Pornography in Hungary

Katalin Vad, known under the screen name of "Michelle Wild", was one of the leading pornographic actresses in Hungary between 2001 and 2004.

The history of pornography in Hungary mainly dates from the period after the fall of communism in 1989. The production and distribution of pornography was illegal under their Socialist system, but the laws were liberalised with the fall of the Hungarian People's Republic. Permissive government policies soon propelled the country to the forefront of the European pornography industry. Several foreign directors were attracted to the country's liberal legislation. Eventually, domestic producers began to prosper as well, and several actresses made big names for themselves within the industry.

History

During the communist era, pornography was considered a product of Western decadence, and was illegal.^[1] The laws were liberalised with the fall of the Hungarian People's Republic.

Characteristics

Pornography produced in Hungary is distinctive from the more ubiquitous American pornography in several ways. A number of young women tried to seek their fortune in the capital. As the highly successful performer Mya Diamond says: "I come from a small village. I wanted to flee poverty and help my brothers and my mother financially."^[2] This results in women appearing much more natural than their American counterparts, with the absence of most forms of body modification, like surgical enhancement, tattoos or piercings.^[3]

Producers and performers

Christoph Clark was a pioneer in the development of Hungarian pornography.

The pioneers within the Hungarian pornography industry were foreign producers who were attracted to the country because of the favourable economic conditions and the steady supply of attractive female performers. The French actor and director Christoph Clark claims to have been the first, when he moved to Budapest as early as 1991.

Initially, female performers were relatively anonymous; they were identified only by first name and normally used only for a few movies. The production companies wanted to avoid name recognition, in order to keep wages at a low level. Gradually, however, certain performers started to emerge as stars with a following among viewers. Because of the international distribution of films shot in Hungary, most performers choose internationally sounding screen names, such as Nikki Anderson (Swedish), Monique Covét (French) or Michelle Wild (English).^[4] Wild, whose real name is Katalin Vad, managed to cross over into mainstream stardom, and became an actress on the television soap opera Jóban rosszban.^[5]

See also

• European pornography
• Prostitution in Hungary

References

1. Bohlen, Celestine (1990-05-12). "Evolution in Europe; Sex Magazines and Massage Parlors Test Hungary's New Limits". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
2. Picón, Pedro (2008-05-27). "'Buda-sex' and the Hungarian porn industry". Café Babel. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
3. Sigel (2005), pp. 185–6.
4. Sigel (2005), p. 185.
5. "Michelle Wild (I)". IMDb. Retrieved 2009-10-21.

Sources

• Sigel, Lisa Z. (2005). "The Hungarian Example". International Exposure: Perspectives on Modern European Pornography, 1800-2000. Rutgers University Press. pp. 178–204. ISBN 0-8135-3519-0. Retrieved 2009-10-21.