Le ménage moderne du Madame Butterfly
Encyclopedia
Le ménage moderne du Madame Butterfly is a bisexual
, hardcore
pornographic film from France
. It is notable for being the earliest known adult film to incorporate bisexual and homosexual intercourse.
was a Romania
n Jew who had produced, directed and acted in at least one hardcore heterosexual pornographic film prior to 1920. In that year, at the end of World War I
, Natan emigrated to France
. Between 1920 and 1927, he produced, directed and acted in at least 20 more porn films (a prolific number of films, considering the period and technology). Several of these films included homosexual and bisexual oral and anal intercourse, and Natan himself engaged in homosexual and bisexual sex on film.
Le Menage Moderne Du Madame Butterfly is one the earliest of Natan's pornographic films, and the first of his works to depict homosexuality and bisexuality. Although the release date is uncertain, scholars believe the film was distributed as early as 1920.
The production values on the film are notably high, even for a mainstream feature film of the day. It includes location shots of an Asian street full of rickshaws
and a sailing ship on the Pacific Ocean
. The costumes and sets are almost lavish. The film has a lengthy and complex plot, and includes intertitle
s.
Madama Butterfly
by Giacomo Puccini
.
"Lt. Pinkerton" (played by mainstream French actor J. H. Forsell) is a strapping American sailor on leave in Japan
. He marries the young "Madame Butterfly" (an uncredited actress) and ravishes her while Butterfly's maid, "Soosooky" (another uncredited actress) watches and masturbates. Pinkerton then abandons Butterfly. A new character, "the coolie
boy" (played by Natan), spies on Butterfly and Soosooky as they engage in lesbian
sex. He masturbates while watching them.
Pinkerton returns, and engages in oral and anal homosexual intercourse with the "coolie boy." Pinkerton then engages in oral, anal and vaginal sex with Soosooky. "Mr. Sharpless" (an uncredited actor) meets with Butterfly and performs various sex acts with her. Afterward, he tells Butterfly that Pinkerton has returned, but is married to an American woman. Pinkerton, Soosooky and the "coolie boy" enter. An angry Butterfly denounces Pinkerton, but cannot resist his charms. All five individuals have sexual intercourse. The "coolie boy" engages in receptive anal intercourse with Pinkerton and Sharpless while performing cunnilingus
on the women. While having vaginal and anal sex with the women, the "coolie boy" also fellates
Pinkerton and Sharpless.
There are two extant sets of intertitles. The French intertitles are generally witty and humorous, poking fun at racism and American arrogance while making a number of double entendre
s. The English
intertitles are far more crude and racist
in tone.
The first known motion pictures depicting nude men were made by Eadweard Muybridge
in the 1880s and 1890s as part of his studies of human locomotion.
The first known pornographic film of any kind appears to have been made in 1908. Between 1908 and the advent of public theatrical screenings in the United States
in 1970, about 2,000 hardcore pornographic films were made. (Roughly 500 of these were made prior to 1960.) The best estimate is that about 10 percent of all hardcore "stag films" made prior to 1970 contain some sort of homosexual activity. This ranges from an innocuous hand on a shoulder, thigh or hip to hardcore anal and oral sex (and much more). Nevertheless, nearly all the extant works depict homosexual sex in the context of a heterosexual hegemony
. Most depict homosexual sex occurring during heterosexual intercourse (essentially making the sex act bisexual in nature).
Le Menage Moderne Du Madame Butterfly is unusual in that it not only depicts homosexual sex acts, but that it does so very early in the history of pornographic film. However, like most of the films which came after it, Le Menage Moderne Du Madame Butterfly only shows male-male sex acts as deviant, firmly establishes the heterosexuality of the characters, and often depicts the sex acts as essentially bisexual (e.g., male-male sexual contact occurs while the men are also having heterosexual intercourse).
The film is also notable for being one of the first adult films to be produced or directed by Bernard Natan. Scholars have expressed surprise that a beginning filmmaker would produce a work which contained sex acts which might anger or offend its target audience (straight men). That Bernard would do so is a testament, film historians have said, to his willingness to take risks and his subtle understanding of the role homoeroticism
and homosexuality play in French male sexual identity
.
Natan's willingness to not only produce, write, and direct but also star in a hardcore bisexual film is even more startling when one recognizes that, within nine years of the release of Le Menage Moderne Du Madame Butterfly, Bernard Natan would be the owner of the largest mainstream film studio in France—Pathé
.
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
, hardcore
Hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often displayed in magazines or on the Internet, or films. It can also...
pornographic film from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is notable for being the earliest known adult film to incorporate bisexual and homosexual intercourse.
Background
Bernard NatanBernard Natan
Bernard Natan was a Franco-Romanian film director and actor of the 1920s and 1930s. He is said by one historian to be one of the earliest pornographic film directors and porn stars whose name was known to the public. After his alleged adult film career, Natan moved into mainstream cinema...
was a Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n Jew who had produced, directed and acted in at least one hardcore heterosexual pornographic film prior to 1920. In that year, at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Natan emigrated to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Between 1920 and 1927, he produced, directed and acted in at least 20 more porn films (a prolific number of films, considering the period and technology). Several of these films included homosexual and bisexual oral and anal intercourse, and Natan himself engaged in homosexual and bisexual sex on film.
Le Menage Moderne Du Madame Butterfly is one the earliest of Natan's pornographic films, and the first of his works to depict homosexuality and bisexuality. Although the release date is uncertain, scholars believe the film was distributed as early as 1920.
The production values on the film are notably high, even for a mainstream feature film of the day. It includes location shots of an Asian street full of rickshaws
Cycle rickshaw
The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport; it is also known by a variety of other names such as velotaxi, pedicab, bikecab, cyclo, becak, trisikad, or trishaw or, simply, rickshaw which also refers to auto rickshaws, and the, now uncommon, rickshaws pulled by a person on foot...
and a sailing ship on the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The costumes and sets are almost lavish. The film has a lengthy and complex plot, and includes intertitle
Intertitle
In motion pictures, an intertitle is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of the photographed action, at various points, generally to convey character dialogue, or descriptive narrative material related to, but not necessarily covered by, the material photographed.Intertitles...
s.
Synopsis
The film is based on the operaOpera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
by Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
.
"Lt. Pinkerton" (played by mainstream French actor J. H. Forsell) is a strapping American sailor on leave in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He marries the young "Madame Butterfly" (an uncredited actress) and ravishes her while Butterfly's maid, "Soosooky" (another uncredited actress) watches and masturbates. Pinkerton then abandons Butterfly. A new character, "the coolie
Coolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
boy" (played by Natan), spies on Butterfly and Soosooky as they engage in lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
sex. He masturbates while watching them.
Pinkerton returns, and engages in oral and anal homosexual intercourse with the "coolie boy." Pinkerton then engages in oral, anal and vaginal sex with Soosooky. "Mr. Sharpless" (an uncredited actor) meets with Butterfly and performs various sex acts with her. Afterward, he tells Butterfly that Pinkerton has returned, but is married to an American woman. Pinkerton, Soosooky and the "coolie boy" enter. An angry Butterfly denounces Pinkerton, but cannot resist his charms. All five individuals have sexual intercourse. The "coolie boy" engages in receptive anal intercourse with Pinkerton and Sharpless while performing cunnilingus
Cunnilingus
Cunnilingus is an oral sex act performed on a female. It involves the use by a sex partner of the mouth, lips and tongue to stimulate the female's clitoris, vulva, or vagina...
on the women. While having vaginal and anal sex with the women, the "coolie boy" also fellates
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
Pinkerton and Sharpless.
There are two extant sets of intertitles. The French intertitles are generally witty and humorous, poking fun at racism and American arrogance while making a number of double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
s. The English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
intertitles are far more crude and racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
in tone.
Notability
Le Menage Moderne Du Madame Butterfly is the oldest known motion picture to depict hardcore homosexual sex acts on film.The first known motion pictures depicting nude men were made by Eadweard Muybridge
Eadweard Muybridge
Eadweard J. Muybridge was an English photographer who spent much of his life in the United States. He is known for his pioneering work on animal locomotion which used multiple cameras to capture motion, and his zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting motion pictures that pre-dated the flexible...
in the 1880s and 1890s as part of his studies of human locomotion.
The first known pornographic film of any kind appears to have been made in 1908. Between 1908 and the advent of public theatrical screenings in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1970, about 2,000 hardcore pornographic films were made. (Roughly 500 of these were made prior to 1960.) The best estimate is that about 10 percent of all hardcore "stag films" made prior to 1970 contain some sort of homosexual activity. This ranges from an innocuous hand on a shoulder, thigh or hip to hardcore anal and oral sex (and much more). Nevertheless, nearly all the extant works depict homosexual sex in the context of a heterosexual hegemony
Hegemony
Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
. Most depict homosexual sex occurring during heterosexual intercourse (essentially making the sex act bisexual in nature).
Le Menage Moderne Du Madame Butterfly is unusual in that it not only depicts homosexual sex acts, but that it does so very early in the history of pornographic film. However, like most of the films which came after it, Le Menage Moderne Du Madame Butterfly only shows male-male sex acts as deviant, firmly establishes the heterosexuality of the characters, and often depicts the sex acts as essentially bisexual (e.g., male-male sexual contact occurs while the men are also having heterosexual intercourse).
The film is also notable for being one of the first adult films to be produced or directed by Bernard Natan. Scholars have expressed surprise that a beginning filmmaker would produce a work which contained sex acts which might anger or offend its target audience (straight men). That Bernard would do so is a testament, film historians have said, to his willingness to take risks and his subtle understanding of the role homoeroticism
Homoeroticism
Homoeroticism refers to the erotic attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female , most especially as it is depicted or manifested in the visual arts and literature. It can also be found in performative forms; from theatre to the theatricality of uniformed movements...
and homosexuality play in French male sexual identity
Sexual identity
Sexual identity is a term that, like sex, has two distinctively different meanings. One describes an identity roughly based on sexual orientation, the other an identity based on sexual characteristics, which is not socially based but based on biology, a concept related to, but different from,...
.
Natan's willingness to not only produce, write, and direct but also star in a hardcore bisexual film is even more startling when one recognizes that, within nine years of the release of Le Menage Moderne Du Madame Butterfly, Bernard Natan would be the owner of the largest mainstream film studio in France—Pathé
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
.