Garden of Eden

Garden of Eden is a vintage classic film produced in 1954 with the cooperation of the American Sunbathing Association (the predecessor to the American Association for Nude Recreation.) From the closing credits: “This picture was produced with approval of the American Sunbathing Association and supervised by its executive director, Norval E. Packwood.

From a historical perspective this film is must see for anyone interested in naturism and the height of nudist practice in the United States.

The acting in the film is solid.  The story holds together well despite some minor contrivances to address the sensibilities of the day. The film’s production quality was likely high for its day but it has suffered with time. Even the digitized version on Amazon has all artifacts from the old film including the less than vivid color typical to films of that era. Despite those unavoidable undistracting flaws, the overall quality of the film is great.

Clips of Garden of Eden are floating about the internet. Amazon Instant Video had the full length movie available for streaming. It can be streamed for free with an Amazon Prime membership.

making of Garden of Eden

Garden Of Eden was not without controversy. In 1956 the NY state censorship board refused to issue a license, calling the film “indecent”. After a series of challenges, the State Court of Appeals finally granted them the right to screen the film on July 3, 1957

Gallery photo on the making of the film from naturist vintage