Ecstasy

Ecstasy (original title Extase), directed by Gustav Machatý and starring an 18 year old Hedy Lamarr (then still known as Hedy Kiesler), is a Czechoslovak film considered the first mainstream film to depict female orgasm symbolically. It was condemned by the Vatican, and the Hays Office refused to grant it a seal of approval despite ten months of lobbying; it's cited as the first film ever blocked from entering the US by Customs, and it was banned in numerous American states. Despite this, the film earned Machatý the Best Director award at the second Venice Film Festival in 1934. Hedy Lamarr later moved to Hollywood, and in 1942 she and composer George Antheil patented a frequency hopping spread spectrum technique now considered a conceptual foundation of modern WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS technology. Who it's for: anyone curious about a classic film that sparked massive scandal while also winning a Venice award, whose lead actress later went down in history as an inventor. Who it's not for: viewers wanting an uncontroversial classic, since this film was banned nearly everywhere on its release.