Sadism and Masochism in Fiction - Mainstream Films

Mainstream Films

Consensual BDSM is not generally depicted accurately or sympathetically in mainstream films, to say the least; however, film-makers often find some way to incorporate BDSM imagery into many films. The following films feature BDSM as a major plot point, not just as an exploitative add-on.

Art movies:

  • The Whip and the Body (La Frusta e il Corpo) (1963), directed by Mario Bava and starring Christopher Lee and Daliah Lavi
  • Belle de jour (1967), directed by Luis Buñuel and starring Catherine Deneuve
  • De Sade (1969), directed by Cy Endfield and starring Keir Dullea and Senta Berger
  • Venus in Furs (1969), directed by Massimo Dallamano and starring Laura Antonelli and Régis Vallée
  • Marquis de Sade: Justine (1969), directed by Jess Franco
  • The Libertine, (La Matriarca) (1969)
  • Eugenie... the Story of Her Journey into Perversion (1970), directed by Jess Franco
  • The Frightened Woman (1969), directed by Piero Schivazappa
  • Eugenie de Sade (1970), another Jesus Franco adaptation of de Sade
  • Daughters of Darkness, (Le Rouge aux Lèvres) (1971), directed by Harry Kümel and starring Delphine Seyrig and John Karlen
  • The Nightcomers (1971), directed by Michael Winner and starring Marlon Brando and Stephanie Beacham
  • Last Tango in Paris (1972), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider
  • Justine de Sade (1972), directed by Claude Pierson
  • The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, (Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant) (1972) directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
  • Flower and Snake (花と蛇 - Hana to Hebi) (1974), directed by Masaru Konuma and starring Naomi Tani
  • The Night Porter, (Il Portiere di notte) (1974), directed by Liliana Cavani and starring Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling
  • School of the Holy Beast (1974), nunsploitation classic starring Yumi Takigawa
  • Wife to Be Sacrificed (生贄夫人 - Ikenie Fujin) (1974), directed by Masaru Konuma and starring Naomi Tani
  • Story of O (Histoire d'O) (1975), directed by Just Jaeckin and starring Corinne Cléry
  • The Image (The Punishment of Anne) (1975), directed by Radley Metzger
  • Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma) (1975), directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini
  • Maîtresse (1976), directed by Barbet Schroeder starring Gérard Depardieu and Bulle Ogier
  • Blood Sucking Freaks (The Incredible Torture Show) (1976)
  • Sadomania (1981), directed by Jess Franco
  • Lady Libertine (Frank and I) (1983), directed by Gérard Kikoïne and starring Sophie Favier
  • A Woman in Flames (Die Flambierte Frau) (1983)
  • Crimes of Passion (1984), directed by Ken Russell and starring Kathleen Turner and Anthony Perkins
  • Seduction: The Cruel Woman (Verführung: Die grausame Frau) (1985)
  • Blue Velvet (1986), written and directed by David Lynch and starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper and Laura Dern
  • 9½ Weeks (1986), directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke
  • S&M Hunter (1986)
  • Marquis de Sade's Prosperities of Vice (1988), Japanese "pink" film by Akio Jissoji
  • Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990), directed by Pedro Almodóvar and starring Antonio Banderas and Victoria Abril
  • Tokyo Decadence (Topazu) (1991), directed by Ryu Murakami and starring Miho Nikaido
  • Bitter Moon (1992), directed by Roman Polanski and starring Hugh Grant, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Peter Coyote
  • Spanking Love (1994)
  • Venus in Furs (1994)
  • Conspirators of Pleasure (1996), directed by Jan Švankmajer
  • The Bondage Master (1996), a Japanese indie film directed by Keisuke Konishi
  • Dark Prince (1996) (starring Nick Mancuso as the Marquis de Sade)
  • Dark Secrets (1997)
  • Of Freaks and Men (Pro urodov i lyudej) (1998)
  • Lies (Gojitmal) (1999)
  • Moonlight Whispers (Sasayaki) (1999)
  • Romance (Romance X) (1999), directed by Catherine Breillat and starring Caroline Ducey and Rocco Siffredi
  • Quills (2000), directed by Philip Kaufman and starring Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix and Michael Caine
  • The Piano Teacher (La Pianiste) (2001), directed by Michael Haneke and starring Isabelle Huppert and Benoît Magimel
  • Secretary (2002), directed by Steven Shainberg and starring James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal
  • Bettie Page: Dark Angel (2004), a biopic starring Paige Richards
  • The Dominatrix (2004), British drama on the life of a career dominatrix
  • Going Under (2004)
  • The Passion of Life (2005)
  • A Year Without Love (Un año sin amor) (2005), directed by Anahi Berneri
  • The Notorious Bettie Page (2006), a biopic directed by Mary Harron and starring Gretchen Mol in the title role
  • Hounded (Verfolgt) (2007), directed by Angelina Maccarone
  • The Pet (2006), a woman (Andrea Edmondson) agrees to live like a pet dog for her master (Pierre Du Lat)
  • New Tokyo Decadence – The Slave (2007), directed by Osamu Satō and starring Rinako Hirasawa and Kikujiro Honda
  • SM-rechter (2009), Belgian drama based on a real life case
  • Pimp (2010), British drama with Kate Sissons as a fetish video performer
  • Leap Year (Año bisiesto) (2010), Mexican drama directed by Michael Rowe

Comedy:

  • The Choirboys (1977), directed by Robert Aldrich
  • Eating Raoul (1982), directed by Paul Bartel and starring Mary Woronov
  • Personal Services (1987), directed by Terry Jones and starring Julie Walters
  • Exit to Eden (1994), directed by Garry Marshall and starring Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Aykroyd
  • Preaching to the Perverted (1997), directed by Stuart Urban and starring Guinevere Turner and Christien Anholt
  • Tomcats (2001)
  • Walk All Over Me (2007), starring Tricia Helfer as a dominatrix and Leelee Sobieski
  • Modern Love is Automatic (2009), bored nurse moonlights as a dominatrix

Thrillers:

  • Videodrome (1983), written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring James Woods and Deborah Harry
  • Tightrope (1984), directed by Richard Tuggle and starring Clint Eastwood and Geneviève Bujold
  • Basic Instinct (1992), directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone
  • Body of Evidence (1993), directed by Uli Edel and starring Madonna and Willem Dafoe
  • 8 mm (1999), directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Nicolas Cage and Joaquin Phoenix
  • The Cell (2000), directed by Tarsem Singh
  • Ichi the Killer (2001), directed by Takashi Miike
  • Killing Me Softly (2002), directed by Chen Kaige

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