The Immoral Mr. Teas

The Immoral Mr. Teas is the first commercially successful film of director Russ Meyer.

Etymology

The name "Teas" is of course a homonym of the word tease, and one of the meanings of tease includes to sexually excite another person by subtle means, usually explicitly avoiding advancement to more potentially consequential erotic situations.

Background

Before this film was released the only moving pictures exhibiting extensive nudity were either underground (covertly produced and distributed) pornographic films, typically distributed "under the counter" in 16 mm black and white movies, or naturist pictures, openly displayed in specialized movie theaters, usually under the cover of exhibiting the fun and freedom of nudism in naturist reserves (nudist camp). These "ASA" (American Sunbathing Association) "approved" pictures always included at least one "babe" (slang for a beautiful woman) - usually a character being newly introduced to the joys of naked communal camp living - naked swimming, naked canoeing, naked volleyball, etc, with the emphasis on how free and natural the lifestyle is. The extras appeared to be genuine naturists - especially considering how out of shape most of them were.

A breakthrough

The "Immoral Mr Teas" was the first "above ground" movie to show female nudity without the pretext of naturism. It is considered to be the first genuine skin flick. This movie exhibited a wry humor and an admirable respect for the beauty of the female form - comparable to impressionist sculptors.

The movie consists of a series of short scenes. In a sense, no one is naked - we only see the nudity through the viewpoint and vivid imagination of Mr. Teas. Mr. Teas' mental constructions extend beyond the nudity (always exclusively of female characters) - there is an underlying surrealism in Mr. Teas' imagination that results in a number of genuinely bizarre situations.

What followed

The next stage in female nudity was the beaver flick - pictures that openly showed female pubic hair - something that had been prohibited from delivery by the United States Postal Service, even for distribution of fine arts photographic prints - even those by famous photographic artists such as Edward Weston.

From there as it is said, things went downhill fast, ultimately surpassing the coarseness of the previous underground movies and finally striking bottom with the openly displayed bestiality film Animal Lover.

It was finally the rise of video technology that legitimized pornography among the populace as it then became a private, rather than a public matter. With the rise of the internet, the circle has made a full turn, with pornography once again a matter of public controversy. It is arguable that the nudity seen in The Immoral Mr. Teas is now considered completely unremarkable by modern Hollywood "R" rated movie standards and as things are progressing may soon be considered to be only "PG-13".

A typical scene

Template:Spoiler Mr. Teas attends an appointment with his dentist, who must unfortunately perform an extraction of a major molar. Naturally, the dentist has an assistant - a stunningly beautiful yet modestly dressed assistant. The application of analgesics appropriate to the procedure quickly releases Mr. Teas' fertile imagination. We now see the scene through this viewpoint. Rather than the typically equipment cluttered dental office we are on a set - only a dentist, a dental chair, Mr. Teas, and the assistant are present - against a stark and simple background. Only now, the assistant is completely nude. As the procedure is completed the dentist removes the molar from Mr. Teas' mouth - but rather than only a small object in the extraction pliers the molar has the appearance of a single staghorn with a number of points. The body of the "molar" is white, while each tip is colored a bloody red. Mr. Teas has paid a price for his lustful imagination.