BY LEE PFEIFFER
"Sex is only dirty if you're doing it right."- Woody Allen
Well, "Fifty Shades of Grey" has finally opened and- predictably- it looks to be an international blockbuster. All over the world, BDSM ("Bondage, Discipline, Submission and Masochism", for the uninitiated) will be the flavor of the week as couples dabble in getting naughty. But the very notion that the real world of this peculiar sexual fetish could be accurately presented in a none-threatening, Harlequin romance-like manner is negated by the fact that the film is rated R and has been released by a major studio. True, there was a brief period of time when major movie studios did push the envelope in terms of depicting raw sexual freedoms. Bertolucci's "Last Tango in Paris" was made over forty years ago but would be considered un-releasable by the Hollywood suits who run the industry today. Even United Artists, which had the courage to distribute the X-rated sensation back in the day, tried to have it both ways by re-issuing the film a few years later in a "safe", R-rated version, which was about as pointless as re-cutting "The Sound of Music" and eliminating the songs. As with the source novel, the film version of "Fifty Shades" will become a sensation with people who think they're being daring by tying up their giggling partner to a bed post while playfully spanking them. Meanwhile, look for this Disneyfication of a sexual fetish to reach into other mediums- especially network television, which hasn't produced a truly original idea in decades. You can almost see the executives sitting around the long tables trying desperately to figure out how to work a bondage and discipline theme into mainstream fare:
"Hey, let's do a kinky TV remake of "My Fair Lady". We can have the leading actress sing "The Pain in Spain Falls Mainly in the Plain"!
"Forget that, we have to find out how to merge this stupid Duck Dynasty craze in with kinky sex. How about reviving "The Beverly Hillbillies" and calling the lead characters the Clamp-etts?"
It all leads to the question of whether any sexual practice can still be edgy if you can picture your parents and grandparents indulging in it. Small wonder that those who participate in the "real" world of BDSM have scoff at the pure vanilla depiction of their fetishes in "Fifty Shades".
Anyone who considers for a minute whether to explore the world of sado-masochism would be well-advised to see director Christina Voros's 2013 documentary "Kink", which has just been released on DVD, appropriately, by Dark Sky Films. The movie, produced by actor James Franco, caused a buzz and won acclaim on the film festival circuit (including Sundance) for its unstinting look at how BDSM is marketed to those who find it stimulating. Director Voros deserves praise for going all the way and not sanitizing the shocking depictions of these dark and generally sinister practices. The film makes no judgments either for or against those who indulge, but concentrates entirely on the business aspect of marketing BDSM-themed videos. The movie centers on the company Kink.com which is located in a gigantic building in San Francisco that was once used as an armory. The company's founder, Peter Acworth, an affable, forty-something Brit, relates how he got very wealthy by catering to people's darkest sexual desires. He takes us on a tour of the cavernous facility, pointing out that the foreboding nature of the huge, empty rooms suits his purposes just fine, as they provide ready-made film sets. The film observes some productions- in- the making, both straight and gay-themed. Voros interviews both cast members and directors, all of whom take their work very seriously and take pride in turning out slick, professional productions. It becomes abundantly clear that this is no longer your father's version of S&M films, which were generally relegated to old B&W 16mm loops in which naked guys in black socks and garters lamely "whipped" bored actresses, who had one eye on their wristwatch to see when quitting time was. Within the bowels of the Kink building, any number of productions are going on simultaneously. A surprising number of the directors are females, including at least one butch lesbian. They come across as generally intelligent and likable. All of the participants maintain that the secret to Kink.com's success is that they only hire real life adherents of BDSM both in front of and behind the cameras. They have female casting directors who go through a massive array of available "talent" to weed out actors who might only be motivated by money. The theory is that such individuals can't fake finding pleasure in pain and generally have to be fired. Other actors are eliminated because of objections from the leading actresses. (One male co-star is eliminated on the basis that "He's a vagina hog- he never wants to get out!") Acworth states with pride that his productions are also very well monitored in attempts to ensure that all participants are healthy and enthused. He acknowledges that there is a certain danger of someone going too far and hurting a submissive, especially when said submissive routinely cries "Stop!" but really means "Keep going!" Thus, every submissive must employ a "safe" word that, if uttered, means that all action must cease immediately. The film humanizes the participants in this peculiar practice as much as possible. In between takes on a film in which a woman is being ravaged by a group of men, the cast chats amiably about such mundane topics as organic diets and the lure of a good chicken pot pie. A few minutes later, we watch people willingly subject themselves to almost unspeakable tortures. A gay "bottom" is submerged in a bathtub while an innocent-looking young woman is violated by a sex toy mounted on what can only be described as an automated piece of industrial machinery. This is not for the squeamish. Voros doesn't go so far as to show actual penetration, but doesn't hold back on showing full frontal nudity and sexually aroused males.
Midway through the movie I began to have concerns that Voros was presenting this world in a rather non-objective manner, making it appear as though it's all fun and games. However, a female director bluntly dismisses any such notions. She states that the industry is extremely superficial and that most "lifespans" of those who appear in these productions is about twoyears. By then you are considered yesterday's news and fresh faces and bodies are required to keep viewer's insatiable demand for this product. She also admits that the industry is populated largely by "lost souls" who seem to using their interest in BDSM as a temporary oasis while they try to deal with their personal demons. A young hunk claims he dropped out of UCLA despite being an honors student because he didn't like the conformity of college life. He seems to miss the irony in that, while he disdained being bossed around by professors, he has willing enlisted as a submissive slave in sex films in which he is consistently ordered around by people a bit more demanding than academics who may challenge his knowledge of a history assignment. Some of the people interviewed came from troubled backgrounds and broken families. Others claim they had normal upbringings. One gorgeous young woman maintains that she had a typical middle-class family life but couldn't resist giving into S&M fetishes she has had since she was a teenager. She makes a poignant case for tolerance by saying "Everyone should do what they love as long as it doesn't hurt anybody." That's fine in theory if your sexual fetishes are kept to the bedroom. However, one can only wonder what the parents and siblings of these participants think about their willingness to be degraded on screen for the "enjoyment" of countless, faceless viewers. Surely that might qualify as hurting somebody. Had "Kink" not been confined to the inner workings of one company, it would have been interesting to explore exactly how the people who appear in these films interact with their families. Have they been shunned or are they accepted? The mind reels at what the dinner table conversation must be like over Thanksgiving dinner.
Voros also takes us behind the scenes to a business meeting wherein Peter Acworth discusses trends with his team in a manner that a CEO of any mainstream company would do. It's rather amusing to see them debate about why certain fetish videos are declining in sales while others are skyrocketing. He is perpetually jovial throughout the film and even shows off his own kinky side by displaying a "humorous" painting he had commissioned showing him at an orgy, frustrated by temporary impotence while his mother (yes, his mother!) is getting all the action.
It should be said that "Kink" is loaded with prurient factors and its DVD release, which is close to opening of the "Fifty Shades" film, cannot be considered a mere coincidence. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating, bold look at a sub-culture that most of us would prefer to keep on the fringes. Viewing the movie requires a very liberal attitude to deviant sex practices and, at times, a strong stomach as well. You may be enthralled or appalled- and then again, you may be fit to be tied.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON
CLICK HERE TO VIEW TRAILER
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO CINEMA RETRO MAGAZINE!