Review of The Story of O (1975) by Robert B — 03 Apr 2012

A couple of things you should know about me to put my review in perspective:

1. I have practiced (and enjoyed) s&m as a sub.

2. I identify as a feminist.

So... mixed feelings. There are a few things about this movie that *really* upset me, and that I want to "correct" in terms of the BDSM community in general.

The first is the glaring omission of "safe words"--words used between subs and dom/mes to indicate that BDSM play has become too intense--in The Story of O. EVERYONE who really does BDSM uses a safe word (I prefer two), and people who refuse to honor safe words are shunned in the SM community. In the absence of a safe word, "no" means "no." So, (SPOILER ALERT) the introduction to Riossy scene in which O says "no" while the group of doms ravage her is really a rape scene. Also, whipping someone until she loses consciousness is looked down upon as the mark of an amateur or an asshole. If someone loses consciousness during BDSM play, everything stops immediately so the person can get medical attention.

On the same note, I didn't like the way O was asked for consent. In almost every scene where consent is discussed, her choice is always all or nothing. Either she can submit completely to whatever is asked, or she can "leave." There's no gray area to set boundaries or hard limits within the relationship, which seems coercive to me. O wants love, and does everything that she does to prove her love to her masters. If the choice for consent is to either submit to something physically or emotionally traumatic or lose the man she loves... what kind of a choice is that? Is she really giving consent (for example/SPOILER) to be branded, or is she just saying that she would rather do anything than lose Sir Stephen? Is it submission or coercion for a dom/me to demand (or even encourage) a sub cross boundaries to prove his or her love for the master?

I don't know all the answers; maybe I'm just not cut out to be a lifestyler. Also, it would help if at least one or two of the women in the film were masochists. It's very different to watch someone enjoy pain than to tearfully endure it.

But most of all, I think it was the imbalance I felt in terms of Rene or Sir Stephen not seeming to *care* whether or not they were pushing O past her boundaries or causing serious physical or emotional harm that really upset me. In my opinion, a BDSM relationship is still a reciprocal relationship between equals--it's just more complementary than equivalent. What both people want is still important. In The Story of O, there is no negotiation about what O wants (beyond love). I got the impression that she didn't even know where she was going/what she was in for when she arrived at Roissy. My impression was that O went through with the training because she loved Rene, not because she wanted to be trained as a sub or enjoyed it.

That said, a movie that has me thinking so deeply about my own motivations and behavior is definitely a good movie, worth seeing and interpreting for yourself. Just watch out for the giant 70s bush.