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A review by laura_zurowski
Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch
3.0
"The moral of the tale is this: whoever allows himself to be whipped, deserves to be whipped."
By today's standards, "Venus" is rather PG-13 and more about soul-crushing emotional dependency than a portrayal of scintillating sexual role playing. Regardless, the characters are a bit like objects in a painting - beautifully illustrated on the surface but lacking personal depth - and it's never clear what Wanda's or Severine's true emotions are. Is there any authentic connection lurking underneath the layers of their sub-dom relationship or is their attraction limited to their inversely proportional desires?
And so it goes with Venus in Furs... I'm a bit surprised someone hasn't turned Sacher-Masoch's tale of love, desire, and S&M into a full-on Marie Antoinette-style Hollywood punk-rock costume drama. Seriously, can't you picture a titian-hair Kirsten Dunst administering the shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather to Jason Schwartzman while Johnny Thunders' Hurt Me gently cascades in the background? ;-)
Fortunately, this one is a quick read, so you can easily satisfy your curiosity and be done with it.
By today's standards, "Venus" is rather PG-13 and more about soul-crushing emotional dependency than a portrayal of scintillating sexual role playing. Regardless, the characters are a bit like objects in a painting - beautifully illustrated on the surface but lacking personal depth - and it's never clear what Wanda's or Severine's true emotions are. Is there any authentic connection lurking underneath the layers of their sub-dom relationship or is their attraction limited to their inversely proportional desires?
And so it goes with Venus in Furs... I'm a bit surprised someone hasn't turned Sacher-Masoch's tale of love, desire, and S&M into a full-on Marie Antoinette-style Hollywood punk-rock costume drama. Seriously, can't you picture a titian-hair Kirsten Dunst administering the shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather to Jason Schwartzman while Johnny Thunders' Hurt Me gently cascades in the background? ;-)
Fortunately, this one is a quick read, so you can easily satisfy your curiosity and be done with it.