Walter: The secret life of a victorian pornographer

Walter: The secret life of a victorian pornographer

20000h 52m

Documentary

Overview

The story of the sexual memoirs of a Victorian gentleman who revealed himself as Walter. He documented his liaisons in a frank series of journals which ran to eleven volumes and 1.5 million words, titled 'My Secret Life'. Within the journals he documented details of his liaisons, the names of the women, their social standing, and their conversation. For a century, this material was considered obscene, its publication illegal. Today, however, it's seen as a unique insight into Victorian social and sexual mores, providing valuable information on class, gender, marriage, fidelity and morality. This film looks at the dark life of 'Walter', and examines the way his journals have shaped contemporary understanding of Victorian society. The film also examines the mystery that has surrounded this story - who exactly was 'Walter'? The film asks whether he could have been Henry Ashbee, a wealthy London gentleman who was obsessed with sex and attained a pornographic library of over 15,000 volumes.

Pieces
Alone
Playpen of the Damned
Boys Beware
A Way made for Two
Vive La France
Radio Silence
Thinking XXX
Square One
Blake and Gwen: Now and Then
His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th
The ABCs of Book Banning
9to5: Days in Porn
To Be Destroyed
The Heart of Man
Forbidden Films
The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality & Relationships
An Open Secret
Los prohibidos
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