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Rated 18: adult films we loved before Fifty Shades!

Fifty Shades of Grey has just received an 18 certification by the British Board of Film Classification, and now we’re hankering back to the ‘adult films’ of our youth that provided more sex education than a biology book, with far better pictures. Do you remember ….
By Bernadette Fallon
Hair, Mouth, Serveware, Drink, Tableware, Sitting, Drinkware, Jheri curl, Blazer, Conversation,
1

Fatal Attraction

Finger, Lip, Hairstyle, Eyebrow, Jewellery, Fashion accessory, Wrist, Body jewelry, Blond, Earrings,
Boiled bunnies aside, it was the sex scenes in this raunchy story of an extra-marital-affair-gone-badly-wrong that really caught our interest. Starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close and released in 1987, it was hailed as the great ‘80s ‘marriage saver’ as men re-thought their attitudes to a casual fling.

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2

9½ weeks

Photograph, Snapshot, Photography, Scene,
Basically ‘sex in as many places as possible, often featuring foodstuffs’. With a nod to Fifty Shades style bondage and striptease, this 1986 release starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger soon became a teenage rite of passage must-see in the world of 18 certificate films.

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3

About Last Night

Ear, Cheek, Fun, Forehead, Photograph, Facial expression, Interaction, Muscle, Black hair, Beauty,
On the face of it, a light rom-com starring ‘80s Brat Packers Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, the sex scenes quickly stole the show – and yes, there were lots of them … As educational as the Kama Sutra in its day.
 
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4

Last Tango in Paris

Head, Nose, Lip, Cheek, Hairstyle, Skin, Eye, Chin, Forehead, Eyebrow,
The story of a distraught widower (Marlon Brando) who begins an anonymous sexual relationship with a beautiful younger woman (Maria Schneider) is a raw portrayal of sexual violence and emotional turmoil, and was released in 1972 to widespread international controversy and censorship.
 
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5

Basic Instinct

Human leg, Sitting, Knee, Thigh, Chest, Blond, Leotard, Lap, Throat, Foot,
Back in 1992, when people frequently wore underwear, the famous ‘leg crossing’ scene when we were ‘flashed’ by Sharon Stone quickly shot the film into ‘risqué’ business. Well that and the sexual violence, lesbian relationships and bisexuality. Who else snuck into the cinema to see this 18 cert?
 
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6

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

Hair, Head, Nose, Mouth, Hairstyle, Black hair, Long hair, Beauty, Youth, Jheri curl,
Sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, this 1970 release was intended as a sequel to the 1967 film Valley of the Dollos and fast became a cult classic, staring Dolly Read and Cynthia Myers.
 
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7

Henry & June

Barechested, Chest, Muscle, Trunk, Back, Abdomen, Toe, Stomach, Briefs, Foot,
When it was time to be introduced to the world of threesomes, along came Henry & June, starring Fred Ward, Maria de Medeiros and Uma Thurman. A loose retelling of the story of French author Anais Nin’s relationship with writer Henry Miller and his wife June, with lots of steamy sex scenes.
 
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8

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

Brassiere, Undergarment, Black hair, Lingerie, Chest, Lingerie top, Flag, Undergarment, Bangs, Swimwear,
Violent, nudity, intense relationships and, er, cannibalism, this 1989 British-French black comedy drama is another cult classic, directed by Peter Greenaway – not known for his ‘accessible light-hearted’ romps. Luvvies Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren stray from the classical stage here …
 
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