I've been exploring European "Golden Age" adult films from the 1970s, and the quality is impressive––far superior to most other porn I've seen. A standout example is the Josefine Mutzenbacher series, set in a beautifully recreated 19th-century Prussia. The costumes, settings, and actors all feel very authentic and visually stunning. According to Wikipedia, it has been descibed as an "all-time foreign favorite" and "one of the best porns of all time".

What's remarkable is the prevalence of homoerotic themes and playful camaraderie among men (a.k.a "high jinx"), despite being aimed at a heterosexual audience. Here are a couple of scenes I found (I'd attach GIFs, but that's probably against the sub's rules):

• In a lively tavern, a courtesan is subtly fondled by a young hussar and an older gentleman under the table, each unaware of the other’s advances. The older man, mistaking the hussar’s hand for the woman’s, guides it toward his genitals. The hussar, unable to object without revealing the situation, has to comply.

• A male band of musicians assist a shy young man in having sex, by physically lifting and rocking him back and forth with a woman until he finishes, singing and playing music to encourage him along.

• A group of young hussars have a playful contest to see who can ejaculate onto the buttocks of the watching courtesans. Afterwards, they all danse with the women and each other, fully clad in military uniforms, with only their penises hanging out and swinging.

• Cavalrymen race each other on horseback, while one hussar has a women sit in front and penetrates her. As he wins the race, the hurried rhythm of horseriding causes him to climax, and he falls behind. The woman then switches to another rider, and after sharing drinks and laughs, the race continues.

The films feature plenty of other scenes having sex while engaging in camaraderie——bantering, sharing drinks, competing, or performing Brüderschaft, etc.

I may be reading too much into this, but it seems like a reflection of a broader culture shift towards a more rigid and binary view of sexual behaviour over the past 50 years. While there is no actual man-on-man sex here, friendly, even intimate, interactions among men are normalised in a way that feels refreshing. Another example that comes to mind is how, not long ago, it was common for all men at the YMCA had to swim (and sometimes be photographed) fully naked (1, 2) without it being seen as unusual.