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That's Sexploitation!

Name: That's Sexploitation!
Director: Frank Henenlotter, Donald A. Davis, David F. Friedman
Released: 2013
Duration: 136 min

Representation Score

4.7/10

Fair

2013

Director

Frank Henenlotter, Donald A. Davis, David F. Friedman

Runtime

136 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

That's Sexploitation! is a historical critique of mainstream morality rather than a study of demographic diversity. It excels in cultural rebellion, presenting smut producers as entrepreneurs battling systemic censorship and puritanical social norms. However, the film lacks significant representation of non-Anglo-Saxon or diverse racial identities and offers limited focus on LGBTQ+ narratives. Ultimately, it prioritizes the disruption of social norms over the inclusion of diverse perspectives.

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Category Breakdown

Does That's Sexploitation! have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film provides a historical overview of the adult film industry, focusing more on its commercial aspects than on LGBTQ+ identity or non-cisgender narratives.

How does That's Sexploitation! portray gender?

Fair

The documentary looks at the tension between women's visibility and systemic objectification in the exploitation industry. It highlights how women were used as part of the gendered spectacle.

How racially and ethnically diverse is That's Sexploitation!?

Limited

The film focuses on the historically white-dominated structures of mid-century exploitation filmmaking. There is no indication of a diverse or non-Anglo-Saxon majority among the industry figures discussed.

How does That's Sexploitation! represent religion and culture?

Good

The film delves into anti-establishment themes, portraying industry pioneers as rebels challenging puritanical standards and traditional Western legal and moral systems.

Does That's Sexploitation! include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no information about the representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the provided material.

Present on Screen

Engages strongly with anti-establishment themes and cultural rebellion.
Offers a nuanced look at the history of gendered spectacle and women's visibility.
Challenges traditional Western institutional authority and moral censorship.

Limited or Absent

Lacks significant representation of non-Anglo-Saxon or diverse racial identities.
Provides limited focus on LGBTQ+ or queer-centric narratives.
Does not address the representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Before the advent of modern-day pornography, a vast and rapidly-paced world of smut peddling was the norm, complete with its own secret history. This documentary reveals the untold story of American cinema's gloriously sordid cinematic past. Starting in the 1920s, expert exploiteer David F. Friedman and Henenlotter navigate us through more than five salacious decades of skin flicks. It's the true story of dirty movies, traced in elegant detail from the bizarre locations where these nudie shorts were screened to the ongoing legal battles fought by their promoters. And of course there are the stories of the innovators themselves, people who often risked their own security and livelihood to make these films, believing in some way that what they were doing wasn't a 'bad' thing - and that it could rake in some dough.

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