July was Classics Month on Kinkstarter, so we discussed a whole bunch of books; movies; and even a theater show that falls in the category. This week we look back so I can give you the TL/DR version; my three favorite “classic BDSM movies you have to watch before you die.”
Venus in Fur
This film is basically a brilliant dialogue on a stage. Director Thomas is casting actresses for a play based on the classic novel Venus in Furs. The character Wanda asks for a sexy, seductive, and dominant woman, which apparently is hard to find amongst the actresses in Paris. Just when he gets frustrated, actress Vanda walks in. Slowly but surely she takes all the qualities he has been looking for in the actresses and turns them against him. This film falls squarely in the category “classic BDSM movies” because of both the director (he did Rosemary’s baby) and the book it was based on. But the chemistry between the two (only) actors as well as their sheer skill should make this a classic movie of its own. Also, this film has plottwists and, surprisingly, suspense. It really is a must-see.
Secretary
Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader teach us about the possible benefits of work-place kinkiness in the classic BDSM movie Secretary. Spader is the original Mr. Grey, a dominant lawyer who has a hard time staying professional after hiring Lee Holloway to be his secretary. Lee is an immature and inexperienced young woman who, through the sadomasochistic relationship with mister Grey, learns about herself; her desires; and how to make your own decisions. Though not without its issues, this movie will make you gasp; sigh; smile; and maybe, if you’re not careful, will even make you cry.
Quills
If you have never heard of the Marquis de Sade, you will have to go back to kink-school. (Or maybe that’s exactly why you are here?) This guy wrote a buch of books about two hundred years ago. His books were so sadistic, that Napoleon imprisoned him and they had to invent a new term (sadism was named after him). This, of course, makes for a great story. So why not put together Geoffrey Rush and Kate Winslet and tell that story? For the classic BDSM movie Quills (2000), they did exactly that. It shows the Marquis de Sade, who is basically imprisoned in a mental institution. They forbid him from writing, but with the help of washer girl Kate Winslet, he keeps writing and smuggling out books so they can get published. The actors are great, the story is surprising, and you never know who to root for. This film is not so much romantic, does not really have kinky sex, but still there cannot be any doubt that this is a classic BDSM movie.