Rape and revenge

Last updated
Rape and revenge
Years active1970s–present
LocationInternational; started in Sweden and United States
Major figures I Spit on Your Grave , Irréversible , The Virgin Spring
Influences European art cinema, Exploitation film
Influenced Feminist film, New French Extremity

Rape and revenge, or rape-revenge, is a horror film subgenre characterized by an individual enacting revenge for rape or other sexual acts committed against them. Rape and revenge films are also commonly thrillers or vigilante films.

Contents

Notable for its graphic depiction of violence, rape, torture, and sexual imagery, rape and revenge films have attracted critical attention and controversy, often gaining a cult following and retrospectively associated with the New French Extremity, underground cinema, and arthouse cinema. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Themes and characteristics

"Rape and revenge" was the pioneer and, so far, most controversial film hybrid-genre of the mid-20th century that focuses on the main protagonist. It has pioneered and is considered controversial for the portrayal of female (main) characters who become anti-hero(s)/vigilante(s) that engage in a vicious plot to eliminate the perpetrator/rapist(s) who have harmed them. There is some debate as to whether or not the revenge must be carried out by the assault victim to be considered part of this genre, or if it may be carried out by their loved ones as well [ citation needed ].

Each early films rose in prominence in the 1970s and relied heavily on the shock value of brutal rape scenes, followed by the even larger shock of the main character's sadistic revenge. [5]

History

The genre stems from a fascination with revenge in western culture, beginning with the descriptive tragedies of the Greeks and continuing in Elizabethan England (by Thomas Kyd and William Shakespeare). This desire for revenge or to experience revenge has also been the catalyst of many horror films and novels in general, not just those dealing with sexual assault and rape.

The hybrid-genre's most well known and well labeled works are from the latter half of the 20th century, except the 1931's film A Woman Branded , which is about a woman who was raped and contracted venereal disease and seeks revenge on the man who raped her. It is possibly considered as the earliest precursor of the "rape and revenge" subgenre, retrospectively [ citation needed ].

The Virgin Spring

In 1960, the term ''rape and revenge" was coined in Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring, considered the earliest film and precursor of the subgenre; the film is about a father who seeks vengeance on three herdsmen for the rape and murder of his daughter. According to director Ingmar Bergman, inspiration for the film came from the legend of Per Töre, which he read as a student. Per Töre has seven daughters who fall victim to seven rapists. He was also heavily influenced by Japanese cinema, being particularly a fan of Rashomon (1950). [6]

After the release of the same film in Sweden, the 1973's film Thriller – A Cruel Picture definitively codified the ethics and development of the genre, although the film was permanently banned in the same country. [7]

Influences and pioneers

The Last House on the Left, depicted rape and graphic violence, drew substantial attention and is considered one of the pioneers in the subgenre. Last House on the Left trailer screenshot.jpg
The Last House on the Left , depicted rape and graphic violence, drew substantial attention and is considered one of the pioneers in the subgenre.

After the following U.S. release of The Virgin Spring, it inspired Wes Craven's debut The Last House on the Left , which is the base of both Bergman's film and Swedish ballad "Töres döttrar i Wänge". [8] [9] Like the Bergman's film, the plot of The Last House on the Left is carried by the two victim's parents exact vengeance to the criminals. In some cases, the film was more brutal and controversial than the Bergman's film, due to explicit rape and mutilation.

In the United States, it continues to produce several rape and revenge films in the 1970s including Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs , Michael Winner's Death Wish , Lamont Johnson's Lipstick , and Meir Zarchi's I Spit on Your Grave ; some of them are mainly screened in mainstream theaters, while others were screened independently in underground cinemas as exploitation films.

In addition to American films, rape and revenge films have been made in the Philippines (e.g.; Lino Brocka's Insiang ), Japan (e.g., Takashi Ishii's Freeze Me ), Finland, [10] Russia ( The Voroshilov Sharpshooter ), Argentina (e.g., I'll Never Die Alone; [2008]; original title: No Moriré Sola), and Norway (e.g., The Whore [2009]; original title: Hora).

Several female directors have tried their hand at the genre to subvert its codes including Virginie Despentes' Baise-moi (2000), Coralie Fargeat's Revenge (2017), Jennifer Kent's The Nightingale (2018), and Emerald Fennell's Promising Young Woman (2020), the latter revitalized the subgenre and garnered multiple awards and nominations. [11]

Some of the films, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Promising Young Woman, are subverted examples of the subgenre where a character was raped and murdered off-screen before the protagonist seeks revenge, although both films lack the use of graphic violence and onscreen rape. [12]

Motifs of the subgenre, meaning that without being claimed as belonging to the genre, sometimes appears as a subplot in films to take up the codes at one point such as Stanley Kubrick's Clockwork Orange , Gaspar Noé's Irréversible , Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill , Lars von Trier's Dogville , and Paul Verhoeven's Elle . [13] [14]

Explanation of the subgenre

Rape and revenge films generally follow three simple rules of the plot as a narrative structure, nearly similar to three-act structure;

  1. Rape: The main character / victim is (violently) raped and maybe further abused, tortured or left for dead; the perpetrator(s) sometimes consider the victim dead.
  2. Return: There are two optional decisions whereas to survive or not.
    • The main character is heavily devastated by the victim's death.
    • The main character / victim is barely survived, but still devastated, and may rehabilitate themselves under psychological circumstances.
  3. Revenge: The main character (and optionally a third-party) exact vengeance and engage a plot to eliminate their rapist(s).

In Irréversible, the structure was reversed, with the first part depicting the revenge before tracing back the events which led to that point. Roger Ebert argues that, by using this structure as well as a false revenge, Irréversible cannot be classified as an exploitation film, as no exploitation of the subject matter takes place. [15]

Notable films

Reception and legacy

The Virgin Spring received polarized reviews from critics, but subject to censorship since its U.S release, and later won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, marked the first rape and revenge film to win an Academy Award. [21] In retrospective years, the film renewed positively and expressed inspiration of several films, described as a relatively auspicious heritage to rape and revenge films. [22]

The subgenre has attracted critical attention and controversy, especially when it is akin to horror cinema – is probably one of the most controversial genres, accused of voyeurism and complacency by its detractors. [1] [2] [3] [4] Much of this critical attention comes from feminist critics examining the complex politics involved in the genre and its impact on cinema more generally. More recently, a broad analysis of the rape-revenge genre and concept was published in Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study, by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. The book argues against a simplistic notion of the term "rape-revenge" and suggests a film-specific approach in order to avoid generalizing films which may "diverge not over the treatment of sexual assault as much as they do in regard to the morality of the revenge act". [23]

Rape and revenge films, like many horror films, cause controversy by making the audience complicit in the violence of the story. Because of this, both old and new films of the genre struggle with the balance of creating a realistic story that forces the audience to confront the horrifying reality, not putting so many horrifying things on the screen as to isolate your audience, and not making light or sexualizing the horrifying topics that do end up in the film. [24] The controversy stems from the fact that films in the genre can often be accused of using the moral of the story as a pretext to justify extremely graphic murder and rape scenes. For example, I Spit on Your Grave, notable for its controversial depiction of extreme graphic violence and depictions of gang rape, sparked controversies with feminists protesting the movie and people accusing the movie of glorifying rape. The Motion Picture Association of America tried to prevent the film's producers from using the R rating. After the association gave the film an R rating, the producer of the film added rape scenes, making it an X-rated movie. Ultimately, an agreement was reached where the film removed any references or explicit shots referring to anal rape and the MPAA restored the original R rating. [25] In an interview with Fangoria , director Meir Zarchi said as a response to the backlash:

"Frankly, I'm not concerned whether it receives bad press or not. It doesn't touch me one way or the other whatsoever. If you told me that the public does not like it and the critics like it, then there is something very, very bad about that. Who am I reaching? Three-hundred critics around the United States, or 2,000 around the world? It's really the public that counts, the 20 million who have seen the film around the globe." [26]

The remaining films Irréversible, The Last House on the Left, and Thriller – A Cruel Picture continue to spark substantial attention and controversy, with Irréversible notable for nine-minute continuous rape scene and repeatedly bludgeon-to-death scene, prompting widespread outrage among audiences during the film's premiere, including the cast from the film, and film critics stormed out. [27] The anime adaptation of Redo of Healer also attracted controversy for the first two episodes, depicting rape and graphic violence at one point as a plot device, with one review describes the anime:

"Redo of Healer may well be the most notorious and divisive anime series this season, in this case it earned a reputation for using revenge rape as a key recurring story element in the original material". [28]

Despite this, the anime gained higher than average percentage of female viewers and novelist Rui Tsukiyo expressed their surprise on Twitter. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Irréversible</i> 2002 French film

Irréversible is a 2002 French art thriller film written and directed by Gaspar Noé. Starring Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel, the plot depicts the events of a tragic night in Paris as two men attempt to avenge the brutal rape and beating of the woman they love. The film is made up of a title sequence followed by 13 segments made to look like long takes. Each of these segments is either a continuous shot or a series of shots digitally composited to resemble a continuous shot. The story is told in reverse order, with each scene taking place chronologically before the one that precedes it.

<i>The Last House on the Left</i> 1972 American horror film by Wes Craven

The Last House on the Left is a 1972 rape and revenge horror film written and directed by Wes Craven in his directorial debut, and produced by Sean S. Cunningham. The film stars Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, and Marc Sheffler. Additionally, Martin Kove appears in a supporting role. The plot follows Mari Collingwood (Peabody), a teenager who is abducted, raped, and brutally murdered by a group of violent fugitives led by Krug Stillo (Hess). When her parents discover what happened to her, they seek vengeance against the killers, who have taken shelter at their home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Splatter film</span> Horror genre

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exploitation film</span> Informal film genre

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<i>I Spit on Your Grave</i> 1978 American horror film by Meir Zarchi

I Spit on Your Grave is a 1978 American rape-and-revenge film written and directed by Meir Zarchi. The film tells the story of Jennifer Hills, a fiction writer based in New York City who exacts revenge on her four tormentors who gang rape and leave her for dead.

<i>The Virgin Spring</i> 1960 Swedish drama film by Ingmar Bergman

The Virgin Spring is a 1960 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in medieval Sweden, it is a tale about a father's merciless response to the rape and murder of his young daughter. The story was adapted by screenwriter Ulla Isaksson from a 13th-century Swedish ballad, "Töres döttrar i Wänge". Bergman researched the legend of Per Töre with an eye to an adaptation, considering an opera before deciding on a film version. Given criticism of the historical accuracy of his 1957 film The Seventh Seal, he also invited Isaksson to write the screenplay. Other influences included the 1950 Japanese film Rashomon. Max von Sydow played Töre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camille Keaton</span> American actress

Camille Keaton is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jennifer Hills in the controversial 1978 film I Spit on Your Grave. She began her career in Italy, making her film debut as Solange Beauregard in the giallo film What Have You Done to Solange? (1972), and starred in several other Italian horror films through the early 1970s. In 2015, Keaton reprised her role as Jennifer Hills for the film, I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu, which was released in 2019.

Cannibal films, alternatively known as the cannibal genre or the cannibal boom, are a subgenre of horror films made predominantly by Italian filmmakers during the 1970s and 1980s. This subgenre is a collection of graphically violent movies that usually depict cannibalism by primitive, Stone Age natives deep within the Asian or South American rainforests. While cannibalism is the uniting feature of these films, the general emphasis focuses on various forms of shocking, realistic and graphic violence, typically including torture, rape and genuine cruelty to animals. This subject matter was often used as the main advertising draw of cannibal films in combination with exaggerated or sensational claims regarding the films' reputations.

New French Extremity describes a range of French transgressive films made at the turn of the 21st century that sparked controversy, and provoked significant debate and discussion. They were notable for including graphic images of violence, especially sexual violence and rape, as well as explicit sexual imagery.

<i>I Spit on Your Grave</i> (2010 film) 2010 American horror film

I Spit on Your Grave is a 2010 American rape and revenge horror film and a remake of the controversial 1978 cult film of the same name. It was directed by Steven R. Monroe and written by Stuart Morse, based on the original film's director/writer Meir Zarchi's screenplay, and stars Sarah Butler, Jeff Branson, Daniel Franzese, Rodney Eastman, Chad Lindberg, Tracey Walter, and Andrew Howard.

<i>Rape! 13th Hour</i> 1977 Japanese film

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Butler (actress)</span> American actress

Sarah Elizabeth Butler is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Jennifer Hills in the I Spit on Your Grave film series.

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The representation of gender in horror films, particularly depictions of women, has been the subject of critical commentary.

<i>I Spit on Your Grave 2</i> 2013 American film

I Spit on Your Grave 2 is a 2013 American rape and revenge horror film directed by Steven R. Monroe. It is a sequel to the 2010 film I Spit on Your Grave, also directed by Monroe, which in turn was based on Meir Zarchi's 1978 film of the same name. The film stars Jemma Dallender, Joe Absolom, Yavor Baharoff, Aleksander Aleksiev and Mary Stockley.

<i>Julia</i> (2014 film) Film by Matthew A. Brown

Julia is a 2014 American neo-noir horror thriller film written and directed by Matthew A. Brown in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Ashley C. Williams as a woman who seeks revenge for her brutal rape. It had its world premiere at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival on July 19, 2014, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 23, 2015, by Archstone Distribution.

<i>I Spit on Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine</i> 2015 American horror film

I Spit on Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine is a 2015 American rape and revenge film, directed by Richard Schenkman from a screenplay by Daniel Gilboy. It is the third film of the remake trilogy and the fourth overall installment in the series. The film stars Sarah Butler, Jennifer Landon, Doug McKeon and Harley Jane Kozak. Butler reprises her role as Jennifer Hills from the 2010 film I Spit on Your Grave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Hills</span> Fictional character

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<i>Revenge</i> (2017 film) Film by Coralie Fargeat

Revenge is a 2017 French rape and revenge action thriller film written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, and starring Matilda Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe and Guillaume Bouchède. The plot follows a young woman who is raped and left for dead in the desert by three men, where she recovers and seeks vengeance upon them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Body horror</span> Subgenre of horror fiction

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I Spit on Your Grave is an American rape and revenge film series that comprises two films written and directed by Meir Zarchi and three remake films, each installment following a woman who exacts revenge on each of her tormentors after four men gang rape and leave her for dead. The original 1978 film has gained a large cult following. Jennifer Hills is the only character to appear in every film, with the exception of the 2013 film I Spit on Your Grave 2.

References

  1. 1 2 Clover, Carol J. (1992). Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN   0-691-00620-2.
  2. 1 2 Creed, B. (1993). The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis . New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN   0-415-05259-9.
  3. 1 2 King, Claire Sisco (2003). "Review of "Thelma & Louise" by Marita Sturken and of "The New Avengers: Feminism, Femininity, and the Rape-Revenge Cycle" by Jacinda Read" . Retrieved October 6, 2007.
  4. 1 2 Read, Jacinda (2000). The New Avengers: Feminism, Femininity, and the Rape-Revenge Cycle. Manchester, UK and New York: Manchester University Press. ISBN   0-7190-5905-4.
  5. ↑ Austin, Isobella (2021-02-19). "'Rape-revenge' films are changing: they now focus on the women, instead of their dads". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  6. ↑ Gado, Frank (1986). The Passion of Ingmar Bergman . Durham: Duke University Press. p. 241. ISBN   0822305860.
  7. ↑ Trädgårdsmästaren – Kommentar at the Swedish Film Institute (in Swedish)
  8. ↑ "Wes Craven: the mainstream horror maestro inspired by Ingmar Bergman". The Guardian . 31 August 2015. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "The Bergman Film That Inspired Wes Craven". The Criterion Collection . 3 September 2015. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022.
  10. ↑ Makela, Anna. "Political rape, private revenge. The story of sexual violence in Finnish Film and Television". Archived from the original on September 7, 2004. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  11. ↑ Machado, Carmen Maria (2021-01-29). "How "Promising Young Woman" Refigures the Rape-Revenge Movie". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  12. ↑ McEntee, Joy (2021-10-15). "Vigilantism and the Law in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"". Film Criticism. 45 (1). doi: 10.3998/fc.977 . ISSN   2471-4364.
  13. ↑ Tobias, Scott (2023-02-08). "Punishing rape-revenge drama Irréversible has been recut – but why?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  14. ↑ Brooks, Xan (2016-05-21). "Elle review: Paul Verhoeven's brazen rape revenge comedy is a dangerous delight". the Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  15. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2003-03-14). "Irreversible". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  16. ↑ "13 Assassins (2010) - Takashi Miike - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
  17. ↑ "Savaged (2013) - Michael S. Ojeda - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
  18. 1 2 3 Schubart, Rikke (2007). Super Bitches and Action Babes. McFarland and Company Inc., Publishers. pp. 83–104. ISBN   9780786429240.
  19. ↑ "Grave of the Vampire (1972) - John Hayes | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
  20. ↑ https://www.allmovie.com/movie/a-serbian-film-am14938
  21. ↑ "The 33rd Academy Awards (1961) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  22. ↑ Heller-Nicholas 2011, p. 22.
  23. ↑ Heller-Nicholas, Alexandr (2011). Rape-Revenge Film: A Critical Study. New York: McFarland. p. 230. ISBN   978-0-7864-4961-3. Archived from the original on 2013-03-19.
  24. ↑ Henry, Claire (2014). Revisionist Rape-Revenge: Redefining a Film Genre. New York, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
  25. ↑ "'I Spit on Your Grave' Opposed on R Rating". The New York Times . February 1, 1984. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  26. ↑ Frentzen, Jeffrey (October 31, 1984). "I Spit on Your Grave". Fangoria . No. 39. pp. 14–18. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  27. ↑ Palmer, Tim (2006). "Style and Sensation in the Contemporary French Cinema of the Body". Journal of Film and Video. 58 (3): 22–32, p.27. ISSN   0742-4671. JSTOR   20688527.
  28. ↑ "The Winter 2021 Preview Guide - Redo of Healer". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  29. ↑ "Redo of Healer Female Viewership Is Higher Than Average". Anime Corner. 2021-03-25. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
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