Check out these X-rated adult movie posters from… | Little White Lies

Check out these X‑rated adult movie posters from the ​’60s and ​’70s

24 Aug 2017

Words by Louise Busfield

Black and white portrait photograph of a woman with long hair and a pensive expression.
Black and white portrait photograph of a woman with long hair and a pensive expression.
Racy retro art­work from cinema’s most provoca­tive era.

If there’s one thing the film indus­try has learned over the years it’s that sex sells. No two eras knew this bet­ter than the ​’60s and ​’70s, when posters weren’t afraid to pro­mote the film’s con­tent with fresh psy­che­del­ic designs and screen shots of sex­u­al scenes.

Released this Sep­tem­ber, and show­cas­ing a selec­tion of vin­tage movie posters is ​‘X‑Rated: Adult Movie Posters of the 60s and 70s’. Fea­tur­ing posters from the likes of Flesh Gor­don and Sex Cures the Crazy, the book also touch­es on the protests against pornog­ra­phy and com­pares the avail­abil­i­ty of such films back then to the acces­si­bil­i­ty of today.

Get more Lit­tle White Lies

The book reveals the seedy under­bel­ly of the porn indus­try and how it began to reach new heights, with even its 1970s stars accept­ed on equal ground with such Hol­ly­wood leg­ends as War­ren Beat­ty and Jack Nicholson.

‘X‑Rated Adult Movie Posters of the 60s and 70s’ by Tony Nour­mand and Gra­ham Marsh is pub­lished Sep­tem­ber 2017 by Reel Art Press.

Poster for the film "Deep Throat" featuring three semi-nude women against a yellow background. The title and tagline are displayed prominently.
Illustration of a woman wearing a cowboy hat, blue shirt, and white swimsuit top standing in front of a large American football. Text reads "DEBBIE DOES DALLAS" and lists the film's cast and crew.
Yellow taxi with images of people, text saying "THIS TIME THE DRIVER GIVES THE TIP!" and "BACK SEAT GABBIE - Adults Only in color"
Image of vintage film poster with stylised images of scantily clad women and text "Days of Sin and Nights of Nymphomania...BEYOND BOOZE!"
Promotional film poster featuring an image of a scantily clad woman wearing an American-themed outfit. Text reads "All Men Between the Ages of 18-75 I WANT YOU! TO ENLIST IN THE ARMY OF LOVE, An Exceptional Film for Adults Only, starring John Holmes and Ushi."
Surreal movie poster with cosmic imagery, 1970s style sci-fi characters, and text promoting "Flesh Gordon" film.
I was a man: Propaganda film poster depicting gender identity and sexuality in a sensationalist manner.
Black and white image of a woman with long hair, looking directly at the camera, with the text "APPETITES" above her.
Vintage film poster featuring title "Sex Cures the Crazy" with suggestive imagery of couples embracing.
Teal film poster with text "IS THERE SEX AFTER MARRIAGE DON'T ASK THE WIFE ASK JULIE" and three head shots of women in black and white.
Lurid film poster featuring provocative text and an image of a scantily clad woman, set against a pink background and a large full moon.

You might like

M3gan in a beige outfit standing in dimly lit room with lamps.
Review

M3gan 2.0 review – a silly sequel shooting for action grandeur

by Kambole Campbell

The bot is back in this wink­ing AI-themed caper movie which goes all out to expand the lore of the M3GAN universe. 

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A man in a tuxedo holding a drink and standing on a pebble beach, with a stormy sea and cloudy sky in the background.
Journeys

Peter Cushing lives forever in Whitstable

by Sarah Morgan

Thir­ty-one years after his death, the hor­ror vet­er­an remains as pop­u­lar as ever, as a very spe­cial trip to his sea­side home revealed.
Two people with the Sudanese flag painted on their face at a night-time event, with colourful lights and a crowd visible in the background.
Review

Sudan, Remember Us review – extremely powerful stuff

by Leila Latif

Hind Meddeb’s doc­u­men­tary poignant­ly cap­tures the activist spir­it of post-rev­o­lu­tion Sudan.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people playing sitting at a table, bottle of drink on the table, warm lighting from window.
Review

From Hilde, With Love review – too staid to make an impact

by Laura Venning

Andreas Dresen’s Nazi Ger­many-set biopic on resis­tance fight­ers Hilde and Hans Cop­pi fails to do their sto­ry justice.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A group of teenage girls sit on a roof in the sunshine, laughing and smiling.
Hard Craft

Who gets to be on the big screen?

by Emily Maskell

Cast­ing direc­tor Lucy Pardee lifts the lid on her lat­est project, Lol­lipop, and work­ing in the cast­ing industry. 
A geometric illustration with bold, warm colours - oranges, reds and browns. Figures are depicted in angular shapes against a checkerboard floor and abstract architectural structures.
Partnership

The Existential Chic of La Notte

by Pamela Hutchinson

Michelan­ge­lo Antonioni’s Milanese mar­i­tal dra­ma uses sleek, geo­met­ric com­po­si­tions to reflect the mod­ernist cou­ple and the city at its centre.