Movies

The 4 best scenes from the ‘Golden Age’ of porn

Lots of New Yorkers say they miss the old Times Square. Now they can prove it.

Starting today, The East Village’s Anthology Film Archives is launching “In the Flesh,” a film festival showcasing gems from the so-called “Golden Age” of adult cinema, spanning the early 1970s to the early 1980s.

These films, which often played in Times Square theaters, existed in a window after the soft-core exploitation films of the 1960s, such as Russ Meyer’s, and before the hard-core world of home video porn, which took off in the mid-1980s.

The Golden Age movies often had high production values and expansive story lines.

“These movies seemed like Hollywood films that just happened to have sex in them,” says curator Casey Scott.

The festival begins this week with four films and will return with more in March. All four of this week’s offerings were shot in New York, as many adult films were back in the 1970s, Scott says. Many of these productions even got permission from the mayor’s office to shoot (nonsexual) scenes on the city’s streets.

All of the films will be screened in 35mm, and Scott says prints are extremely rare.

“We had a list of titles that we really wanted to do, and some we had to eliminate, because we couldn’t find prints,” he says.

Lovers of the genre will no doubt be happy with what he did find.

“I wouldn’t say these movies are approaching mainstream respectability, but they have developed a cult following,” Scott says. “There are a lot of really good films, really well-made films.”

Here’s the rundown, with Scott picking a favorite scene from each.

“High Rise,” 1973

Plot: An unhappily married woman is advised by her psychologist to show up at a random apartment building, start knocking on doors and have sex with whomever answers.

Fun fact: This was the first adult film to have an original score. The funky title theme was sung by Rhetta Hughes, a singer and Broadway star.

Favorite scene: “There’s a very long orgy sequence that’s not very graphic, but it’s very stylish with bright, flashing lights. It’s highlighted by a 16-minute version of the theme song. It’s incredible to see that scene. It’s like a really long music video.”

Thursday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m.

“Through the Looking Glass,” 1976

Plot: An unhappily married woman develops a twisted relationship with a mirror in her attic, speaking to the ghost of her dead father.

Fun fact: In the UK, the sex scenes were cut and the movie was released as a mainstream horror flick; it hit the top 10.

Favorite scene: “I like the opening pre-credits sequence, where the leading character is getting her hair done at a salon. It opens with a shot of her in a peel-away mask, and you see flashes of these images from her mind. It’s well-edited and scored.”

Friday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m.

“Take Off,” 1978

Plot: Like a porno version of “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” an adult-film actor is kept eternally young over the decades by his stag reel from the 1920s.

Fun fact: “This is like the ‘Gone With the Wind’ of adult films,” Scott says. “It’s an hour and 40 minutes long, which is epic for an adult film.”

Favorite scene: “There’s a scene set in the 1950s that features Peter Scolari [of “Bosom Buddies”] in his first role ever. Some juvenile delinquents are harassing a girl in a bikini, and a hero, who’s like James Dean, comes along and saves her. Scolari plays one of the delinquents. You can see him in the trailer.”

Saturday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m.

“Wanda Whips Wall Street,” 1982

Plot: A woman arrives in New York and sets her sights on taking over a major company by sleeping her way to the top.

Fun fact: Rumor has it that a scene was shot guerrilla-style on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Favorite scene: “There’s a scene where Tish Ambrose, who plays Wanda’s girl Friday, is trying to convince Ron Jeremy not to stop Wanda from taking over the company by seducing him. The message in this movie is really timely. You want to see Wanda screw these business moguls over.”

Monday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m.