Chip Kaufmann’s Pick:

The Story of O (1975)

With all the publicity, furor, not to mention box office success of 50 Shades of Grey (over $250 million globally so far), it seems only fitting to recall a much better film that essentially covers the same ground but was not nearly as big a success.

It’s hard to believe that it has been 40 years since Just Jaeckin’s Story of O first appeared. Based on the 1954 underground French erotic novel by Pauline Reage’, this Franco-German production was considered so scandalous that it was slapped with an X rating meaning that it could only play in so-called porno theaters outside of the big cities.

The outrage was not only over the basic premise of a young woman submitting herself to the world of BDSM but that 1) she enjoyed it, and 2) the film was as stylish and beautiful as a Masterpiece / BBC production which, critics of the time said, made that world look highly desirable. Unlike 50 Shades, O had to settle for publicity in Playboy and Penthouse not People magazine and Vanity Fair.

For those who didn’t read the novel or see the movie because they weren’t mainstream fare back in 1975, the story is as follows. A young fashion photographer (billed simply as O) is taken by her boyfriend to a French chateau where she meets an older aristocratic gentleman (Sir Stephen) and is subjected to a number of sadomasochistic practices including bondage, whippings and even having her backside branded with his initials.

There are also a number of sexual encounters with all the major characters on several occasions. Finally after surviving every trial she is put to, O asks Sir Stephen if he would be able to endure what she has endured for love and he says he doesn’t think he could. In a feminist ending different from the book’s, she brands his hand with her cigarette holder leaving a perfect circle or “O”.

The film contains lots of soft focus photography with several stylish sets and features an international cast, including French actress Corrine Clery as O, and former British heartthrob Anthony Steel as Sir Stephen. What was given an X rating originally, passed without cuts for its mainstream DVD release in 2000. While this film is not for everyone, and obviously not for young, impressionable minds, it delivers the goods in a way that 50 Shades of Grey only hints at.

Michelle Keenan’s Pick:

The Guard (2011)

With the recent DVD release of John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary, as powerful and disturbing a film as you’re ever likely to encounter, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit McDonagh’s comic side, displayed in his action comedy The Guard.

The Guard was one of the most overlooked movies of 2011, at least on this side of the pond. Now that it’s been out on DVD for awhile, I’ll site St. Patrick’s Day as an excuse to recommend it to you this month although no such excuse is really needed.

For me, The Guard was the most enjoyable and laugh-out-loud funny films to come down the pike in a good while. Written and directed by McDonagh, brother of Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psycopaths), The Guard offers far more levity and is more easily digestible than either of those films and certainly more than Calvary.

The film stars Brendan Gleeson (also the star of Calvary) as Gerry Boyle, a rather unorthodox, non-conformist police sergeant in rural Connemara. When a drug smuggling investigation inadvertently teams straight laced, by-the-book African-American FBI agent Wendel Everett (Don Cheadle) with Sergeant Boyle, hilarity and a head count ensue.

Cheadle plays straight man to Gleeson’s politically incorrect antics. I suppose one could say that Gerry is innocently racist (by cultural perception, not by personal belief or conviction) which somehow makes his remarks appallingly funny rather than just appalling. How Cheadle keeps a straight face is anyone’s guess. His deadpan ‘you-didn’t-just-say-what-I-thought-you said’ looks play well of Gleeson’s innocuous comments.

A fantastic supporting cast provides a lively if not unusual ensemble to flank our heroes. Fionnula Flanagan as Sergeant Boyle’s dying mum is a hoot. Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, and David Wilmot make the funniest trio of philosophizing bad guys since Pulp Fiction.

The Guard is a must see for those who enjoy a dark Irish comedy. It is also one of the best vehicles for Brendan Gleeson’s talents. Not one bit of script or storyline is wasted. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then you won’t be disappointed.