Documentary

Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies

The definitive documentary on the history of nudity in feature films from the early silent days to the present, studying the changes in morality that led to the use of nudity in films while emphasizing the political, sociological and artistic changes that shaped that history. Skin will also study the gender inequality in presenting nude images in motion pictures and will follow the revolution that has created nude gender equality in feature films today.

Release Date : 2020-08-18

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Plausible Films

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Malcolm McDowell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Shannon Elizabeth

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Sean Young

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Traci Lords

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Eric Roberts

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Kristanna Loken

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Pam Grier

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Cerina Vincent

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Linda Blair

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Diane Franklin

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Sybil Danning

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Peter Bogdanovich

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Bruce Davison

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Mariel Hemingway

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Joe Dante

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Amy Heckerling

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Mamie Van Doren

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Martine Beswick

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Erica Gavin

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Irv Slifkin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Amy Nicholson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Ken Davitian

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Brinke Stevens

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Richard Roeper

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Martha Coolidge

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : E. G. Daily

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Kristine DeBell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : David Del Valle

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Mat Gleason

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Joan Graves

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Selwyn Harris

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Camille Keaton

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Barry Kemelhor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Jonathan Kuntz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Angela Landis

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Mick LaSalle

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Jimmy McDonough

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Sylvia Miles

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : John Cameron Mitchell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Rena Riffel

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Eliza Roberts

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Alicia Rodis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Betsy Russell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Tatiana Siegel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Jim McBride

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Kevin Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Thomas Doherty

Gender : Male

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Liz Goldwyn

Gender : Female

Character Name : Self

Original Name : Phoebe Cates

Gender : Female

Reviews

Igbochild

@Igbochild

2022-07-15

More of a "greatest hits" of nudity in film than a balanced examination of the subject. This is not surprising considering that one of the producers of the documentary as well as an interview subject is Mr. Skin, who operates a website that features clips of movie nude scenes. The documentary starts off reasonably well by discussing the earliest appearances of nudity in film and the forces inside and outside the motion picture industry that tried to suppress nudity and realistic depictions of sexuality on the screen. The time of the Production Code and its many restrictions on content is foundational to our understanding of the more permissive policies of today. However, once the film moves into the 1960s and the establishment of the modern rating system, it starts to lose its focus. Instead of selecting clips specifically to examine changing attitudes toward nudity and the disparate way that it is used in film, the filmmakers have chosen instead to highlight a series of "favorite" nude scenes through a mostly male gaze. Invariably this means a plethora of nude scenes involving young, attractive women with a few notable exceptions. For example, the famous fantasy pool scene from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" in which Phoebe Cates removes her bikini top in slow motion might delight fans of the female form, but it's not clear what it has to do with changing attitudes toward nudity. On the other hand, a clip of Kathy Bates baring all in a hot tub in "About Schmidt," or two men parading around naked in "Borat," seemed to be included only for amusement rather than to examine the various double standards and contradictions regarding who appears nude in a film and for what purpose. A welcome addition to the film would have been discussions with social scientists, feminists, educators, parents, intimacy coordinators, nudists, and religious conservatives to get a fuller and more nuanced look at the subject. Another important element missing was more basic. No one in the film really asks the question: "What is nudity?" The latter is particularly true as it relates to different definitions based on the age and gender of the subject. Nudity in film is certainly a worthwhile subject to be explored, because of all of its social, cultural, and political ramifications. The key is to find the right balance between different perspectives and explore them with a discerning eye. In the earlier part of the film, it is mostly successful, but in the modern section of the film, the filmmakers seem more interested in the visual appeal of (mostly female) nudity and not the many underlying issues around it.