EGAD, NO BONDAGE

Here we have Amy, one of the sisters in the R-rated film "Strange Desire." She's one of three sisters who has inherited a castle in England. Blindfolded, she's led to a costume party, where she expects to discover her nifty costume, which turns out to be -- nothing! Instead, the castle's evil mistress shoves her into a cargo net so that her demon lover can molest Amy and make her his love slave.

"Sticky!" cries Amy after falling into the net, and apparently it is, because she keeps her arms outstretched as if tied there. Then the evil mistress gags her with an apple.

This all brings up some credibility problems, of course.

The apple is neither secured in her mouth nor shoved far enough in to keep Amy from spitting it out -- it's a classic non-gag gag (see the Small Soldiers Loosie Award for a detailed explanation of non-gag gags). What's more, apples are known to be edible. She could easily chew her way out of this gag.

But ... maybe it's a MAGIC apple, held there by magic powers we audience mortals cannot comprehend! That could be it...

Then there's the other credibility problem, the sticky cargo net. While it restrains Amy's body admirably, it has no effect on the evil castle mistress who shoved her into it, the demon lover who attempts to molest her there (and he DOES get her clothes off ... HURRAH!) or the heroic boyfriend who comes to her rescue. In fact, after the heroic boyfriend clobbers the demon lover with a magical talisman (or "thingie" in modern parlance) Amy is magically free of the net's stickiness and easily comes free of it.

But ... maybe it's a MAGIC cargo net, restraining Amy through magical powers that have no effect on other people! That could be it ...

ALSO FROM PAT POWERS

But ... if you're going to have apples that can magically gag women and characters who can magically restrain women, why not just have them point at Amy and say, "Amy, you are silenced! Now, Assume The Position!" And Amy magically assumes a position convenient for molestation by demon lovers. (I'm thinking a nice Gorean love slave position -- on her knees, head to the floor, hands locked behind her neck, butt in the air, knees extended wide. Technically, it wouldn't even be bondage!)

In fact, people who like to play dominance and submission games in real life do this sort of thing at times. It's called "being bound (and/or gagged) by the Master's (or the Mistress') will."

The problem with combining ordinary bondage with supernatural bondage in movies and TV productions is that it raises just this sort of question in viewers' minds. Furthermore, it doesn't LOOK like bondage. In a visual medium bondage, even consensual bondage, needs to LOOK like bondage. Mostly it just looks shoddy and ill-thought out, as in "Strange Desire."

Perhaps the most insidious effect of mixing the supernatural with bondage is that it makes filmmakers think they can get away with stuff like this.

Well, they didn't get away with it this time. By Arpanet, By WonderBra, By Dubldildo, I conjure thee, Strange Desire maker! Accept thy Loosie Award and return to the nether realms from whence thou camest! EGAD, NO BONDAGE!

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