''Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography'' is a Canadian documentary film about the

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

industry, directed by

Bonnie Sherr Klein Bonnie Sherr Klein (born 1941) is a feminist filmmaker, author and disability rights activist. Early life and education Bonnie Sherr Klein was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1941 to working class Jewish parents. She attended public ...

and released in 1981. Jay Scott, "Not a Love Story: sleazy peek at women and porn". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', September 7, 1981. It remains one of the landmark works from

Studio D Studio D was the women's unit of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and the world's first publicly funded feminist filmmaking studio. In its 22-year history, it produced 134 films and won 3 Academy Awards. ''Cinema Canada'' once called it the ...

, the women's unit of the National Film Board of Canada. The film was banned in the province of Ontario on the basis of its pornographic content, a decision that was later reversed.

Janis Cole Janis Cole (born 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, producer, writer, editor and professor. She has directed several films over the span of her career. Most of these films were done in cooperation with her friend and professional partner, Holly Dale. ...

"Bonnie Sherr Klein"
'' The Canadian Encyclopedia'', January 18, 2012. The film premiered at the 1981 Festival of Festivals.

Synopsis

Film-maker

and stripper (later journalist) Lindalee Tracy explore the world of pornography and build a case against it. They interview porn actors, sex workers and notable feminists such as

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...

and Kate Millett.

Participants

Kathleen Barry Kathleen Barry (born January 22, 1941) is an American sociologist and feminist. After researching and publishing books on international human sex trafficking, she cofounded the United Nations NGO, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW ...

Edward Donnerstein Edward I. Donnerstein (born 1945) is American professor of communication and psychology. His interests include mass media violence and mass media policy. Donnerstein earned a B.S. in psychology at the University of Florida The University of F ...

Susan Griffin Susan Griffin (born January 26, 1943) is a radical feminist philosopher, essayist and playwright particularly known for her innovative, hybrid-form ecofeminist works. Life Griffin was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1943 and has resided in ...

* Kate Millett * Robin Morgan * Kenneth Pitchford *

Suze Randall Suze Randall (born 18 May 1946) is an English model, photographer, and pornographer. Randall was the first female staff photographer for both ''Playboy'' and ''Hustler''. She is one of the early female porn film directors; she made ''Kiss and ...

* Marc Stevens *

Lindalee Tracey Lindalee Tracey ( – ) was a Canadian broadcast journalist, documentary filmmaker, writer, and exotic dancer. She is best known for the documentary film ''Not a Love Story'', a controversial 1981 film about pornography. Her credits include work o ...

Production

The film had a budget of $503,519 ().

Release

The film was banned in Saskatchewan. The Ontario Censor Board refused to classify it, resulting it not being allowed to be shown, but the film was seen by 40,000 people at 300 private showings in Ontario within the next year. The film became the NFB's highest-grossing film at that point in its existence after being shown in Montreal for nine months.

Critical response

At the time, the local Canadian reviewers were hostile. ''

'' called the film "bourgeois feminist fascism" and the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' judged it to be "a one-sided tract of outrage that only feminists and moral majority believers will take to their bosom". Writing in the '' Village Voice'',

B. Ruby Rich B. Ruby Rich is an American scholar; critic of independent, Latin American, documentary, feminist, and queer films; and a professor emerita of Film & Digital Media and Social Documentation at UC Santa Cruz. Among her many contributions, she is ...

dismissed the film as anti-porn propaganda. Jay Scott criticized the film as an "unenlightening learn-a-long." Later reviewers and analysts have criticized the film for relying upon graphic sexual imagery, for focusing upon sex work rather than the porn industry and for not differentiating between straight and gay porn.

References

Works cited

External links

*
Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography
' (National Film Board of Canada) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Not A Love Story Anti-pornography feminism Canadian documentary films Documentary films about feminism Documentary films about pornography National Film Board of Canada documentaries Films directed by Bonnie Sherr Klein 1981 documentary films 1981 films 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films