The 70s were truly the Golden Age of Porn. At the height of the sexual revolution, X-rated films came out of hiding, leaving their isolated private theaters behind to penetrate the big, downtown screens. Pornos were finally legit. Moms and dads waited in line to see Linda Lovelace, Marylin Chamber, Brigitte Lahaie and their male partners revel in their own debauchery. But despite its new-found good taste, "Porno Chic" was rapidly targeted by the government's crusades against on-screen excesses of flesh. In many countries, the genre was ostracized from society just as quickly as it had entered.

The father of contemporary porn is Gerard Damiano, an Italian-American who transitioned to directing pornos while working a day job as a hair stylist. His spicy conversations with female clients made him realize just how much potential porn could have amongst wider audiences. He borrowed a few thousand dollars from the local mafia and, within a week, directed what would become the genre's cult classic: Deep Throat. Released in 1972, the film was a box office success and brought in some of the highest profits ever. B to Z would like you to discover two other classics from this auteur: The Devil in Miss Jones (1973) is a truly unique porno (it has a screenplay!) featuring an astonishingly "mature" actress (the 40 year-old Georgina Spelvin) that Damiano first hired to take care of the catering. The Story of Joanna (1975) is without a doubt Damiano's masterpiece. A baroque opus with hints of sado-masochism freely adapted from the scandalous erotic novel Histoire d'O.

Over the next twenty years, Damiano went on to direct some thirty hardcore films, but none of them would have the impact of his first movies. The transition to video in the 80s considerably dampened his creativity. And then came VHS tapes, the spread of HIV and a regressive social climate, all of which contributed to pushing porno back into the private sphere. But this June 24, CINEMATEK is offering an opportunity to see these films just like in the good old days, on the big screen and in the company of others. And as a cherry on the cake, the 7pm screening will open with a selection of vintage porno trailers.