Successive slidings of pleasure from "s" to "x" in the Spanish cinema

Abstract

During the political transition, the law adapted in order to authorize progressively softcore and hardcore movies. Jesus Franco’s erotic work played a key role in his films. From 'The Awful Dr. Orlof' to his last film, the director explored different aspects: the ‘destape’, the 'S' rated and 'X' rated films. The difficulties of making films of this type prompted Jesus Franco to leave Spain to shoot 'Necronomicon' (1967). He reached the fullness of his creation through softcore films interpreted by his muse Soledad Miranda. The strength of the director’s voyeurism converted these hardcore movies into female hardcores with or without the actress and in the subsequent years. The evolution of the law will bring about a double phenomenon: the double versions and the ‘soft to hard’ films, i.e. movies which had already been shot and to which pornographic elements were added. Such manipulations which Jesus Franco accepted or even assumed responsibility of are not only circumstantial insofar as the whole cinematographic work of the director is a form of constant manipulation. With the pornographic film, the director completed his career though the total ‘visibility’ of his films does not really correspond to voyeurism and it is no wonder that that the ‘X’ films which were shot in Spain were his partner and actress Linda Romay’s making . Even if the evolution of Spain during the transition didn’t equate that of the director’s creation, it remains that the former, having to adapt laws to the cinema, contributed to alter Jesus Franco’s trajectory.