Abstract
Throughout his career as a filmmaker, Roman Polanski has circled the subject of sex, its aberrations, its delights, and its risks. His twenty feature films are remarkably varied, yet characteristically probe the compelling, contradictory, and enchanting nature of human sexual behavior. He develops a cluster of images or tropes that appear across his films—from knives to claustrophobic settings—that advance his enquiry. Venus in Fur is Polanski’s most comprehensive portrayal of the intricacies of sexual conduct, employing a theatrical setting (rehearsing an adaptation of a notorious classic novel), amplified with cultural allusions and exploring the limits of role-playing. Normality and contentment, in his world, lack intensity and excitement, but erotic abandon, for all its allure, exacts extraordinary costs.
Recommended Citation
Barr, Alan P
"The Goddess of Love in Sadomasochistic Costume: Roman Polanski's Venus in Fur."
CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
21.6
(2019):
<https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.3212>
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