Is the World Ready for an X-Rated 3-D Movie?

Even though such “erotica” used to happen only in real-life, but is the world now ready for an X-Rated 3-D movie?

By: Ringo Bones


The world-at-large may be asking why make such an “erotic” art-form given that real-life sex is way much better in comparison to its “reel” 3-D counterpart. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending your point-of-view – it haven’t deterred a group of film makers from making the first ever 3-D pornography. Believe it or not, 3-D porn already exists as far as NASA’s Manned Lunar Exploration program, as in 1969’s The Stewardesses which became the highest-grossing 3-D movie of all time – porn or otherwise - before James Cameron’s Avatar despite of being shown only in the more libertine regions of the Free World during the height of the Cold War.

Fast forward to the 21st Century, the 3-D porn move that an overwhelming majority of the world’s movie going public has mistaken as the first ever X-Rated 3-D movie that was shown in Taiwan and Hong Kong during the start of April 2011 got so much buzzwords from the established press and “new media” – i.e. Facebook and Twitter – that even the famous American comedian Conan O’Brien had joked about it in his talk-show. Titled “3-D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy”, the plot is based on a classic Chinese erotic novel. Directed by Christopher Sun, the 3-D erotica movie uses the same 3-D cinematographic techniques used in James Cameron’s Avatar.
During a promotional interview of the movie, director Christopher Sun said: “Somehow when you’re doing a 3-D movie, you always want to make an impressive image because the viewers… are going to buy tickets with double or even triple the ticket price to get into a world that you’ve never seen before. Its not just erotica, they want some wow factor!”

The producers of 3-D Sex and Zen are also hoping that the Chinese erotic period drama will prove a titillating hit with the 3-D glasses wearing audiences and help develop a lucrative niche film market. That’s quite a big if given the rather “conservative” film board censors in the rest of Asia will allow an X-Rated 3-D movie to be shown in the 3-D IMAX theaters in their major shopping malls. At least Conan O’Brien is already promoting the first ever 3-D Chinese erotic period drama in America and as of late, it was nicely received in the 2011 Cannes Film Festival as the first ever Chinese erotic period drama shot in 3-D cinematographic techniques.