Sade (2000)

A Refreshing Look at Sade

In Sade, the course of events that unfolds takes place predominantly at the Couvent of Picpus - where everything seems to hover over an atmosphere of emptiness and a lack of dramatic twists and turns, albeit an undercurrent of death was in fact persistently pervading the unknown fates of a resigned aristocratic, motley crew.

That the sense of nihilism that pervades the film cannot be overlooked - neither should it be overstated. Sade acts as a form of commentary on the plight of his fellow inmates - a parody of their plight that perhaps shouldn't be taken too seriously. Through bawdy banter, philosophical quips, a play-turned-mime and eventually a sex ritual, Sade provides antidotes to an environment of uncertainty and nihilism into one that is filled with curious alternatives and untrodden by-roads.

The style of director Jacquot is informal to the point the film looks like a documentary rather than an epic narrative on Sade. Nevertheless, the set is gorgeous and tableaux-like, each movement and background carefully nuanced and crafted, the audience partaking as a voyeur in the whole process.

Auteuil's genius in portraying Sade could only be described as sublime - if only it wasn't his on-screen persona that was emanated. The rest of the cast make for an interesting potpourri of individuals; Emilie de Lancris with her insousciant yet inquisitive youthfulness stokes a vivacious coupling with an inveterate Sade, the (mis)matching necessaire of the chevalier and his protector, Vicomte de Lancris with his adulterous affair and world-wearied wife and the opportunistic but stately landlord Coignard and last but not least - the cool allure of Madame Quesnet, Sade's wife.

The film also displays sensitivity to historical accuracy in terms of costuming - Robespierre's appearance and clothes well-resembled those he wore in his portraits, assuming the style known as the Italianate "Incroyable" in the first half of the 1790s. The scene showing the storming of the Hotel de Ville was also realistic, with Robespierre's brother jumping out of the window to flee persecution. However, the execution scene did not reflect the report that Robespierre was faced up at the guillotine. A guillotine was indeed, as records show, placed before the gates of the Picpus convent.

This is a film that will indisputably challenge one's pre-existing perception of Sade and perhaps even come to accept this portrayal of Sade as philosophical, thoughtful liberal of his day, rather than merely a sex-craved, perversed maniac that he has come to be identified with under the much-abused term known as Sadism.

P.S. The whites of the film looked yellowish and greenish on the DVD format, while the VCD was much better in terms of colour. However the DVD version preserved the original uncut versions which demystified the parts that had been censored on my VCD version. It also comes with an interesting interview with the director Jacquot, Auteuil and Denicourt as well as some behind-the-scenes shots.

A film about French history and seminal historical character that is absolutely necessary to and could only be performed in French!
June 15, 2006

Enslaving Fanaticism & Liberating Nihilism

It was not film's intention to depict accurately Marquis de Sade biography or even all of his philosophical ideas. It rather explored some very interesting, but unexplored in cinematography ideas and conclusions, that might had been derived from Sade and other nihilistic philosophers throughout history.

Of course by calling Sade a nihilist I don't imply that he was a depressed man who didn't see a meaning in his life. Oh, Sade had a very colorful rich life; he found a lot of meaning in life's food, sex, pleasure and even pain.

However Sade didn't see any meaning in afterlife, he didn't see any meaning in religion, he didn't see any meaning in God. Of course Sade didn't believe in any of these things (for example when he rhetorically asked whether God is solid or made of gas). However even if these things existed, Sade couldn't understand what exactly is meaningful in them.

Sade joyfully embraced his own mortality. He was excited by the mere idea that one day he'll die and perhaps the stuff that made him will made a worm and later a butterfly. He found his matter's organic "immortality" much more appealing than any spiritual immortality (in a "body of Christ" as he referred to it). Of course Sade didn't believe in any silly reincarnations, and he didn't hope or wish to preserve his consciousness after death (even if it is in the body of a worm or a butterfly). For Sade mind and body was inseparable, and once the body dies so does the mind.

Since Sade didn't believe in some ordained higher purpose in life, he didn't shun away from getting whipped if it sexually aroused him and produced gave him pleasure. Experience of pleasure and suffering is often so subjective, depending on so many variables (like whether somebody is paddled as part of Singapore judicial punishment or erotic interplay) , that only the subject himself/herself, not the society or deity, can determine what things in life produce him pleasure and pain, and seek them.

While sexual orgasm in both man and woman evolved as an incentive for reproduction, who's to say that we cannot induce sexual orgasm for the pleasure sake by masturbating ourselves or by receiving intense stimulation, in form of spanking or whipping, unto the pleasure centers located throughout our bodies (especially on buttocks) ?

For all purposes, natural evolution is a senseless blind process whose adaptations remained in the organisms due to their advantages in this meaningless physical universe. And if God exists he can senselessly create infinity of souls himself, while killing time in his meaningless eternal existence.

Of course experiencing pleasure by inflicting joyless suffering to others can be rarely fulfilling (unless one is truly anti-social, and since being anti-social is for the most part evolutionary detrimental, only less than 3% of the population are truly anti-social). While erotic games can be often played in which one merely pretends to suffer from joyless pain, genuine and gratuitous spousal abuses (and all abuses of young children) cannot genuinely fulfill either the victim or the abuser (unless he/she is genuinely anti-social). Thus while one of the commandants of the French Revolutionary Terror unwelcomely and gratuitously slaps and beats his girlfriend (Sade's wife) neither of them feel gratified.

Enough, about sexually obsessed sado-masochistic atheistic nihilists. Let's talk about French revolutionary fanatics now. Are they some psychopathic sadists? I don't think so. They don't kill on guillotine to get sexually aroused. Neither most of them are anti-social. They don't hate society, in fact they fanatically try to help society, and to help it they have to "cut deep into it to eliminate society's evil". Are they nihilists ? Oh, now they fear nihilism, since nihilistic ideas would invalidate any higher purpose into what they are doing. How could they justify to themselves killing millions of peoples while embracing nihilistic philosophy ? If at the end nothing matter, why go through so much psychological distress by shedding massive bloodshed.

In fact, while initially deeply anti-religious, French revolutionary fanatics eventually realize that their atheism is likely to lead to nihilism which will invalidate their entire revolutionary cause. Thus they declare atheism as a greater social evil than any bourgeois religion, and rather prefer to invent for themselves some quazi-religious deities, symbols and rituals. Or at least they try to remain theistically agnostic, by believing in afterlife if not a certain God, in order to postpone the answer about whether there is any ultimate meaning in what they do.

It's not that religion genuinely provides anyone the answer about the ultimate meaning of life, but it rather postpones any answers until afterlife. Of course having eternal meaningful existence is a logical impossibility since nothing can possibly remain meaningful for anyone for eternity. Finality creates meaning. In a finite life one can find meaning in selecting the things he does, places he sees, people he meets, thoughts he thinks. Life like a game is meaningful and exciting when you can select your moves and you know there is an end to it. An eternal life, like an eternal open-ended game, sooner or later ceases to be meaningful or exciting.

Watching the movie, most viewers will despise idealistic revolutionary fanatics while sympathizing with nihilist Sade. Unfortunately in real life nihilists are feared and despised more than lepers. Why should that be ? As Sade said "I might be libertine but I am not a murder", so a he could've said "I might be a nihilist but I am not destructive".

Fanaticism is what leads people to behave destructively, whether its religious (ex. Crusaders in Jerusalem or Salem Puritans) or non-religious (ex. French or Russian revolutionaries during terror). Nihilism actually cures destructive behaviors by depriving the core reason for such behaviors since at the end nothing matters.

Of course nihilists with anti-social personality disorder (as non-nihilists with anti-social personality disorder) may act destructively for its shear pleasure, however they will lack motivational energy to inflict as much damage as fanatics do (even if those fanatics are not anti-social). Thus to paraphrase a well known quote:

"Pro-social people (including nihilists) will primarily act constructively, anti-social people (including nihilists) will primarily act destructively, but for pro-social people to act destructively they need to be obsessed by some form of "ultimate idealistic ideas" (like "kingdom in heaven " or "international communism"). Since no pro-social nihilist holds any "ultimate idealistic ideas", no pro-social nihilist can ever act destructively"
February 16, 2006

Fabulous French Cinema

This review refers to the DVD(Wellspring)edition of "Sade"...

Daniel Auteuil gives a mesmerizing performance as the Marquis de Sade in this wonderful film depicting de Sade's confinement during one of the most violent chapters of French history.

Heads roll(literally) in late 18th century France. It is the time of the "Reign of Terror" and many aristocrats await their fate...the guillotine! A special sanitarium is used for these upper-crust offenders and de Sade is among them. Found to be immoral and not fit for society, the man who lends his name to what we now call "sadism", never ceases to persue his right to express himself. Even many of the other prisoners feel he is beneath their station in life. But he brings a new awareness to them and when a young girl, the teenage daughter of one of these families expresses her regret that she will die before "experiencing" life, Sade makes it his mission to make sure she is awakened sensually before the end!

This film is beautifully directed by Benoit Jacquot. It captures the essence of the period with the exquiste cinematography of the settings, the authentic costumes, and the outstanding performances of the very talented cast.Although a fictionalized account, the story is believeable and you will get lost in this time and place. Auteuil will have you under his spell in no time. Marianne Denicourt is perfect in her portrayal of Sade's mistress who will do whatever it takes to keep him alive, and Isild Le Besco is remarkable in her intuitive performance of the young Emilie who turns to Sade in her time of fear.

The DVD by Wellspring is top of the line. The widescreen(2.35:1 aspect ratio) picture is gorgeuos. The colors are vibrant.The sourround sound is excellent. You have the choice of DD5.1 or 2.0. You can also choose to have the English subtitles on or off. The subtitles are clear and well placed. Features include an insightful interview with director Jacquot, and filmographies.

A fabulous piece of French cinema, but it may not be for everybody. The guillotine scenes may be disturbing to some, and of course with the main subject being the Marquis de Sade, there are some scenes that are quite erotic.(if this were an American film it may fall into the NC-17 rating).

If you are a fan of Auteuil, French films, or just fine filmmaking, have a look at "Sade".

Merci and...enjoy...Laurie April 2, 2004

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