The first adult movie ever made was in 1896. This was during the silent era of films. The French put out the movie and it was called “Le Coucher de la Mariée.”
Le Coucher de la Mariée is also known as “Bedtime for the Bride” or “The Bridegroom’s Delimma”.
So what’s the movie all about?
Two newlyweds in front of their wedding-bed: back from the wedding, the husband goes into raptures in front of his wife, who simpers; she asks him to withdraw while she undresses; he puts a folding screen between them; she removes one by one the multiple clothes she wears (a jacket, a dress, underskirts, sub-underskirts, a blouse); the husband does not stay in place, sometimes mopping his front, sometimes reading a newspaper, sometimes having lecherous looks above the folding screen. The actors send numerous glazes towards the camera.
The original film was thought to be around 7 minutes long, but it degraded due to poor condition in the French Film Archives. When it was rediscovered in 1996, only two minutes of the film have survived, which include undressing.
The film was shot on a theater set, and featured actress Louise Willy who performs a striptease.
It is the direct adaptation of a theater show with the same name and the same cast. The show was very popular at the time, at Olympia Theater (Paris). It was a pantomime, quiet osé, but still not explicit as the actress was not fully nude. However, because only two minutes have been saved from the seven minute original reel, it is impossible to see on screen more than the striptease.
In 1897 those naughty French released another naughty silent film called Après le bal, also known as After the Ball. This movie was directed by Georges Méliès. It starred Jehanne d’Alcy – Méliès’ future wife, and Jane Brady.
The film’s is a one-minute scene of a servant bathing a woman. The servant helps the woman get undressed (down to a body stocking which was used to simulate nudity) while revealing a few layers of clothing, bathing her, and finally covering and drying her with a robe. This is the earliest known film to show simulated nudity.
Tame by modern standards but this was made in 1897 at a time when such things just weren’t appropriate.
