Lars von Trier on Valium

Rating: 6/10 (28 November 2015)

Firstly let me say that this film was both better and worse than I thought it would be. Although I haven't read the book, the hype about the movie created expectations.
Of course the whole thing is about power. When uber wealthy Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) meets wide-eyed innocent Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), the film starts out as a very straightforward romance, the kind that get a couple of showings on the Universal Channel. However things soon get twisted when it is revealed that Christian is a man with particular appetites.
He seduces her into a world of sadomasochistic bondage with her as the bonded. As the story proceeds, Christian gets into the swing of things and ramps up the punishment.
Of course if Christian had been a balding, sweaty middle-aged man with a weight problem, Anastasia may have needed a lot more seducing, but as she begins to fall in love with the handsome, cultivated Christian she willingly gives him her trust and compliance.
To be honest, I didn't find the film all that erotic – it's too posed and contrived, and Christian's workroom looks a bit like a lavish display for adult toys in a department store window.
Where I found the film compelling was the way Anastasia, who for all intents and purposes is the powerless party, eventually gains all the power as Christian starts to have more genuine feelings for her. Of course that was obviously the intention of the filmmakers, because it is the only thing that stops the film from being just a soft-core exercise along the lines of "Red Shoe Diaries".
There is a fair bit of nudity in the film although it is rather sanitised – just as well they didn't let a Ken Russell or a Lars von Trier anywhere near it.
Like many people, I was intrigued to see how they would make a mainstream movie out of this. In some places the story is decidedly vacuous – just check out the names. It also has little humour, other than a couple of references to cable ties.
But at the very end, it has that telling scene where Anastasia leaves, presumably a wiser and stronger woman, while Christian is left with the choice of becoming a more empathetic and feeling man or continuing to satisfy desires that will lead to an unfulfilled life.
A powerful ending I didn't see coming. I hope they don't screw it up with all the sequels that are planned.