Machatý’s dreamy, minimalist drama stars a young Hedy Lamarr (then billed as Hedy Kiesler), as Eva, who, unhappy in her sexless marriage with her husband Emil, begins a passionate affair with the virile construction worker Adam. Denounced by Pope Pius XI and banned in Germany, ECSTASY was the first film to be blocked by the United States Customs Service from entering the country after being deemed obscene and immoral, denounced as “dangerously indecent” because (brace yourself, dear audience) it contains the first on-screen instance of a woman experiencing an orgasm. Perhaps more scandalous: ECSTASY is a film decidedly focused on one woman’s search for emotional and physical pleasure.
Film Center Member Presale: Monday, August 14 - 10:00AM online / 5:30PM box office
General Public: Thursday, August 17 - 10:00AM online / 5:30PM box office