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BDSM as depicted in pop culture....


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There aren't many sadomasochist characters in movies and film, are there? I can only think of two off the top of my head. One is a character who briefly appeared on HBO's Six Feet Under. He dated the main woman, I forget her name. Brenda? She was turned off when he told her he was into BDSM.

 

The other was an online critic in the HBO show Entourage. He was going to write a negative review of Vincent Chase, and to stop him, the entourage sent a few porn stars with strap-ons to stop him from running it.

 

Neither one of them were particularly flattering depictions of submissives. Can anyone remember others?

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There aren't many sadomasochist characters in movies and film, are there? I can only think of two off the top of my head. One is a character who briefly appeared on HBO's Six Feet Under. He dated the main woman, I forget her name. Brenda? She was turned off when he told her he was into BDSM.

 

The other was an online critic in the HBO show Entourage. He was going to write a negative review of Vincent Chase, and to stop him, the entourage sent a few porn stars with strap-ons to stop him from running it.

 

Neither one of them were particularly flattering depictions of submissives. Can anyone remember others?

 

There are plenty of films and television that depict BDSM and fetish...

 

"Sex and the City" had a politician into watersports.

 

SHOTIME has "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" also with watersports and other fetishes; they also have an Australian series about a brothel called "Satisfaction" featuring a house mistress who has clients into infantilism, latex, and others. The "L WORD" flirted with kink and watersports. "Californication" has some borderline stuff.

 

NIP/TUCK on F/X has had its share of "interesting" characters and their kinks.

 

In film you have plenty of Art House films:

 

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Tokyo Decadence

The Notorious Bettie Page

Salo

Maitresse

The Night Porter

Quills

Secretary

8mm (though, this paints a more unrealistic dark side with snuff films and such)

Bitter Moon

The Story of O

The Image

practically any movie by Catherine Breillat.

 

Also, there are a lot of hard "R" foreign films since the 70s that deal with the subject. Japan especially has a lot, and many have recently made it to DVD in the states. Some of these movies are legit films, while other sorta borderline on Soft Porn.

 

That's just to name a few without doing a search, or thinking too hard.

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CSI has a recurring character, a "Mistress Willow" I think her name is, who intrigues and fascinates the lead investigator, Grissom ( or at least seems to appeal to his "dark side.") She occasionally advises him on cases and helps him determine motivation and methodologies of various criminal perpetrators. The network channels all seem to march in lock step in their portrayal of BDSM. I'm referring to shows like CSI, Law & Order, Criminal Minds, etc. The "politically correct" consensus is that all these BDSM folks are sick and twisted, were inevitably abused as children, and will no doubt all end up as serial killers unless given the proper therapy and counselling. The irony is that all of these shows, while preaching from the pulpit, seem to be, at the same time, voyeuristically wallowing in all of the depravity. I usually feel the need to watch some good old fashioned porno after watching any of these network programs. It just seems more healthy and life affirming then this repressed and twisted projection of desire that the mainstream continually perpetrates. Overall, the mainstream culture's attitude toward BDSM is basically the same as its attitude was towards homosexuality years ago, that is, that it was an aberration that need to be fixed. Nowadays it seems its more widely accepted that gay people are simply wired differently, emotionally and psychologically, and in years to come BDSM may be viewed in the same light.

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Just did some research and found out the BDSM character on CSI is actually called "Lady Heather" ( not "Mistress Willow" as stated in my previous post.) Apparently she has appeared in 6 or 7 episodes where there seems to be some sort of story arc regarding her relationship with Grissom. I've only seen two of the episodes myself but now I've peeked my own curiousity about viewing the rest of them.

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"Secretary" is one of my favorite films ever. It is all about bdsm in lifestyle and not so much an isolated fantasy. I just love the control and vulnerability of the characters, especially James Spader's character, Edward Grey. When Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, Lee, discovers Edward's carefully concealed and revealed perversions, she finds a place for her own psychological darkness to rest. They journey through lust, shame, guilt and obsession together and eventually come to the perfect dominant/submissive relationship.

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"Secretary" is one of my favorite films ever. It is all about bdsm in lifestyle and not so much an isolated fantasy. I just love the control and vulnerability of the characters, especially James Spader's character, Edward Grey. When Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, Lee, discovers Edward's carefully concealed and revealed perversions, she finds a place for her own psychological darkness to rest. They journey through lust, shame, guilt and obsession together and eventually come to the perfect dominant/submissive relationship.

 

 

I'd like to hit Maggie Gyllenhaal with a fungo bat.

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Just did some research and found out the BDSM character on CSI is actually called "Lady Heather" ( not "Mistress Willow" as stated in my previous post.) Apparently she has appeared in 6 or 7 episodes where there seems to be some sort of story arc regarding her relationship with Grissom. I've only seen two of the episodes myself but now I've peeked my own curiousity about viewing the rest of them.

 

Regarding Lady Heather, there is one episode where Catherine goes to her house to ask her about something. She knocks on the door and is surprised when Grissom answers. It is implied that he spent the night, but i don't think anything beyond that is revealed regarding what type of physical relationship they may or may not have and how far it may or may not have gone.

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"Secretary" is one of my favorite films ever. It is all about bdsm in lifestyle and not so much an isolated fantasy. I just love the control and vulnerability of the characters, especially James Spader's character, Edward Grey. When Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, Lee, discovers Edward's carefully concealed and revealed perversions, she finds a place for her own psychological darkness to rest. They journey through lust, shame, guilt and obsession together and eventually come to the perfect dominant/submissive relationship.

 

 

I'd like to hit Maggie Gyllenhaal with a fungo bat.

 

LOL Did you see "Away We Go"?

 

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"Secretary" is one of my favorite films ever. It is all about bdsm in lifestyle and not so much an isolated fantasy. I just love the control and vulnerability of the characters, especially James Spader's character, Edward Grey. When Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, Lee, discovers Edward's carefully concealed and revealed perversions, she finds a place for her own psychological darkness to rest. They journey through lust, shame, guilt and obsession together and eventually come to the perfect dominant/submissive relationship.

 

 

I'd like to hit Maggie Gyllenhaal with a fungo bat.

 

LOL Did you see "Away We Go"?

 

 

I'd like to hit Maggie Gyllenhaal twice with a fungo bat.

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"Secretary" is one of my favorite films ever. It is all about bdsm in lifestyle and not so much an isolated fantasy. I just love the control and vulnerability of the characters, especially James Spader's character, Edward Grey. When Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, Lee, discovers Edward's carefully concealed and revealed perversions, she finds a place for her own psychological darkness to rest. They journey through lust, shame, guilt and obsession together and eventually come to the perfect dominant/submissive relationship.

 

 

I'd like to hit Maggie Gyllenhaal with a fungo bat.

 

LOL Did you see "Away We Go"?

 

 

Looks like one of those crappy Lifetime movies.

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How did I forget Videodrome, with Debbie Harry? It is one of my favorite David Cronenberg films, of whom I am a big fan. And of course his movie Crash, based on the book by J.G. Ballard. A lot of his older work dealt with the body, pain, and technology. Also forgot to mention Blue Velvet.

 

Also, just popped into my head, the many Nunsploitation and Women-in-Prison (WIP) movies, from the 70s/80s.

 

A few:

 

  • Sins of Sister Lucia (Japan)
    School of the Holy Beast (Japan)
    Bamboo House of Dolls (China)
    Female Prisoner: Caged (Japan)
    Marquis De Sade's Prosperities of Vice (Japan)
    Chinese Torture Chamber Story (Hong Kong)

 

These aren't so much BDSM/Fetish films, but more so trash/sleaze/grindhouse flicks that have those elements. Of course, thee are many WIP films from the U.S. and Europe, as well.

 

Most of these can be found on HKFlix.com, Amazon.com, and even Netflix.com

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dean...

 

Maitresse

The Night Porter

Secretary

The Story of O

 

I've seen these. The Night Porter was on a wish list of my special Japanese Mistress several years ago. Secretary was loaned to me by Submissive Kitty. The Story of O was made in the 80's if I'm not mistaken, and I remember her full bush of pubic hair: something that seems to be completely out of fashion now.

 

Dannyboy

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"Secretary" is one of my favorite films ever. It is all about bdsm in lifestyle and not so much an isolated fantasy. I just love the control and vulnerability of the characters, especially James Spader's character, Edward Grey. When Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, Lee, discovers Edward's carefully concealed and revealed perversions, she finds a place for her own psychological darkness to rest. They journey through lust, shame, guilt and obsession together and eventually come to the perfect dominant/submissive relationship.

 

 

Dear mZ,

 

There is just something special that I really love, in reading posts in which you review films of this nature and absorbing all the details of what you liked about them, most probably because these are the kinds of scenario's, which I have fantasies about living out with you. I honestly can't wait for your descriptive review of Salo!

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