When considering the idea of libertinism, the Marquis de Sade is one of the first historical figures that comes to mind. A libertine is potentially radical, although this could have positive and negative connotations. One who strives to satisfy any ...
Read More »Legacies of Sade: The Ages of Lulu (1990) and Juliette’s Spanish Daughters
“I like the idea of putting my life in your hands.” —The Marquis de Sade, Juliette This is the first essay in a new Diabolique column that will concern all things related to the Marquis de Sade: French writer, philosopher, ...
Read More »Exploring de Sade and Gothic Horror in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser
Contained within the synopsis from The Books of Blood by Clive Barker is the phrase “Be thankful if your skin crawls. It means you’re still alive.” It’s a fitting introduction to the work of one of the most creative people who’s ...
Read More »Episode 22: Immoral Tales, Part 2: Jess Franco
Download MP3 Kat and Samm continue their series inspired by Cathal Tohill and Pete Tombs’ cult cinema bible, Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies 1956-1984. This time they explore the work of prolific but divisive Spanish director Jess Franco, ...
Read More »Post-War Perversion in Italian Cinema: From Visconti to Pasolini, Part Three
In 1975 Pier Paolo Pasolini executed the final blow of his long career as an artist, intellectual, journalist, philosopher, poet, and filmmaker before himself being brutally murdered: Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (1975) aka Salò, or the 120 ...
Read More »Vice and Virtue (US Blu-Ray Review)
Based on Marquis de Sade’s Justine (or The Misfortunes of Virtue), Vice and Virtue (1963) transposes the setting of its source text to that of German occupied France during the final years of World War II. Director Roger Vadim says ...
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