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The best sex scenes of all time don't come from Hollywood

Joshua Rothkopf
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Joshua Rothkopf
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Sex. Watching it can sometimes come close to having it—and once in a while, it's superior. But Hollywood can't take credit for creating the best sex scenes in movies. Time Out's global film team have ranked the 100 best sex scenes of all time (not unpleasurable work), and found independent and foreign films make up the vast majority of the list.

There's no mild naughtiness in our picks: We're talking about the truly groundbreaking sex scenes from the entire history of cinema, just in time for Valentine's Day. Clothes are shed. Shame is shed. And what won? Bernardo Bertolucci's ceaselessly controversial 1972 romance Last Tango in Paris, pictured, was voted as having the most groundbreaking sex scene of all time. (In case you haven't seen it, that's the one with Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider and a stick of butter.) But delve through the list. There's plenty of competition. Some other interesting takeaways: Though Hollywood films are a minority, some still rank as highly as No. 4 (Brokeback Mountain) and No. 8 (Basic Instinct). Animation is represented several times, with such films as Fritz the Cat (No. 55) and 1928's notorious Eveready Harton in Buried Treasure. And we even found room for Charlotte Rampling and a chimpanzee with the provocative Max Mon Amour (No. 21).

It's time to get exploring (maybe not at your work desk). Did we forget your favorites? Let us know with a love note.

RECOMMENDED: Our list of the 100 best movie sex scenes ever made

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