Hi, I work for a large mobile telecomms company. I live in Oxford but was born in Toronto, Canada. ...
Hi, I work for a large mobile telecomms company. I live in Oxford but was born in Toronto, Canada. Engaged to a lovely guy from Birmingham (see Sonatine on Ciao [love you babes xx]). Love playing guitar & midi keyboards when I can afford it. Have 2 ca...
Member since:03.01.2001
Reviews:86
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Taken from the book, "Siege at Trencher Farm" by Gordon Williams, and turned into a provocative script by David Goodman and director, Sam Peckinpah, Straw Dogs became one of the most controversial movies of the 70s & 80s even though the film itself disappeared from the box office on its first release in 1971.
Anyway, to the story: a weak minded American mathematician (Dustin Hoffman) chooses the quiet life out in the English country based around Cornwall with a rather frisky wife who wants more from her husband than just equations. Amy (Susan George), is known to the locals and flaunts her sexuality both to flirt with the local men but also to see if this will spark any interest from Hoffman.
The story moves on, the local thugs become more and more determined to not only beat the hell out of Hoffman because he is an outsider as well as being fortunate enough to be married to such a beautiful young woman as Amy; but more controversially, to repeatedly gang rape Amy, with devastating & overly violent results at the end.
The video for this was banned in the UK in 1984 when the Government of the time introduced "A Video Nasties Bill" owing to the fact the a lot of films were being released to the relatively new fangled toy called VCR. None of these films had passed through the BBFC (the film censors) and therefore remained uncut. So the Government took the drastic measure of banning nearly everything of a rather gratuitous and/or sexual nature.
My boyfriend legally bought "Straw Dogs" for a fiver in 1983 even though it is still technically illegal for us to own it.
As to the reason for this prohibition: I can only guess the rather graphic rape scene, in addition to the gratuitous violence at the end of the movie. Why the censors couldn't have simply erased the rape completely or at least sanitised it sans graphic detail, I don't know because for me the pace & plot of the film would not have been lost without these unnecessary distractions.
When I first saw the video last year I was quite shocked at the rawness of the film; I found it hard to believe that local hooligans would be so determined to create so much havoc, mayhem and distress to a relatively subdued couple.
I have seen many of Peckinpah's films and in nearly all of them I can understand the nature & the need for the primitive-like violence, especially from the "Wild Bunch", where the wild west was a living hell anyway.
But in Straw Dogs I felt he had lost the plot at an early stage. The message was made clear to all of us more or less right at the beginning, we didn't need to have it repeatedly rammed down our throats with more graphical signposting.
The rape (and this was no ordinary rape but what appeared to be buggery) was totally unnecassary, in fact the entire treatment of Amy is unacceptably sexist & ugly. Peckinpah could have held back and instead used subtle hints rather than brutal closeups to get the message across, but the end result is nothing more than a voyeur's trip of a lifetime.
Similarly the violence at the end: again totally over the top and explicit and probably would never happen in real life, and that's the problem with this film. The sense of revenge is taken wholly out of context to be replaced with excessive violence that seems completely out of place, especially in deepest Cornwall!
Hoffman probably feels quite guilty about this film 30 years on. He tries to convince as the weak teacher turned homicidal maniac past his breaking point, but somehow we are left in a state of disbelief. And to some extents he deserves some punishment for the way he treats his own wife.
Of course this film was made during the end of the swinging 60s where sex, violence & pretty girls equalled strong box office. It would be a sad reflection on the great Peckinpah if these considerations played on his mind during the making of this rather ugly unfashionable movie.
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Very solid opinion. I liked this film but I can well see why you found it disturbing. Cheers.
Howiemon 18.02.2001 02:53
Never seen this but after reading your review I'm now certain that I never will. Sounds horrible! But like Seteo says, a potent and well structured opinion as we've come to expect from you DS. More please...
DiazX 13.02.2001 16:16
Superb op, it pulls no punches about what is supposed to be a cult classic.
According to critic Pauline KaelStraw Dogswas "the first American film that is a fascist ... more
work of art". Sam Peckinpah's only film shot in Britain is adapted from a novel by Gordon M Williams calledThe Siege of Trencher's Farmwhich Peckinpah described as...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
According to critic Pauline KaelStraw Dogswas "the first American film that is a fascist ... more
work of art". Sam Peckinpah's only film shot in Britain is adapted from a novel by Gordon M Williams calledThe Siege of Trencher's Farmwhich Peckinpah described as...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Available for home viewing in the UK for the first time in almost 20 years Sam ... more
Peckinpah's notoriously controversial 1971 classic STRAW DOGS will be released completely uncut on this Special Edition DVD. Based on Gordon M. Williams's novel The Siege ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Straw Dogs [1971] [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78536003.jpg "Straw Dogs [1971] [DVD]")
![Straw Dogs [1971] [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78496737.jpg "Straw Dogs [1971] [DVD]")
Feb 12th, 2001
(Feb 23rd, 2001)
very helpful by (100%):
