⚠️ This post is for educational and historical discussion only. Taboo contains explicit content and themes that may be disturbing.
Despite its deeply controversial premise, Taboo achieved astonishing mainstream visibility:
This public link is valid for 7 days and shares a thread, including any personal information you added. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted. If you share with third parties, their policies apply. Can’t copy the link right now. Try again later. movie taboo 1980
: It is often cited as a turning point for the video industry because it won the Homer Award for Best Adult Tape from the Video Software Dealers Association in 1983. This marked a rare moment where a mainstream trade organization officially recognized an X-rated film.
One attendee, a young journalist named Sophia, becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth. She tracks down the director, the enigmatic and reclusive Arthur Welles, to a seedy hotel on the outskirts of town. Welles is infamous for his uncompromising vision and his disdain for censorship. ⚠️ This post is for educational and historical
The story revolves around Matt Taboo (Oscar-williams), a tough and brooding ex-convict who returns to his hometown in the American Midwest. Upon his release from prison, Matt struggles to find employment and reconcile with his past, particularly with his younger brother, Eddie (played by young Brad Davis). As Matt navigates his complicated relationships and tries to start anew, he becomes embroiled in a violent confrontation with a local crime boss, leading to a tragic sequence of events.
If you'd like to explore this topic further, let me know if you want to look into: The of Kay Parker The impact of the VCR boom on 1980s cinema The history of the Meese Commission and 1980s censorship Share public link This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted
| Aspect | I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967) | Taboo (1980) | |---------------------|-------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | Tone | Playful, curious, optimistic | Melancholic, clinical, pessimistic | | Sexual politics | Exploration of female desire as power | Exploration of female desire as self-erasure | | Cinematic style | Handheld, jump cuts, documentary feel | Static, composed, cold | | Endpoint | Possibility of change | Stasis and isolation | | Director’s stance | Embedded participant | Clinical observer (with guilt) |
Modern critical reevaluations, such as those on Letterboxd, argue that Taboo has a rightful place in cinematic history not just as a dirty movie, but as a landmark that displayed "substantial technical attributes". Even the film’s physical legacy has been preserved: in 2016, the boutique label Vinegar Syndrome released a 2K HD remaster of Taboo from the original 35mm vault elements. This preservation effort treats the film with the respect afforded to a classic piece of exploitation art, acknowledging that for better or worse, it is a significant American time capsule.