Promotional Information

"An excellent and well-researched cultural history of the representation of sex in American film. Pennington's discussion of underground and alternative cinema alongside mainstream film is particularly useful." -- Aidan Day, Professor of English^LUniversity of Dundee, Scotland "A must-read for anyone interested in representations of sex in American film. Jody Pennington's discussions of individual films, and of censorship legislation and practices, are admirably clear and to the point and offer the reader fresh insights into the vital questions at hand." -- Richard Raskin, Associate Professor, Film Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark "Engaging and informative, Jody Pennington's insightful A History of Sex in American Cinema is a powerful look at how sex functions on the American silver screen, and will quickly become a classic that his audience will turn to again and again. Pennington's thorough research provides a historical and theoretical context for sex in the cinema, illuminating one of the most socially controversial topics in the United States today. This book is a significant contribution to the study of American film. I recommend A History of Sex in American Cinema to anyone who wants to evolve their current knowledge base on film to a place where sex is no longer a singular act, but a complex symbol of personal freedom, of oppression, of joy, of love, of anger--everything apparent in the human condition." -- Rebecca Housel, Professor of English, Rochester Institute of Technology "For mature adults only! This sophisticated treatment of Americans' ambivalence toward sex on the silver screen ranges across a full century and considers sexuality in many forms. Pennington blends the law, cinematic technology, Hollywood economics, public attitudes, and sexual behavior in general into a lively discussion of a controversial but rarely studied topic. Read this book and you'll have a new understanding of today's cinematic culture wars." -- W. Bruce Leslie, Professor of History, State University of New York, College at Brockport

About the Author

Jody W. Pennington is Associate Professor in Media and Culture Studies at the Department of English, University of Aarhus, Denmark, where he teaches Media and Cultural Studies as well as American Studies. He has published articles and presented papers on various aspects of film and popular music, as well as American constitutional law. He is currently president of the Danish Association of American Studies.

Reviews

Pennington delivers an overview of the intersection of sexual mores, censorship, and film portrayals of sexuality. The volume is a useful introductory tool…. Recommended. Undergraduates; general readers.
*Choice*

Pennington traces the development of visual and thematic sexual content, the ensuing conservative vs. liberal controversies, and the impact of resulting censorship codes and legal rulings with their shifting guidelines. Using numerous in-depth examples of films, citing specific plotlines, and offering pertinent descriptions of relevant scenes. Pennington thoughtfully analyzes the interrelationship of film and American society in terms of sexual attitudes and psychology, examining changing values, prejudices, boundaries, and norms within historical and cultural contexts….Throughout, he reveals the close but complex alliance between film and life. For academic and large film collections
*Library Journal*

This work by Pennington is a social and cultural history of the representation of sex and its regulation in American cinema. She takes a chronological approach to the film industry's self-censorship regimes through the mid-1960s, non-mainstream film most affected by obscenity law, sexual themes in the films that helped put an end to the Production Code, changing American attitudes towards sex and their reflection in film through the 1980s, and the present-day conservative counterattack on liberal sexual realignment as it has played out in film. Remaining chapters adopt a more thematic approach and offer analysis of the revision of sexual representation of the past following the demise of the Production Code and representations of homosexuality, adultery, and pedophilia.
*Reference & Research Book News*