The first American film to show full-frontal nudity
While many people often associate nudity with pornography, the two can often exist independently. Over the years, hundreds of pioneering artists have used nudity and the human body to deliver important sociopolitical messages. Although pornography has existed for centuries, the first American film to portray full-frontal nudity was made in 1915.
Censorship in American cinema has often limited artistic freedom to preserve the perceived moral and societal structure adopted by Christian conservatives, especially after the Hays Code was enforced. However, the silent film era was a more ambiguous period because cinema was just a nascent art form.
American actress and filmmaker Lois Weber entered the history books when she decided to use full-frontal nudity to put forth a moral message in her 1915 film Hypocrites. One of the many pioneering filmmakers from the silent film era, Weber’s filmography is religiously studied by students and scholars to this day.
While Weber’s political and moral messaging might seem outdated to modern viewers, her technical innovations are simply outstanding. She was an early user of the split-screen, and she pushed the medium forward by experimenting with the use of sound before most other directors got around to it.
Hypocrites isn’t one of Weber’s most interesting works, but most film buffs remember it because it was the first instance of full frontal nudity in a non-pornographic film. Following a Christian ascetic as well as a modern minister, Weber wanted to make an anti-clerical film and used the nude body of Margaret Edwards as a symbol for dialectical revelation.
In today’s sociopolitical climate, Weber’s other films, such as Where Are My Children? might be more relevant because they discussed subjects such as female reproductive rights. However, Hypocrites is an important case study since the social reaction against the film is very telling. The British Censors passed the film, but it was banned in Ohio and caused riots in New York City.
Boston’s mayor allowed the film to play only if the nude scenes were painted over. Despite the backlash, Weber stood by her work and said: “Hypocrites is not a slap at any church or creed. It is a slap at hypocrites, and its effectiveness is shown by the outcry amongst those it hits hardest to have the film stopped.”
Watch the entire film below.