Cinema X
| Editor | Tony Crawley |
|---|---|
| Categories | Film |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Year founded | 1969 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Cinema X was a British film magazine best known for its coverage of sexploitation films. Early issues of the magazine were undated, but it is believed the first issue was published in 1969. The first film to grace the cover of Cinema X was Loving Feeling, directed by Norman J. Warren. Other films covered in the first issue were I Am Curious (Yellow), Curse of the Crimson Altar, and Therese and Isabelle. Interviewees in the premiere issue included Norman J Warren, John Trevelyan and Anthony Newley.
Originally 'a Cinemonde publication', the magazine appears to have been envisioned by the company as the British arm of their publishing empire, which already included a similar publication in France (Cinemonde) and in Italy (King Cinemonde). Gerald Kingsland was the magazine's first editor. Very much born of the permissive climate of the late sixties, the first issue's editorial stated: “So far the more adult magazines have reserved a few pages for the X cinema ... blood and sex are only lightly touched on. Cinema X devotes all its time to the world’s X cinema.”
Cinema X was superficially similar to the long-running Continental Film Review, which in the late 1960s had begun filling its pages with stills of nude scenes from foreign films. However, Cinema X was far less pretentious and, being mostly in colour, much more glossy.
Seen today, early issues of the magazine appear somewhat faceless, often consisting merely of an editorial followed by film pictorials with short plot synopses. However, around 1971/1972 the magazine began to develop more of a personality, with such regular features as 'Flash', a column by the film critic Peter Noble (1917-1997) on upcoming films, and articles on mainstream film stars under the heading 'Cine Go Round'. The 'Cineclub 24 Scene' and 'Cinecenta Scene' sections covered films that played at Membership Only Adult Cinemas. During this period the magazine was published by Top Sellers Ltd, a company that also produced saucy books and posters, many of which were advertised in the magazine. The magazine also began accepting outside advertising; Subdean, the first company of David Sullivan, advertised in the magazine in 1972. And in 1975 the magazine produced its own 'X'-rated cinema advertisement, featuring model Nita Blair and directed by Ray Selfe.
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