey, that’s A&E) or some of those Pay Per View channels. I think they edit them because they aren’t allowed to broadcast penetration, maybe erect penises too.
Of course there is also Teri Wiegel (sp?) who went from being a Playmate of the Month to doing full hardcore porn - including videos. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are others as well.
Oh, and according to Asia Carrera, a porn star who runs her own site (as webmaster, no less), they deliberately shoot the soft core versions as well. Some of the clues to look for are legs placed in the way, hair dropping and covering the genitalia during oral scenes, and the lack of a ‘money shot’ at the end.
Wow! Here’s a quote from her website
I don’t know why I find this so titallating. Well I do know why actually. Anyway I heard a rumor that my favorite playmate, Tanya Beyer briefly considered it but decided against it. So I guess TW’s the only PMOY but you’re probably right there probably are other Playboy glowwy models out there that have made the trip and have never been invited back for a Playboy shoot.
**
I would think a more reasonable explanation for this is that the men in pornos are basically props. These movies are made to be fantasies for hetero men, so a variety of willing women is the whole point. Who gives a damn about what man is there?
I recall an interview with an actor for a movie having some steamy “sex” scenes (for some reason, Bruce Willis for Color of Night springs to mind), where he was talking about the productions crew “strapping him down” for shooting. I guess that wasn’t the case for the shot of his willie in the pool.