This poster was made in Liege, Belgium for the romantic drama Extase, starring Austro-Hungarian beauty Hedy Lamarr. Based on a novel by the Vienna born author and actor Robert Horký, the film opened in Belgium today in 1933, after having premiered in then-Czechoslovakia as Ekstase in January of that year. It isn’t a pulp style film, but it’s significant, which is why we had a look. It’s about a young upper class woman in an unfulfilling marriage who solves that problem by acquiring a sidepiece in the form of a worker played by Aribert Mog. This results in some steamy moments and—some viewers say—the first orgasm ever depicted onscreen. “Some viewers” are right. There’s no doubt. In the midst of a nocturnal tryst Mog’s head and torso slide off-frame, as Lamarr breathes more and more heavily before finally grimacing in lovely fashion and snapping her string of pearls.
Yeah, this is hot stuff for 1933. And we thought everyone was having a great depression. Shows what we know. If the title Extase doesn’t tell you what’s going on, consider the fact that Hedy’s character is named Eva, and Mog’s is named Adam. It’s that kind of movie. In a way, an orgasm was inevitable. Lamarr also captures moviegoers’ attention with a nude swim and sprint through the fields that occurs about twenty-eight minutes in. Why’s she running around starkers? Her mare Loni decides to get herself some equine action and abandons Hedy—taking her clothes along for the ride. Always make sure to tie your mount to something, especially when it’s horny. Lamarr really is naked in the scene, too, which few modern performers would do in this age of new puritanism. It’s thanks to this run through the wild that she meets Mog, the eventual master of her clitoris, if not her heart.
Extase isn’t a silent film, but it’s close. There’s a lot of orchestral music and only a dozen or so sections of dialogue. Even so, it’s very watchable. The visuals tend to be laden with meaning in films such as these, but some scenes require no interpretation at all, like the bit where a couple of horses mate (not Loni and her love, sadly). They don’t show it of course, but the crash zoom of a mare’s backside from the point-of-view of the stud horse gets the idea across with remarkable subtlety—not. It was hilarious, actually. But hey—even horses feel extase, because it’s just a natural thing, see. On its own merits we’d call Extase more of a curio than a cinematic triumph, but it certainly achieves what it sets out to do, and that’s success of a form, even if it would be forgotten without the orgasm. But that’s often true, isn’t it?
Loni! Come back, you stupid horse! That jumpsuit doesn’t even fit you!
Why hello, lovely naked creature.
You rude beast! Try taking a picture. It’ll last longer.
Already done. With my mind. Deposited you right in the spank bank.
Bank— What? Spank what? Oh, never mind. Give me my clothes.
Objectify me, will you? Two can play that game. Duh… nice package! Duh… I’m an idiot!
Thanks. And you’re not an idiot—many women agree with you about my package.
No, I’m objectifying you, like you did to me.
Like a sex object. I understand. That’s cool. I love sex.
No, I mean I’m debasing you via the reduction of any unique and admirable qualities you might have down to the purely phy— Oh, forget it! You’re too dumb to understand.
Oh… oh… oh! It’s true he lacks… formal education…
But he sure knows how… to make a girl… SNAP HER PEARLS!
*sigh*
