Howard Ziehm was one of the pioneers of the sexual revolution – in relation to the big screen, at least. His MONA THE VIRGIN NYMPH, released in 1970, was the very first US pornographic feature film to be distributed regularly in cinemas, a full two years before Gerard Damiano’s infamous DEEP THROAT. From today’s perspective, many scenes may appear rather outdated, but his films still offer lively documentation of an era that turned many things around, especially in terms of sexual liberation. Howard Ziehm was a key figure of his time.
It was the era of the 1968 generation, when watching adult films was a political act – and making them even more so. People were rebelling against the prudery of the previous generation, which had swept sexuality completely under the carpet, and were now depicting real life. Until recently, Hollywood’s so-called ‘production code’ had dictated what films ought to be like, citing supposed moral values: Naked bodies or homosexuality were not to be shown, extramarital relationships should not be justified or portrayed attractively, and passion was not to appeal to the audience’s ‘baser instincts’, either.
The state attempted to stop independent, permissive filmmakers with draconian means. The directors and actors of explicit films were charged with pimping and prostitution; Ziehm himself was once put on trial for “conspiracy to commit oral sex”, for example. After all, oral sex was also a criminal offence under the American ‘sodomy laws’ – and planning and performing such an act could have been punished as ‘conspiracy’, meaning several years in prison.
Ziehm’s films, therefore, should be understood as rebellion, especially in this contemporary context: in his youthful impetuosity, he brought close-ups of sex and bodies onto the screen, disregarded all the rules, and imbued his stories with an anti-authoritarian attitude. He drew a moustache of public hair – so to speak – on the bourgeoisie, religion, and images of the American way of life. His films made sexuality public, by force if necessary – whether the country was ready for that or not.
What distinguishes Ziehm’s films beyond such open provocation is good-natured humour: he played with the absurdity of his scenarios with a giggle, e.g. rewriting the fairy tale of Scheherazade as a sex romp and subverting conventional ideas of decency and morality with mischievousness and immense relish. Ultimately, his porn films always revolve around the discovery of sexuality, a joyful and sometimes frightening journey to openly-lived passion.
Howard Ziehm and his partner Judy Callender married in 1970. The two lived in an open relationship and savoured this repeatedly over the years. Judy Ziehm appeared in small supporting roles in FLESH GORDON and STAR VIRGIN; she even played in one of the erotic episodes of the film HOT COOKIES. The two stayed together until Howard Ziehm’s death on 26th August 2024. They would have celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary this September.
In homage to filmmaker HOWARD ZIEHM, the 58th Hof International Film Festival will present four films as well as a documentary by Christian Genzel:
Rebel, outlaw, porn pioneer: the documentary FINDING PLANET PORNO paints a character portrait of an unusual, astute cinematic outsider - and tells of an era of great social upheaval. The film approaches Howard's story on a personal level, and through his eyes and those of his companions, it paints an exciting portrait of an unusual person - and of a time that brought about great social change.
Christian Genzel
102 minutes
Austria
2024
Ray and Alex actually just wanted to pick up a bag of drugs, smuggle them across the border and then make a nice life for themselves with the money they earned. But everything goes wrong during the handover: the police want to pick up the two crooks, panic leads to a shootout and the two have several policemen on their conscience. On the chase through the country, their situation quickly gets worse - especially because Ray turns out to be an increasingly ruthless perpetrator of violence.
Walter Cichy
Howard Ziehm
92 minutes
USA
1973
Humanity is in a state of extreme agitation: sex rays from outer space are plunging the entire planet into chaos. Only the potent hero Flesh Gordon can help, who, together with his girlfriend Dale Ardor and the scientist Dr. Flexi Jerkoff, is heading for the source of this threat. On the distant planet Porno, the mad Emperor Wang has made it his mission to delight the universe with his perversions - and so Flesh Gordon joins forces with the inhabitants of Porno to put a stop to Wang's nefarious goings-on. If the story sounds vaguely familiar: that's right, it's a parody of the classic Flash Gordon series from the 1930s!
Howard Ziehm, Michael Benveniste
86 minutes
USA
1974
In the not-too-distant future, the war-loving human race has been wiped out - all that remains is an innocent young woman who lives alone with her robot companion on a spaceship. When mysterious feelings begin to make themselves known to her, she asks her companion to teach her about human sexuality. But are the four stories stored by the tin mentor really entirely reliable? After all, it starts with Adam and Eve - only they are teenagers in the 1950s and give the paradisiacal forbidden fruit a whole new meaning ... The movie was the penultimate porno in Ziehm's career.
Linus Gator (alias Howard Ziehm)
77 minutes
USA
1979
Once again, good old Earth comes under attack from the mad Emperor Wang, and once again the virile warrior Flesh Gordon has to come to the rescue. As the universe is bombarded with Wang's impotence rays, three cheerleaders from outer space kidnap our hero, as he is the only one who can resist this treacherous male weakness. Flesh's girlfriend Dale Ardor and the scientist Flexi Jerkoff, who has become even quirkier over the years, chase after him - but before they can get to Wang, the trio has to make their way through some areas of the universe that have something strikingly anatomical about them...
Howard Ziehm
102 minutes
USA
1989