ada the leading man is my tpye

Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Polaris_DiB Going into this movie, I was expecting a slightly typical "man finds subculture, man gets involved with subculture, man gets obsessed with subculture" story that tends to involve such things as this film portrays, S&M and the like. Actually, though the story is slightly structured along those lines, this movie has the audacity to bring something completely new into the mix: less a focus on the weirdness and ambiguity of a stigma subculture and more an analysis of an awkward kind of love... but a love it is.What's interesting in this movie is the relationship between the two leads--it's actually a very healthy and loving relationship, a better portrayal of a good relationship than I've seen in most movies and even in real life. These two actually seem to care for each other, make sacrifices for each other, and even when making mistakes forgive each other. What more could you ask for? The upstairs/downstairs imagery in this movie tends to provide analyses of "one world/other world" in reviews, but I'd like to point out that it's when the two of them leave the apartment entirely and go out into the forest (make their own world, so to speak), that they finally are completely together. Depardieu eating the horse meat may be a symbol of his need to be a victim too, but ultimately the relationship is not consumed by the alternative desires of the world below--the direction a narrative of this type tends to go. The two of them are ultimately not obsessed so much with the lower level or secure in the upper level as they just need somewhere to just be themselves, something they provide to each other but not get from others (Depardieu's character's subjection to peer pressure, Olgier's character's lack of actual sexual contact with her customers).The portrayal of S&M gets a lot of attention, of course, but I agree that Schroeder and his cinematographer did it very well... not too close and not too far. It's strikingly nonjudgmental and unemotional, leaving the drama and analysis to the characters and what it means to their relationship. It's a strong feat considering the aforementioned stigma.--PolarisDiB

p-hynes Story of the power struggle of a professional Dominatrix and her Alph- male boyfriend. Olivier (Gérard Depardieu)is the brutish & confused sponger boyfriend trying to show who's boss to Ariane, the professional Dominatrix. Despite their new relationship his interfering starts to make things difficult for her 'buisiness', aspects of which are shown in graphic style like a slave getting his bits nailed to a piece of 2 by 4. Also interesting to note is that S&m today doesn't seem much different than it was in '76 (note the ballet shoes & other accoutrement's).A great film, photography and story-wise(but which could have done without the horse slaughter scene). However if I could edit out other parts of this film also, it would be the hulking Neanderthal thug Depardieu depicts (admittly well). Then I would watch this film a million times just for seeing the beautiful Bulle Ogiers Ariane.

Moe Tavern *** NB: THIS COMMENT MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. ***The costumes in particular are dismayingly authentic and convincing, recalling original fetish heroine Diana Rigg in 60's TV series 'The Avengers.' Spike-heel ankleboots, trousers, corset, cloak and gloves all in the sleekest of black leather; add to this a purple velvet shawl, a perfect black wig and Bull Ogier's timeless bemused innocence, and a masochist's screen starlet is born. Her spot-on kinkiness is, if anything, a more cultivated progression on her English predecessor: one gruesome episode aside, she does precisely all the things you wished Emma Peel would do. In short, Schroeder's feature's impact is greatest at its most simple and straightforwardly visual i.e. when Arianne dons the leathers, wields her whips and coolly dispenses the sport to her minions. If (like me) this is your chief interest in the film - and it might well be - then yes, certainly, do seek it out.

virbox The big virtue of this movie is that it is a real movie, with a real story and a reasonable plot, with remarkable actors, which gives a nice introduction to some BDSM practices and lifestyle in quite a credible movie.I really recommend it if you want to raise the topic of BDSM with someone...