The real Anthony Comstock was a prude of the first order, but he was also a man who knew how to get things done. In 1866 he formed the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, and by 1873, had succeeded in getting the U.S.Congress to pass the "Act of the Suppression of Trade in, and Circulation of, Obscene Literature and Articles of Immoral Use" commonly known as "The Comstock Act".
The Comstock Act was used to suppress erotic art and literature (Comstock boasted about the number of "libertines" that he had driven to suicide,) as well as making the distribution of birth control information a crime. In 1914, women's reproductive health pioneer Margaret Sanger was prosecuted under the Comstock Act, with Anthony himself in attendance.
Anthony Comstock is widely acknowledged as history’s greatest censor. As a special, unpaid Postal Inspector for the U.S. government, he was responsible for the destruction of an estimated 160 tons of literature and photos. Among the destroyed material were novels now considered masterworks of the English language, information on birth control, and medical text books. In addition to his campaign against all materials that addressed sex, Comstock also campaigned against modern art and literature, which he labeled “impure.” Nearly 100 years after his death, the ghost of Anthony Comstock still casts a long shadow over our cultural and sexual landscape.
Comstock Films is founded in memory of Anthony Comstock, and dedicated to using film to celebrate the freedoms and pleasures he fought so hard to suppress. We are pleased to offer films that revel in the pleasures of sexual relations between consenting adults. We hope that viewing our films, either alone or with a loved one, will move you to revel in the pleasure of your own sexuality.
