There be SPOILERS here.
OK lets get some facts out. * Yes, it has the longest rape scene in any movie (at about 30minutes) during which time she is raped 4 times) * The director made this movie after he helped a rape victim in real life * Although the rape scenes are very long, they aren't overly exploitive, they are mostly shot on the rapists or Jennifer's faces.
On with the review. I first rented this film when I was like 15/16 cause it was "Banned in Australia" (I'm an Aussie) and figured it's gotta be good. It was in the horror section. I've since then seen it on DVD, and watched it with commentary on as well.
Pigeon-holing ISOYG into a category is difficult and somewhat impossible. The movie's plot, that is Jennifer gets raped than murders the rapists, is the entire movie. There isn't a sub plot or virtually anything else going on. It's simply rape and murder. It's for this reason, and the very long brutal rape scene, that many critics have panned it. Ebert in particular wrote a scathing review saying how appalling it was.
I disagree. ISOYG has a exploitive subject matter, and there is nudity, but it doesn't ever show the rape as a titillation. The nature of the film was 2 fold. Firstly to show the brutality of rape, than to have a 'happy' ending with the revenge of Jennifer. But it's not a softcore porn. So what purpose does it hold? I think the answer is, very few movies show the truly horrific nature of rape, especially when ISOYG came out. Since then, we've had Irreversible, War Zone, even Pulp Fiction to a lesser extent, all show some brutal scenes, but I think ISOYG was probably the first.
It's not a good movie, it's not a bad movie. It's not an in depth plot and it's not very titillating. So what is it.
ISOYG is probably best considered a benchmark. It's a movie that the director said 'I want to make a movie showing the brutality of rape'. ISOYG did what nothing had done before it.
Now, 30odd years after it came out. I'd say see it for the sake of seeing it. It's an important movie to see so you can say you've seen it, even if you loathe it.
OK lets get some facts out. * Yes, it has the longest rape scene in any movie (at about 30minutes) during which time she is raped 4 times) * The director made this movie after he helped a rape victim in real life * Although the rape scenes are very long, they aren't overly exploitive, they are mostly shot on the rapists or Jennifer's faces.
On with the review. I first rented this film when I was like 15/16 cause it was "Banned in Australia" (I'm an Aussie) and figured it's gotta be good. It was in the horror section. I've since then seen it on DVD, and watched it with commentary on as well.
Pigeon-holing ISOYG into a category is difficult and somewhat impossible. The movie's plot, that is Jennifer gets raped than murders the rapists, is the entire movie. There isn't a sub plot or virtually anything else going on. It's simply rape and murder. It's for this reason, and the very long brutal rape scene, that many critics have panned it. Ebert in particular wrote a scathing review saying how appalling it was.
I disagree. ISOYG has a exploitive subject matter, and there is nudity, but it doesn't ever show the rape as a titillation. The nature of the film was 2 fold. Firstly to show the brutality of rape, than to have a 'happy' ending with the revenge of Jennifer. But it's not a softcore porn. So what purpose does it hold? I think the answer is, very few movies show the truly horrific nature of rape, especially when ISOYG came out. Since then, we've had Irreversible, War Zone, even Pulp Fiction to a lesser extent, all show some brutal scenes, but I think ISOYG was probably the first.
It's not a good movie, it's not a bad movie. It's not an in depth plot and it's not very titillating. So what is it.
ISOYG is probably best considered a benchmark. It's a movie that the director said 'I want to make a movie showing the brutality of rape'. ISOYG did what nothing had done before it.
Now, 30odd years after it came out. I'd say see it for the sake of seeing it. It's an important movie to see so you can say you've seen it, even if you loathe it.