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Le coucher de la mariée

Le Coucher de la Mariée (Bedtime for the Bride(?)) is a silent film supposedly shot in 1896.[1] It is believed to be the first pornographic film ever made. All that remains of the seven-minute film is the first minute and thirty seconds, which the Wikipedia article (as of 8 August 2014) states "includes merely foreplay."[2]

The film was directed by the mysterious early filmmaker Albert Kirchner under the pseudonym "Léar," and made for the photographer Eugéne Pirou. It consisted of actress and cabaret performer Louise Willy undressing while an unknown actor sits in the room with her. According to an archived article from the English newspaper The Observer, the first minutes were found in a vault in the Centre National de la Cinematographie near Paris in about 1996.

Despite being known as the first pornographic movie, few references to this film can be found, and the Internet Movie Database lists several movies with the same title from about the same time.[3] It is likely these are foreign release dates for the same film.

Ironically, Albert Kirchner, in collaboration with film historian Michel Coissac, produced the twelve-scene Passion du Christ (The Passion of Christ) in 1897,[4] which also appears to be lost. This makes Kirchner not only the first pornographer, but also the first director to depict Jesus in a film.