Is There Sex After Death?
A 1971 mockumentary answering: 'No, only affection.'
Is There Sex After Death? is a 1971 mockumentary and mondo film. The film follows Dr. Harrison Rogers of the Bureau of Sexological Investigation as he drives through New York City in his Sexmobile, searching out luminary figures in the world of sex. The movie answers its title question with: 'No, only affection.'
Quick Facts
- Director
- Alan Abel / Jeanne Abel
- Producer
- Alan Abel / Jeanne Abel / Michael Rothschild
- Writer
- Alan Abel / Jeanne Abel / Buck Henry
- Starring
- Buck Henry / Robert Downey, Sr. / Marshall Efron / Holly Woodlawn / Jim Moran / Earle Doud / Larry Wolf
- Cinematography
- Arthur Albert / Gerald Cotts
- Editing
- Jeanne Abel
- Released
- 1971
- Runtime
- 102 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film features a cast including Alan Abel as Dr. Harrison Rogers, Buck Henry as Dr. Louise Manos, and Marshall Efron as Vince Domino. Other appearances include Holly Woodlawn, Robert Downey Sr., James Randi as a seance medium, and Mink Stole as a dominatrix. James Dixon portrays Richard Nixon. The film was praised by critic Vincent Canby of The New York Times, who called it 'anarchic, superficially dirty, often crude, and so exuberant that it sometimes doesn't know when to stop' but also 'very, very funny.' Ron White of the San Antonio Express-News highlighted its comedy as arising from 'satire, the juxtaposition of the incongruous, and dead-pan treatments of the ridiculous.'
Reader's Guide
Is There Sex After Death? holds significance as a 1971 mockumentary that blends satire and mondo film elements. Its reception was mixed: while critics like Vincent Canby and Ron White praised its humor, Mary Rita Kurycki of Democrat and Chronicle found parts a 'bore,' and Martin Malina of the Montreal Star called it 'so outrageously funny that I cannot help but recommend it.' The film sparked controversy in 1980 when the ON TV pay channel aired it on WXON in Detroit. Station manager Aben Johnson, alerted to sex and nudity, canceled a second airing, substituting Saturday Night Fever. Although ON TV's policy forbade X-rated films, Is There Sex After Death? had not been rated by the MPAA until 1975, when it received an R rating. WXON never showed the film again on its ON TV affiliate, which closed in 1983.
Did You Know?
- James Randi appears in the film as a seance medium.
- In 1980, WXON station manager Aben Johnson canceled a second airing of the film after being alerted to its sex and nudity content.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Is There Sex After Death?
It is a 1971 mockumentary-style mondo film in which a fictional sexologist drives around New York City interviewing various figures in the world of sexuality. The film wraps up its central inquiry with the deadpan line, 'No, only affection.'
Who stars in Is There Sex After Death?
Alan Abel plays Dr. Harrison Rogers of the Bureau of Sexological Investigation, the film's on-screen host. The supporting cast features Buck Henry, Holly Woodlawn, Robert Downey Sr., James Randi, and Mink Stole.
What's the answer to the title question in Is There Sex After Death?
The film's punchline is simply 'No, only affection,' delivered as its final verdict on whether sex persists after death. That single quip sums up the mockumentary's tone of faux-scientific curiosity undercut by dry wit.
What is the Sexmobile in Is There Sex After Death?
The Sexmobile is the vehicle Dr. Harrison Rogers uses to cruise Manhattan while conducting his field research on sexual topics. It functions as the film's roving backdrop, stitching together his interviews with various sex-world luminaries.
What MPAA rating does Is There Sex After Death? have?
The film went ungraded at its initial 1971 release and was not assigned a classification until 1975. At that point it received an R rating from the MPAA.
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