The History of BDSM – Page 5 – Documenting my research in the history of consensual sadomasochism

Roman Scandals (1933): The Celluloid Dungeon

Jan 252024

Roman Scandals is a 1933 American musical comedy, pre-Hays Code film. Eddie Cantor stars as Eddie, an oddball handyman in the present-day, corruptly governed town of West Rome. Without explanation, Eddie is transported back to ancient Rome and gets tangled up in a plot to kill the corrupt Emperor.

For our purposes, it’s noteworthy for two of the musical set-pieces, both designed by Busby Berkeley, famed for his production numbers involving vast arrays of women in identical, often fetishistic costumes.

The first is an elaborate dance number set at the Roman slave market. Women, naked but for long blonde wigs, are chained to walls. Other, brunette women do synchronized dances in scanty outfits on a tiered display like a giant wedding cake. Reptilian-looking men in the crowd eye the captive women. One of the brunette women is dragged to the top of the display, and then jumps off and dies, ending the number.

ELust sex blog digest #169

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Jan 162024

Welcome to Elust 169. Image courtesy of Calea Toxic.

Elust is the only place where the smartest and hottest sex bloggers are featured under one roof every month.

Whether you’re looking for sex journalism, erotic writing, relationship advice or kinky discussions, it’ll be here at Elust.

Congratulations @thebarefootsub, @NovelistSpense and @s3xw0rkersearch winners of the three £50GBP prizes for December.

There are three prizes every month of £50 each for the first three people to publish a unique re-post of Elust.

To be eligible for one of the prizes, your re-post will need to include your own comments written in your own words.

Here’s an example of Elust 168 with a unique introduction and unique comments next to the links.

For SEO purposes, non-identical re-posts of Elust are much better for your search ranking, and it’s more appealing for your readers, so I’m trying to encourage people to write their own comments next to each of the links, or a paragraph for each category and/or write their own introduction.

🖤

Ms Sapora Knight, Erotic Devotion

Sex Worker Search, Sexworkopedia

Delilah Odell, Adventures In Playing For Both Teams: January 2024 Edition

Police Woman S03E21 “Bondage”: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Jan 152024

Police Woman S03E21 “Bondage”, aired March 1, 1977, dir. Arnold Laven, wri. Irv Pearlberg & Frank Telford

Police Woman was a 1974-1978 cop show that starred Angie Dickinson as Sgt. “Pepper” Anderson, set in Los Angeles. Episode “Bondage” involved Pepper infiltrating the porn industry.

The opening scene is set in an old-timey looking room, with a woman tied up by the wrists, standing. A maid (in a completely ahistorical uniform) comes in to help her “Countess”. (The background sound of a camera whirring betrays that this is a performance.) A man in period-ish wig comes in, dismisses the maid, and rips the back of the Countess’ nighgown. (No actual nudity, of course.)

Manny the Director: “And cut!”

Link Digest, January 2024

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Jan 152024

KFS (Kinky Fetish Sex) TV has a couple of interesting videos.
- Tim Woodward talks about the history of UK fetish magazine Skin Two
- A documentary about the 1992 Skin Two Rubber Ball
The micro-controversy over the “Conservative Dad’s Real Women of America 2024 Calendar” (showing conservative women in mild pinup poses or casual outfits) shows a fracture line in modern conservatism. The divide is between anti-porn neo-puritans on one side, and libertarian-hedonists on the other. The phrase “real women” in the title is the giveaway that both sides are anti-trans.
The Gay News Ephemera tumblr has a couple of scans from Christopher Street
- A 1979 pamphlet urging peaceful protests against the filming of William Friedkin’s film Crusing (1980).
- A 1979 editorial providing context about the filming of Cruising.
Just found there’s a film biography of Percy Grainger, an Australian composer who was also involved in BDSM in the early 20th century, called Passion (1999).

Dead Ringers (1988): The Celluloid Dungeon

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Jan 142024

Dead Ringers (1988), directed by David Cronenberg, starring Jeremy Irons and Genevieve Bujold. Amazon

The film is based on a true story of a pair of identical twin gynecologists who died in a murder-suicide. Irons plays both Doctors Beverly and Elliot Mantle, and Bujold plays actress Claire Niveau, who catalyzes their disintegration.

In the story, Beverly does most of the work that makes them wealthy and famous in their field, while Elliot does the glad-handing and schmoozing. Beverly is fascinated by the “trifurcated uterus” of Claire, a troubled actress searching for a cure for her infertility. As they have done before, the confident Elliot seduces Claire and then passes her on to the shy Beverly, who claims to be Elliot. However, Beverly develops deeper feelings for Claire, and that reveals a hairline fracture in the partnership of the Mantle twins.

Link Digest, December 2023

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Dec 182023

The Internet Archive has some interesting material including
- Scans of Kitan Club, a Japanese bondage magazine from the 1940s. (No translation, though.)
- Books like Jay Wiseman’s Erotic Bondage Handbook (on a library-style borrowing system)
- Vintage bondage clips
- A video demonstrating American Sign Language for “bondage”
Another Magazine profiles the 1930s French lingerie and fetish company Diana Slip, which was part of Léon Vidal’s network of companies that catered to fetishists.
Another also covers a collection of found photographs, known as “Rain Time”, of an anonymous rubber fetishist discovered in a house clearance in a London suburb.
The Ringer has the oral history of Chuck outing himself as a masochist from the TV series Billions, with quotes from the producers and actors.

A Woman in Flames (Die Flambierte Frau) (1983): The Celluloid Dungeon

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Dec 172023

A Woman in Flames (Die Flambierte Frau) is a 1983 German film about a woman who leaves her husband to become an escort. Amazon

Eva (Gudrun Landgrebe) is a housewife whose husband criticizes and disdains her. When he ignores her at the party she set up, Eva suddenly packs a bag and walks out.

After learning how to be an escort from a friend, Eva hooks up with Chris, a male escort who sees both men and women. He aspires to run a restaurant with an art gallery.

Eva moves in with Chris, and they become like a husband and wife who are both sex workers.

Jade (1995): The Celluloid Dungeon

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Dec 162023

Jade is a 1995 erotic thriller directed by William Friedkin (director of the previously discussed Cruising (1980)), and written by Joe Ezterhaus, who also penned Flashdance (1983) Basic Instinct (1992).

Elust Sex Blogs #168

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Dec 152023

Welcome to Elust 168

Elust is the only place where the smartest and hottest sex bloggers are featured under one roof every month.

Whether you’re looking for sex journalism, erotic writing, relationship advice or kinky discussions, it’ll be here at Elust.

Congratulations @Tiger_Lily_Toys, @s3xw0rkersearch and @SBestmassage winners of the Elust contest for November. Hope you enjoy your £50GBP gift vouchers.

There are three prizes every month of £50 each for the first three people to publish a unique re-post of Elust.

To be eligible for one of the prizes, your re-post will need to include your own comments written in your own words.

Here’s an example of Elust 167 with a unique introduction and unique comments next to the links.

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Books and Movies

Book Review: Principle Decisions by Thea Belmont

I Love a Man in Uniform (1993): The Celluloid Dungeon

Exit To Eden, by Anne Rice

Thoughts & Advice on Kink & Fetish

What’s Wrong With Forced Feminization?

A little pick me up.

BDSM Aftercare

Unlocking Pleasure: 14 Essential Prodomme Tips for Baby Subs

Erotic Fiction

Tender Domination

End

Sexy Ghost Story – Mia’s Books

Sex Work

Squeeze me Please Me

Double Deflowering

Happy Poo Emoji

What to Do When Your Sexual Expectations Fail You?

Revolting Prostitutes Book Review

Product reviews

Tracy’s Dog Flowliper Vibrator – Innovative Features and Honest Insights

Review: Velvet Thruster Prime

RawLoveStudio Moonbean Unicorn Dildo

Uncle Bob Silicone Dildo From John Thomas Toys

Qiui BeatPat Electro-Spanker Review: Is This Thing Even On?

Thoughts & Advice on Sex & Relationships

Keeping Your Toys Clean: A Guide to Protecting Your Health and Pleasure

Want to be included in the next Elust? Send in a post anytime for inclusion in the next edition.

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TammyJo & Peter discuss Professor Marston & the Wonder Women

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Dec 142023

https://youtu.be/gzIZTg-Ej3c

My friend TammyJo and I explore Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017), covering how to be bi and kinky in the 1930s, negotiating polyamory in the closet, and the femdom episode of Speed Buggy.