The Better Sex Guide to the Kama
Sutra includes a 60-minute CD of Eastern-flavored music and a DVD of sex
instruction.  The main feature on the
DVD is a 50-minute demonstration of twelve positions from the Kama Sutra, along
with some explanation of the ideas in the work.  There is also a shorter "making of" film that explains
how the couples in the main film were chosen and instructed, and how the whole
film was made.  The DVD has high
production values and is obviously aimed at heterosexual couples.  It is explicit, but is very different from
most pornography. 

The instruction is set in a nicely
furnished studio, with curtains hanging around the set, a large circular bed,
flowers and ornaments used for decoration, and many candles creating a softer
atmosphere.  The lesson is introduced by
a woman speaking calmly and thoughtfully, and there are occasional cuts to Professor
Prakash Kothari, from the Department of Sexual Medicine Seth GS Medical College
in Bombay, who cheerfully explains a few things about some of the
positions.  The camera work is
professional, showing the couples in whole body, without focusing on the genitals.  The camera is often moving slowly, shifting
its perspective around the couple to it is possible to see how the body parts
are placed for the different positions. 
Soft music plays in the background. 
The DVD is split up into separate chapters, one for each position, so it
is possible to select a particular position to learn from. 

The guide includes several
attractive couples, probably in their late twenties or thirties.  While they all have slender healthy bodies,
they do not have obvious artificial enhancements and they look quite
normal.  One of the most startling and
pleasing parts of the editing is the way it gracefully cuts from one couple to
another practicing the same position, at least for some positions.  (In the "Making of" part, it explains
that it was not always possible to more than one couple to accomplish some of
the more challenging positions, and different people have different
strengths.)  The shifting from one
couple to another, especially at the start, is quite unusual and helps to focus
more on the position than any particular couple. 

Some of the positions require
flexibility and body strength, and a few of them are illustrated performed with
additional apparatus, such as a swing hanging from the ceiling to hold the
woman in place.  However, there’s no
reason why those of us with less perfect bodies and without special
contraptions could not also try most of these positions. 

The DVD spends little time on the
more general philosophy concerning the relationships between men and women that
guides the Kama Sutra, and so it is very "action-oriented."  Couples wanting to know more about the
system of thought behind the sexual positions will have to look elsewhere. 

For those who are looking for a
relatively tasteful and well-informed DVD demonstrating new positions, The
Better Sex Guide to the Kama Sutra is worth considering.  As an explanation of sexual philosophy of
Eastern cultures, it is extremely light with very little detailed information,
and there’s hardly any attention paid to emotional issues, but as a tasteful
demonstration of sex, it is done well. 

© 2005 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved.

Link: Sinclair
Intimacy Institute

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is
Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island, and editor
of Metapsychology Online Review.  His main research is on
philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: Movies, Sexuality, SelfHelp