Bondage / Captivity / Interrogation / Torture Scenes in Mainstream Movies

[Baron Von Sade]

T

Thanks for the heads-up, @Venom . I found a dodgy Russian-overdubbed rip online -- the pre-title BATS scene is pretty much the only explicit scene, and as it is quite short (just over a minute), I have clipped and uploaded it below -- apologies for the Russian dub, but there is very little speech in the scene anyway. The dunking scene makes little sense, at least from the Russian-dubbed version I have (I don't speak Russian), and is not much to look at so I haven't bothered with it.

View attachment 1032433

Thank you for this! That scene is awesome!

 

[dommmu]

I heard that it’s on a few streaming services.

As of now, none of the big streaming platforms has it in their portfolio

 

[Jon Smithie]

Witch Hunt (2021)

In present-day alternative USA witchcraft is real, and those practising it are hunted down in a very traditional fashion.

Consequently, the film opens with a BATS scene of adequate realism. Later on a modernised form of the dunking test to expose witches is depict. As an interesting detail the participants are fitted with respirators prior to being submerged -- can't let any innocents drown, now can we?

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As you may already be able to tell by my scarce report, I haven't seen the entire film; only sought out the scenes in question thanks to my fine sense for all things macabre.

I really like the premise--a modern witch hunt in the U.S. Seems plausible enough. Certainly we've had many accusations recently by certain politicians of holding witch hunts.

"Swimming" the witch in an actual swimming pool seems like a great way to repurpose a swimming facility. I assume the authorities would still allow lap swimming and aqua Zumba and meets and such as time permitted, obviously depending on how extensive the infestation of witches was in the area. And why "swim" the witch with her clothes on? If you're going to concern yourself enough with her well being to give her a respirator, surely you would not want her to get her clothes wet. Only if she's innocent, of course. And if she's guilty, she shouldn't be allowed clothing anyway, perverted enemy of God that she is.

But alas, I expect the movie is not particularly explicit in showing nudity. Female nudity, especially in scenes of violence, seems to be taboo in movies these days. But there is historical commentary that witches would be stripped naked and be shaved of all hair to be inspected for witch's marks. Surely a scene in this movie where a suspected witch is screaming in agony as she undergoes a forced Brazilian wax job would be appropriate.

 

[nsur1]

"Swimming" the witch in an actual swimming pool seems like a great way to repurpose a swimming facility. I assume the authorities would still allow lap swimming and aqua Zumba and meets and such as time permitted, obviously depending on how extensive the infestation of witches was in the area. And why "swim" the witch with her clothes on? If you're going to concern yourself enough with her well being to give her a respirator, surely you would not want her to get her clothes wet. Only if she's innocent, of course. And if she's guilty, she shouldn't be allowed clothing anyway, perverted enemy of God that she is.

But that's the bit I don't get in that scene (at least in the Russian dub I've watched) -- the historical dunking test was that the suspect was guilty if she survived dunking, hence would be burned, but innocent if she drowned (sadly dead, but at least her immortal soul was saved). So what precisely does the dunking test show if you give them respirators? They all survive, so they're all guilty?

 

[Jon Smithie]

But that's the bit I don't get in that scene (at least in the Russian dub I've watched) -- the historical dunking test was that the suspect was guilty if she survived dunking, hence would be burned, but innocent if she drowned (sadly dead, but at least her immortal soul was saved). So what precisely does the dunking test show if you give them respirators? They all survive, so they're all guilty?

I believe the test was that if she floated, that is, if water, the baptismal element, rejected her, then she was guilty. If she sank, that meant that water accepted her, and she was therefore innocent. Suspected witches would have a rope tied around them so they could be pulled out of the water, but as I understand, drowning was a danger; regrettable, but as you say, at least the immortal soul was innocent of being in league with the devil. Interestingly, the Germans had it the other way around. If you floated you were innocent. I think this is yet another indication of German efficiency: If she sinks, fuck her.

They test the problem and solve it at one go.

An illustration by Bessonov (L). Note that the thumbs are tied to opposite toes, which is the right and proper way to prepare the accused, and (R) a suspect floating, and therefore failing the test. She is a witch! (At least in America and Britain.)


Dunking, or more commonly ducking, usually involved placing a woman (and it was considered primarily a woman's punishment) in a ducking chair or "cucking stool" and submerging her at intervals, the number of times depending on the severity of the crime. According to Wikipedia it was used on suspected witches but given that the purpose was to test the suspect's response to water, not specifically to drown her, I don't know how the ducking stool would work in that usage. Ducking was a punishment for scolds, disorderly women, prostitutes, women who'd had an illegitimate child, and other comparable crimes.

A ballad from 1615: The Cucking Of The Scold

Then was the Scold herself,
In a wheelbarrow brought,
Stripped naked to the smock,
As in that case she ought:
Neats tongues about her neck
Were hung in open show;
And thus unto the cucking stool
This famous scold did go.[5]

Cucking stool - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It is disappointing that the scold is "stripped naked to the smock" which is not quite what we typically understand on this forum by being "stripped naked," but I suspect is what writers of those times meant by it, whether specifying the smock or not.

I agree with you: the way the ducking stool is used in the movie makes no sense, either as a test to determine if the woman is guilty of witchcraft, or as a social punishment.

 

[doe1971]

Horsehead (FR-2014). New to me.

 

[Jon Smithie]

View attachment 1033253

Horsehead (FR-2014). New to me.

I ran this through my image editing software to see if I can make it a little more clear. This is the best I could do given my current level of competence:



Btw what is it with the blue filters in movies? I see the technique used all the time. I guess it's used to obscure the scene and make it somehow creepier? I thought blue was a calming color.

 

[doe1971]

French cinema is always like the budget ran out before hiring light boys. The blue hue is called derisively 'Windex bottle shot'. Cheap thrills.

 

[nsur1]

View attachment 1033253

Horsehead (FR-2014). New to me.

Thanks for the heads up -- new to me as well, so I've looked it up. The scene is quite a bit more explicit than it looks in that screen shot, complete with nailing hands and feet (some digital red highlights for the blood in all that murky blue) plus a sewn-up mouth which I haven't seen in a crucifixion before. The actress is Gala Besson. No idea if she's a relation to Luc.

View attachment Gala Besson - Horsehead ( 2014 ).mp4

 

[nsur1]

In Horsehead, the blue filter is used as a shorthand to denote that this is a dream (or nightmare) sequence. Here is another use of that trope from 40 years earlier, using a red filter for the same purpose -- Gloria Guida in La Minorenne (1974) in a Spanish Inquisition torture and whipping dream sequence. Disappointingly (for CF purposes), after the end of the clip I've edited, the dream mutates into a Lesbian nun erotic fantasy. Even more disappointingly (by any measure) is that the flogging doesn't even try to be realistic. Still, if you squint hard there is some good torture and crux visual imagery here.


View attachment Gloria Guida - La minorenne ( 1974 )-00.03.11.226-00.03.53.267.mp4

 

[nsur1]

From Patriots (1994, although IMDb says 1996), a truly terrible B movie claiming (implausibly) to be the true story of an American woman travelling to Belfast to join the IRA and being tortured in turn by the British and the IRA. This is the torture scene by the IRA who acuse her of spying for the British SAS. Nice use of forced nudity and stress positions, although I suspect the use of a body double because the actress is hooded throughout so we have no idea if the body matches the lead actress (Linda Amendola).



The movie is on Youtube in full length (although poor technical quality) -- the scene starts at 1:02:10

 

[Venom]

From Patriots (1994, although IMDb says 1996), a truly terrible B movie claiming (implausibly) to be the true story of an American woman travelling to Belfast to join the IRA and being tortured in turn by the British and the IRA. This is the torture scene by the IRA who acuse her of spying for the British SAS. Nice use of forced nudity and stress positions, although I suspect the use of a body double because the actress is hooded throughout so we have no idea if the body matches the lead actress (Linda Amendola).

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The movie is on Youtube in full length (although poor technical quality) -- the scene starts at 1:02:10

Not commenting on the film's apparent shortcomings, I always had a subliminal interest in the Troubles, their historical roots and modern-day implecations.

 

[Venom]

Antidote (2021)

Antidote (2021) - IMDb

Antidote: Directed by Peter Daskaloff. With Ashlynn Yennie, Louis Mandylor, Augie Duke, Yorgos Karamihos. A young woman is held captive in an underground medical facility where selected individuals are perpetually mutilated and then healed using a secret Antidote.

www.imdb.com

Sharyn with a y (Ashlynn Yennie) wakes up in a strange and eerie hospital run by a doctor of similar qualities who is determined to “cure” his patients by means of a mysterious potion. As the main character starts to wander about, she comes in contact with others of her kind, for whom the good doctor had ordered very peculiar treatments. And who’d a thunk, soon Sharyn is scheduled for surgery as well.

That she wakes up to herself being chained to the hospital bed should have been a red flag, but is the least lapse in health care. As the film crawls on, Sharyn has her leg amputated and reattached without anaesthesia, and is finally hanged, so the eponymous antidote can show off its full potential.



Witch Hunt already broke the short tradition of my presenting only films I enjoyed as a film in that I didn’t sit through it. Antidote I watched in its full glory, and let’s say, I took those scenes above as compensation for my time. Not only is the flick ill-paced to the point of boredom, it also often fails to follow its own simple logic.

Next one will be about something well-made again.

 

[montycrusto]

fails to follow its own simple logic.

I’m always amazed at how many movies (of all genres) fail hard at this.

 

[FrankO]

I’m always amazed at how many movies (of all genres) fail hard at this.

For mine ... If I see any movie that is 'written and directed by' (whoever), I avoid it like the Plague (and in these days of COVID that's saying something).

 

[Venom]

For mine ... If I see any movie that is 'written and directed by' (whoever), I avoid it like the Plague (and in these days of COVID that's saying something).

Actually... I manage to get a rather good quota out of such constellation, maybe 40/60 leaning towards bad. At least chances are higher that the director has actually a slight idea of what his or her own film shall be about. I am standing under the impression that on some big budget projects the reels are already halfway at the cinemas when the director arrives at the set.

 

[Baron Von Sade]

For mine ... If I see any movie that is 'written and directed by' (whoever), I avoid it like the Plague (and in these days of COVID that's saying something).

Why? So many of the best movies are like that.

 

[prtn]

This is a great thread

Two recent posts by @Jon Smithie in the Tied Up thread gave me the idea for this new one. I used the search function of the forum but could not find out if there was already a similiar thread like this.

I would like to ask you to share scenes from movies you know (and hopefully like) that fit the following criteria
- The scene is from a mainstream movie or show (not a porn)
- The scene has at least one of the topics: bondage, captivity, interrogation or torture
- The scene should have part- or full-nudity (who of us doesn't prefer this?)

 

[doe1971]

I'm chronologically selective on movies, rather than "'written and directed by' (whoever)". For the very simple reason that anything later than 2017 has irremediably been corrupted by #metoo movement and its puritanical excesses that induced a near total drought of nudity in movies made later than that. And since I like my bondage-in-movies-scene to contain as much skin as possible, that's a good criterion to lower my expectation accordingly.

I found scenes of nudity recently only in European cinema (but not British, they are some of the worst offenders in this respect) or Asian. (Almost) never from North-America where this cancer is rampant.

 

[Venom]

I'm chronologically selective on movies, rather than "'written and directed by' (whoever)". For the very simple reason that anything later than 2017 has irremediably been corrupted by #metoo movement and its puritanical excesses that induced a near total drought of nudity in movies made later than that. And since I like my bondage-in-movies-scene to contain as much skin as possible, that's a good criterion to lower my expectation accordingly.

I found scenes of nudity recently only in European cinema (but not British, they are some of the worst offenders in this respect) or Asian. (Almost) never from North-America where this cancer is rampant.

True words...