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| totallycoverme |
Master recorded this film on our box thingy about 18 months ago and it's been taking up memory space until last night. I always said that I never want to see anything where there will be nude scenes or things to do with S and M. It's just how I'm wired baby lol!
Anyways, Master told me that as a punishment he wanted me to sit down and watch this film. It wasn't a punishment in the slightest though 
I have heard mixed opinions on this film before watching it...some people have told me it's hot, other people have told me that they saw it in a cinema where people walked out during the middle. I had decided that I didn't want to watch Secretary because I thought it would offend me in some way, kinda like it would be some self indulgent S and M orgy that would make me feel uncomfortable at best or inadequate at worst. I confess that for someone in this lifestyle, I am probably quite a bit of a prude.
Anyways, I watched Secretary last night and I thought it was such a beautiful story. Like it was more about D/s than S and M (well, there was S and M in it of course but I think it was more as a vehicle to carry other aspects of what was going on regarding the characters learning about themselves and each other). I don't think it was designed to be shocking. I don't think it was designed to be a recommendation, guideline or piece of activism either. In this respect, it totally wasn't what I was expecting. It simply told a story and a beautiful one and that.
I could totally identify with the Lee (submissive) character. I noticed that from the start of the film we hear her talking about being in some kind of institution (?) and I really picked up on how a lot of submission, I think, comes with being institutionalized in that you've had experience of it and then in turn crave it anyway. I can certainly identify with this. There are quite a few other characteristics in the Lee character that I identify with. I didn't think I was going to like the characters in the film. I thought they were gonna fuck like porn stars and not have much about them that was endearing but I was totally wrong about that. Again, I think that Secretary is a love story more than anything. In this respect I suppose that the film is very traditional in that it's about a lost woman who is saved by her white knight. So yeah, Secretary is pretty much like Snow White or Cinderella in this respect.
It has been mentioned a lot on IC about the problematic aspect of Lee being a self harmer. I do agree that for people who are less familiar with BDSM, this could send out the wrong message but then on the other hand I don't think that the film is going out of it's way to promote a stereotype or indeed message and for this reason, as much as the idea of this stereotype was played upon, I don't think it was exploited. That is to say that although the submissive IS a self harmer, it is done in a way that is intelligent enough not to assume that all submissives come from a background of self harm. Furthermore to this I also thought that the self harm was a necessary catalyst for the plot to be able to proceed in that Mr Grey first seems to get through to Lee when telling her not to self harm.
Master suggested that some people might watch the film and think that Mr Grey is exploiting Lee by deliberately employing her knowing that she would easily be submissive fodder. The questions he asks her when he interviews her are so irregular and thus, with this being the first scene where they meet, it made me think "who's this toss pot? he seems a bit dodgy". The further scenes emerged to reveal though that he was a caring dominant. I wasn't even offended when it emerged that the Grey character had worked his way through a series of submissive secretaries (there's a spoof in there somewhere lol) because I didn't think he was a bad dominant, he was like this confused man who got scared when he got close to someone who actually wanted to submit to him. Again, this is something that isn't uncommon in BDSM so I think the film was very well researched.
Speaking of well researched, I loved the bit where Lee went looking for another Dominant and we saw all her little adventures that happened through that (the "I'm touching your nipples straight away" man, the "pee on my driveway else you're not a troo sub" man and "throw tomatoes at me" man). This bit made me laugh coz it was funny coz it was true. I think the researchers definately had a good nose at collarme for this bit of the film, maybe they went on dates too. Actually, I would be really interested to know if they interviewed a lot of people in the lifestyle as part of research for this film or were the people involved really big on BDSM anyway?
So yeah, blummin good film. Didn't offend me in the slightest. It was that tasteful that I didn't even find it shocking or uncomfortable. In summary I would say that it's a love story about a D/s couple. I never thought I'd say this but I wouldn't mind reading/seeing more love stories about D/s couples. It's a refreshing take on a more "traditional" love story in the same way that I'm all in favour of lesbians and gay men being central characters in a love story type film.
I thought that if a D/s/gay/lesbian couple were the central characters in a film, then it would just prove to be an excuse to make some interesting sex scenes but as long as it's tasteful and not overdone and tells a story then I think this is good
I totally thought that Secretary was gonna be a total S and M orgy aimed at voyeurs and people who wanted a bit of titillation but unless you really don't get out much, I don't think that's the case. So yeah, good film
So there's my review people What are your thoughts?
xx
Edited Fri 18 Nov 11, 2:42 PM by totallycoverme
| 18 Nov 11, 2:54 PM Monkey_Wench UK(B), 20 mths    |
I agree with you. I love the film. It is a love story, he is a caring dominant, and they give each other what the other needs. The self-harming is just a device to show she was damaged and that appealed to his caring nature.
I love the scene at the end where she is making the bed. I think it gives a good insight into aspects of the 'lifestyle' not seen in mainstream cinema and that it is sensitive to us pervs. Helps that James Spader is in it as well. ~sighs~
Constructed almost entirely of filth. | |
| 18 Nov 11, 3:58 PM valleyrose17 UK(BS), 2 yrs |
I loved it but hated the ending. "Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed" Michael Pritchard | |
| 18 Nov 11, 4:49 PM Souci_X UK(BA), 5 yrs  |
I love it, completely. I think it is a fab film in its own right without the depth of meaning. I like that the characters are both uncomfortable and kinda need each other. | |
| 18 Nov 11, 4:55 PM Sadistia UK(NG), 10 yrs |
[Well we had to wait this long to get it, but you totally win best review of the film! thanks Sx | |
| 18 Nov 11, 5:34 PM totallycoverme UK(M), 4 yrs |
wow! thanks It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice | |
| 18 Nov 11, 5:36 PM totallycoverme UK(M), 4 yrs |
how comes? actually, now I think about it, when Grey was driving off in his car to work with Lee waving him goodbye, I thought to myself "I assume that he's not going to be employing another secretary now...I thought she'd be going to work with him." Why didn't you like the ending? It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice | |
| 18 Nov 11, 5:51 PM XskyeX UK(WA), 12 mths   |
Fan-bloody-tastic review Kudos to @totallycoverme - I loved the film the first time I watched it, which was quite sometime before I ventured into the lifestyle. Then I watched it with Daddy a few months ago and it completely blew me away - I too saw the love story, which was captivating. This time I could appreciate, understand and relate to the BDSM/Ds element.
Thanks again for the amazing write up To the world, You are one person. But to one person, you might be the world. | |
| 18 Nov 11, 7:54 PM Minxxey UK(B), 2 yrs £ |
I love this film and it makes an awsome first date film x Wanky dormouse | |
| 18 Nov 11, 11:00 PM FairyGirl UK(YO), 3 yrs   |
I remember it being on Channel 5 when I was about 15/16 maybe? I saw the bit near the end when she's sat on the chair in her wedding dress and she wets herself. I've always fetishised pee and the like, so I loved that bit. I didn't watch the rest or any more of it until years later - when I first found BDSM at about 20. I love it and am now going to watch it with daddy There's always one, and if I'm in the vicinity, it's probably me. | |
| 19 Nov 11, 12:07 AM totallycoverme UK(M), 4 yrs |
thank you I love it when you watch a film the second (or third or fouth) time round and then you see it in a different way.
I remember watching Clockwork Orange a lot when I was around 15-17ish and reeeeeally liking it but it was later on when I found out WHY I liked it so much...I actually have the Alex De Large character down as a masochist in some respects...there's another blog there lol It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice |
