STACK NZ June 2015 Issue 63

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What was it that surprised you about the book?
I was very, very vaguely and naively aware of
the BDSM subculture. I do not want to say I am
well versed in the subject now, but I know more
about it. But I did not know how massive it was. It
is becoming bigger and people are becoming more
aware of it. I also learned a lot more about the
psychology of it… The biggest thing that it boils
down to is the gain or the release of control.
How difficult was it to shoot?Was it ever
awkward or embarrassing?
Of course it was awkward and embarrassing at
times. It is not easy to do sex scenes. I am sure
everybody says that. At first it is scary. But the
set is closed, there aren’t many people, and Sam
had created such a safe, protective environment.
We tried to strip away all of the anxiety of what
we were doing, to really master the art of these
scenes… The biggest thing was that we did not
want it to look like you were accidently watching
people have sex. For the viewer, it is supposed
to be a sensual environment, like you were
watching this story in your imagination
and how you would see these scenes.
How did you find the right tone for the
movie?Was that a difficult thing to maintain
throughout the shoot?
No. I actually think that Sam Taylor-Johnson and
(DOP) Seamus McGarvey did an incredible job with
that. They understood how private these moments
are. You do not feel wrong when you watch it.
You do not feel dirty. You feel protected. Seamus
is such an incredible director of photography that
the way that these scenes are shot they are really
just beautiful. They are very elegant. They are very
classy. So I do not think they were worried about
it. I think that if they were, they probably would not
have done the movie.
What is your ideal love story?
My favourite love story is Harold and
Maude (1971).
9 ½ WEEKS
Businessman Mickey Rourke dominates art
gallery assistant Kim Basinger in Flashdance
director Adrian Lyne’s ‘80s erotic drama. He
blindfolds her and feeds her stuff from the
fridge; she dances seductively to Joe Cocker’s
You Can Leave Your Hat On.
SECRETARY
“Mr. Grey will see you now.” Lawyer Edward
Grey (James Spader) that is, whose new
secretary (Maggie Gyllenhaal) discovers
her job description includes being spanked
whilst reading letters aloud.
MAITRESSE
A young Gerard Depardieu learns the, er,
ropes of the BDSM scene after he breaks into
the home of a professional dominatrix. This
1975 French flick features some rather painful
practices – some of which are definitely not
simulated. Bring out the gimp!
NYMPHOMANIAC
In Lars von Trier’s episodic arthouse-porn epic,
sex addict Charlotte Gainsbourg enlists the
services of sadomasochist Jamie Bell, whose
tools of the trade include a spanking glove filled
with coins. Ouch!
THINK KINK
The Divinyls declared there’s "a
fine line between pleasure and
pain”. These four films dare to
explore it.
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DVD&BD FEATURE