NOTE: This article explores themes of adult intimacy and politics, intended only for mature audiences and educational purposes.
Sex in cinema is often unnecessary since it’s a trick directors use to drive audience attention, and it’s rarely suitable. On the other hand, it has been a tool for breaking worldwide sexual repression, taboos, and the overall stigma about sex.
Was sex in communism much better represented, or is this just a myth?
We’re here to find out, but first, let’s address something important regarding communism and socialism. Let’s begin without further ado.
Sex in Yugoslav vs. Soviet Movies
True communism is a utopic idea that never existed. The term is often mixed with socialism, largely by Western politicians who put everything in one cup. However, in order not to confuse you, let’s use the term communism while addressing sex and cinema from Yugoslavia and the Eastern Bloc.
Communism and sex were represented differently in socialist Yugoslavia than in films from the East. Why? Because the SFRY wasn’t part of the Soviet Bloc, even though a socialist country. Therefore, it was more liberal, and film directors could experiment with sexual themes more freely.
Essentially, there was a difference between these two communist states not just about sex in cinema, but also in any aspect of art. Even though there are excellent films in both, it’s evident that breaking taboos, even though highly challenging, was easier in SFRY than in the USSR.
Cinematic Representation of Sex and Communism in Yugoslavia
Directors from communist countries couldn’t be as explicit as Western directors, or is this also a myth?
The West was freer in those days, but not as free as everyone imagines. For instance, Dusan Makavejev had political issues and had to run away from the SFRY. However, several of his films, including Love Affair, were also banned in the UK and other Western countries.
Sex and communism fit well together in cinema because they can be combined to express both liberation and repression. That’s what Makavejev did in Love Affair, WR, Montenegro, etc. Other directors from the Black Wave, like Zilnik, Petrovic, and Pavlovic, also used love and sex in the context of communist society and its relationships. Perhaps the most politically and sexually explicit film after WR was Occupation in 26 Pictures by Zafranovic, which sparked massive controversy.
Sex in communist Yugoslavia was represented in cinema in various ways. Sensual, passionate, but also to metaphorically show how sexual frustration affects political figures, and how this negatively affects citizens.
Yes, you had films that used vanilla sex or followed certain rules to avoid being explicit.
However, filmmakers from the Black Wave succeeded in connecting sex and communism and making it political, natural, realistic, and even experimental.
Cinematic Representation of Sex and Communism in the Eastern Bloc
Here, sex was represented differently, if represented at all.
In Yugoslavia, a film director could get away with it, but in the USSR, it was much more difficult to break taboos. A cinematic master who used metaphors and was able to often avoid censorship was Krzysztof Kieslowski.
However, using explicit sex or sexuality in a political context wasn’t possible at all. You could’ve been easily censored or even sent to jail. Still, because of many censorship cases and people going to prison for having a different opinion than the obvious dogma, there was self-censorship. USSR’s political leaders created an environment of fear, so no director would even dare to experiment with these themes.
In the Eastern Bloc, sex could be seen in films as much as you could see a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes – almost never.
Sex in Communism vs Sex in Capitalism in Cinema
Sex and socialism fit more than sex and capitalism. It’s logical since the essence of socialism, even though it failed, was humanity. In capitalism, everything’s money-driven, so selling sex is also profit-driven. Hence, the most popular sex symbols came from the West.
Most people think this isn’t true because they think of the sexual revolution in the West. Yes, there was undoubtedly more freedom, and people could freely express themselves. However, not so much in the cinema.
The difference is the following. In the East, you knew that using sex in films was mainly forbidden, especially in a political context. In the West, directors had the illusion of freedom, but would still get censored one way or the other. Think about the Hays Code, which was not just regarding sex, but it was more restrictive than censorship in the East in many other areas. Not to mention the Elia Kazan controversy, or the artists from The Hollywood Ten going to prison.
However, as there was a difference in filmmaking in SFRY and the USSR, there was also a difference between US and Western European cinema. During the Hays Code, US cinema was unbelievably more restrictive and censorship-driven than Western European cinema, and they were worlds apart.
There’s evidently a difference in the cinematic representation of sex in communism and sex in capitalism. Interestingly, there’s even a bigger difference between the same representation in US films vs. Western European cinema, and Yugoslav vs. Soviet films.
Final Words on Sex and Communism In Cinema
Socialism and sex can’t be put in one cup for all communist countries. It was more freely represented in SFRY than in the USSR. Such a difference is evident in various capitalist countries, let alone in the East.
Nevertheless, most filmmakers from communist countries represented sex as something normal, exciting, and passionate. Whether in a political context or not, sex in cinema was either entirely forbidden or represented naturally and realistically.
Was it better? It’s pointless to say since it’s open for everyone to decide which sexual representation suits them the most.
However, the representation was certainly more naturalistic than in capitalist cinema. If you want to further explore beyond cinema, check out the book, Why Women Have Better Sex in Socialism, and the documentary, Do Communists Have Better Sex?
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