Growing Up (1971 film)
Encyclopedia
Growing Up is a sex education
film for schools, 23 minutes in length, first shown in April in 1971, which was made by Dr Martin Cole
. It is now available as part of The Joy of Sex Education DVD and was described by one critic as "the most famous and controversial inclusion", and by Peter Bradshaw
of The Guardian
as the "undoubted masterpiece of this double-DVD set".
At the time of its release it was said to be "the most explicit and frank film ever made for use in schools", and attracted condemnation by Mary Whitehouse
, Lord Longford, Margaret Thatcher
and members of the Women's Liberation Movement who attended the first screening. Made two years before its earliest screening, Cole though regretted a traditionalist description of gender roles in the film's opening commentary.
It featured actual film rather than drawings of naked people, which included intercourse and masturbation. Teachers and pupils gave it positive feedback, but the absence of a discussion of venereal disease
(VD) was noted by sympathetic reviewers. The film triggered a national controversy; the education authority in Birmingham, where Cole lived, banned the film from being shown in the city's schools. There is no record of the film being shown to school children anywhere by the end of 1971, although it was shown to students at Oxford University
.
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
film for schools, 23 minutes in length, first shown in April in 1971, which was made by Dr Martin Cole
Martin Cole (sexologist)
Martin John Cole is a British sexologist, sex education pioneer and campaigner for abortion law reform, dubbed "Sex King Cole" by the press for his sex education films and books.-Life:...
. It is now available as part of The Joy of Sex Education DVD and was described by one critic as "the most famous and controversial inclusion", and by Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw is a British writer and film critic. He was educated at Cambridge University, where he was President of Footlights.Bradshaw is a film critic for The Guardian...
of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as the "undoubted masterpiece of this double-DVD set".
At the time of its release it was said to be "the most explicit and frank film ever made for use in schools", and attracted condemnation by Mary Whitehouse
Mary Whitehouse
Mary Whitehouse, CBE was a British campaigner against the permissive society particularly as the media portrayed and reflected it...
, Lord Longford, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
and members of the Women's Liberation Movement who attended the first screening. Made two years before its earliest screening, Cole though regretted a traditionalist description of gender roles in the film's opening commentary.
It featured actual film rather than drawings of naked people, which included intercourse and masturbation. Teachers and pupils gave it positive feedback, but the absence of a discussion of venereal disease
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
(VD) was noted by sympathetic reviewers. The film triggered a national controversy; the education authority in Birmingham, where Cole lived, banned the film from being shown in the city's schools. There is no record of the film being shown to school children anywhere by the end of 1971, although it was shown to students at Oxford University
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.