2009/02/05 New York
War
Sex
A couple of days ago I had dinner with a French lady. Before the appetizer arrived she handed me a DVD with the movie “The Night Porter” by Liliana Cavani.
Despite its controversy I’d never heard of this movie.
Last night I started watching “The Night Porter” and I must say that Liliana Cavani takes the esthetics of fascism seriously.
Based on the first 40 minutes of the movie I would say that she raises a not completely unimportant question: how sexy is fascism?
The French lady alerted me to a critical essay by Susan Sontag on “The Night Porter”. (You can read Susan Sontag’s essay here.)
Susan Sontag writes: “Sadomasochism is to sex what war is to civil life: the magnificent experience.”
(See also here.)
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17 comments 
One of my most favorites movies!
Thanks for the Susan Sontag essay.
Indeed most of us expect, sex or war will set us free…
Indeed most of us expect, sex or war will set us free…
Someone saw u dribing in a car
saw you driving in a car in belgium...In fact, there were more than one who
remarked that u are not in New york...
Best to you,
I.
@Iffy
Quite an achievement for somebody without a driver’s license, if I remember correctly.
But then, in Belgium, everything is possible.
Quite an achievement for somebody without a driver’s license, if I remember correctly.
But then, in Belgium, everything is possible.
If 'sadomasochism is to sex what war is to civil life...' what would then normal sex be to a civil life.. boring peace?
A famous writer
This made me think of another essay i ones read.A famous writer wrote it, and with a nice taste of melancolism (not a word, but it was just that) the writer wrote: ' somehow mankind evolutionized, but don't you think, i mean, really be alone and wonder, that when so called intellectuals start linking "sexyness " to a dangerous form of commitment like fascism, don't you just think when you hear this, that maybe i would be better if we hadn't evolved at all?"
Hint: in his / her most ambitious novel the famous writer also wrote: Remembrance, like Rembrandt, is dark and festive.
Kevino
Is sexual attraction a moral choice? Is it immoral to be attracted to a monster?Sontag
Thank you, Arnon. This essay is for me a precious gift. Lucid in its analysis and still very up to date.I don't understand sex, but war seems appealing.
I forgot to say that I recently watched the most controversial movie of the 20th century and since recent the most controversial movie of the 21st century: Caligula.
Pretty decent movie, I must say, though very much pornographic and sadistic. I quite like it. Malcolm McDowell does a fine job as the insane imperior.
Pretty decent movie, I must say, though very much pornographic and sadistic. I quite like it. Malcolm McDowell does a fine job as the insane imperior.
Dens
Do you really think that silly movie is the most controversial of the 20th century?Arnon
I think, because we evolutionized, yes ; sexual attraction became a moral choice more and more, well, maybe not the plain "attraction," but the acting upon it.And yes, i think its quite immoral to be attracted to a monster; but only on the condition that one (partly) realises, what kind of monster he or she is attracted to.
Eva Braun for instince, couldn't stand trial for immorality. Even someone who hasn't read her early diaries could see the naievity within this woman.
That's what the cover says: "The most controversial movie of the 20th centurty is now the most controversial movie of the 21st century" and who am I to disagree?
Kevino
Are you suggesting that we should expose our fantasies to moral judgments?Arnon
If one could point out an objective, logic source to do so: absolutely.But since this seems to be impossible, the moral judgements would be vailed by other people, which comes down to facism: no.
But i think most people are quite aware of the diffrence between a monster and a lover (off course these figures both can change into one another), like you can tell the diffrence between day and night without knowing, what time it is.
Kevino
Is the monster opposite to the lover? Cannot the lover become a monster? Cannot a monster be more attractive than a saint?Arnon
Not opposite like dark and light, like i said: they can definetly change into one another, thus the lover can became a monster, but when you realise this (suppose you're the one in love with someone who turns into a monster), you can choose not to give any affection within your longing.Personally i think there arent much (sexual) attractive saints. The monsters outnumber them easily.
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