Sex sells, and the further a director pushes the boat out, the more money he or she is likely to make through infamy or on the back of the inclusion of a famous star with their kit off. Sometimes, however, directors go too far and incite a response to their work that is all together more different – the results are often the same, in terms of financial return, but it changes the game and generally means that those more extreme or disturbing sex scenes last longer in audience memory than the fleeting glimpse of an A-list bust or penis.
This article will celebrate those scenes – looking at those scenes, which courted controversy and inspired voracious reaction from critics and fans – and examining why the films have gone on to be classed as notorious.
Some films came under consideration, but didn’t quite make it: honourable mentions have to go to both The Idiots – Lars Von Trier’s typically provocative shocker, and its disability-mocking orgy scene – and Lolita, which was hugely controversial in subject matter, but which avoided particularly explicit exploration of the sexual relationship at its centre. Not that it stopped the film being commercially shunned, and pretty much left to rot.
So, which films made the cut? Hold tight as we explore ten of the most controversial sex scenes from all of cinematic history…
10. Crash
No, not the 2004 Paul Haggis film that attracted its own controversy thanks to an unlikely, and some say unworthy Oscar win – this pick refers to the 1996 David Cronenberg erotic psychological drama. Probably one of the kinkiest films you’ll ever see, Cronenberg’s adaptation of the controversial JG Ballard novel is a strong adaptation, and it is certainly entertaining, but a good deal of its pull is thanks to the nature of the content.
Why So Controversial?
Two words: Masochistic Symphorophilia. Crash focused on a particular sexual paraphilia (some would call it a perversion) that causes sexual arousal from car accidents. We watch James Spader’s lead grow increasingly aroused by the idea of car crashes, and the wounds caused by them to the point that he has rampant sex with a survivor’s vagina-like scar. The explicit intertwining of violence and sex was profoundly affecting at the time of the film’s release – prompting a major campaign lead by the Dail Mail (of course) to get it banned in Britain – and it is still almost as affecting now.
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How about A SERBIAN FILM? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Serbian_Film
This is the plot
Miloš is a semi-retired porn star and lives with his wife Marija and six-year-old son, Petar. His brother Marko is a corrupt police officer who envies Miloš’ life and is attracted to Marija. Marija is curious about her husband’s past and is concerned about the family’s income. Lejla, a former co-star, offers Milos a starring role in an art film directed by Vukmir, an independent pornographer who wishes to cast Miloš for his powerful erection. Having already caught Petar watching one of his films and not informed on the details of Vukmir’s film, Miloš is hesitant to participate and continue his career, but accepts to secure his family’s financial future. While meeting Vukmir, Miloš passes a bald man and his entourage, regarding them warily.
Shooting begins at an orphanage, where Vukmir feeds Miloš instructions through an earpiece given by Vukmir’s driver Raša, while a film crew follows him. Miloš sees young girl Jeca abused by her mother, who has disgraced her deceased war hero husband’s memory by becoming a whore. In a dark room, screens show Jeca seductively eating an ice pop while Miloš is fellated by a nurse. Then, Miloš is instructed to receive it from the mother, while Jeca watches. Miloš refuses, but is forced to continue. Marko later informs him that Vukmir is a former psychologist and has worked in children’s TV and state security. Vukmir meets a hesitant Miloš afterward to explain his artistic style, showing a film of a woman giving birth to a newborn which is immediately raped by Raša, in what the director terms “newborn porn.” Miloš storms out and drives away. At a road junction, he is approached and seduced by Vukmir’s female doctor.
A bloodied Miloš wakes up in his bed some time later with no memory of what has happened. He returns to the now abandoned set and finds a number of tapes. Viewing them, Miloš discovers that he was drugged to induce an aggressive, sexually aroused and suggestible state. At Vukmir’s manipulative direction, Miloš beats and rapes Jeca’s mother before decapitating her to induce rigor mortis and later, a catatonic Miloš is sodomized by Vukmir’s security. He then watches footage of Lejla voicing concern for Miloš, only to be restrained as her teeth are removed. A masked man then enters the room and forces his penis down her throat to kill her by suffocation. The footage continues as Miloš is led to Jeca’s home where an elderly woman praises him for killing her mother and offers Jeca as a “virgin commune.” Miloš refuses and escapes through a window to an alleyway, where he watches a girl pass by. He begins masturbating and is assaulted by a group of thugs before they are killed by Raša, who then takes Miloš back to a warehouse with Vukmir.
At the warehouse, Vukmir’s doctor administers more drugs after which Milos overpowers her, sticking the syringe into her throat. He is then taken into a room to have intercourse with two hidden bodies under a sheet. Miloš is guided onto one body and the masked man from Lejla’s movie enters and begins raping the other. Miloš doesn’t notice that his victim is bleeding profusely from the rectum. Vukmir then reveals the masked man to be Marko, his victim to be Marija and finally, that Miloš is raping Petar, his own son. An enraged Miloš lunges at Vukmir and smashes his head against the floor, initiating a brawl during which Marija bludgeons Marko to death with a sculpture. Miloš wrestles a gun from a guard and shoots all but the one-eyed Raša, whom he kills by shoving his erect penis into his empty eye socket. A dying Vukmir praises Miloš’ actions as truly worthy of film.
Miloš, having recalled his actions, including locking his wife and son in their basement before passing out earlier, returns home to find them. He and his wife come to a mutual understanding that he, his wife, and his child, should die together, so the three gather in bed and embrace before Milos fires a fatal shot through himself, Petar, and Marija. Sometime later a new film crew, including the bald man from earlier, enters the bedroom. He unzips his fly, as the director advises him to “start with the little one.”
holy mother of god…that needs to surpass the number 1 spot. I can’t even begin to understand why someone would want to work in that film.
Ay yi yi. I fail to see the artistic merit in that. I’m very open minded and love envelope pushing cinema, but that sounds just sadistic and makes me ask ‘why’?! Or ‘why bother’.
A Serbian Film for sure. That is probably above and beyond the worst. I also was hit kind of uncomfortably by the scene in Monster’s Ball.
I am glad that the author of this film hasn’t drank the Serbian Film kool-aide. Stupid movie with no other reason for being other than to shock. It does not deserve to be on this list with these movies or to be taken seriously at all.
I just watched A Serbian Film for the first time today. Completely traumatized.
Yeah, that should probably be on the list as well.
In the Realm of Senses, La Grande Bouffe and a Sweet Movie should also be at the doorstep of this list… They have it all: castration, coprophilia, emetophilia (vomit eating)…
Don’t Look Now?
I Spit On Your Grave (both the 1978 and 2010 versions). Violent and uncomfortable rape, torture, and attempted murder of a woman, followed by her revenge, which is far worse, yet still doesn’t seem like enough. The 2010 version is even more graphic and disturbing, but both versions will make you physically ill.
Really, are you sure, I wouldn’t go that far as the second 1 as been toned down a hell of a lot.
As stated above I’m shocked to not see A Serbian Film on this list, there’s a number of scenes that could be included; The part where the main character rapes a woman and cuts off her head during the sexual act, when he punches a woman in the face whilst she performs fellatio on him, the part a man is shown delivering a baby and then proceeding to have intercourse with said baby or of course when the main character is forced to anally rape his own son. I don’t know which I’d say is the worst but the whole film is messed up, definitely deserves a place on this list.
How could you overlook deliverance?
“Last Tango in Paris”?
Last Tango in Paris? A Clockwork Orange? Good article tho.
I’m surprised not to see Volker Schlöndorff’s “The Tin Drum” on here. Much of the article has sex simulated to someone “most likely under the age of 18″ when “The Tin Drum” got itself under fire for having actors definitely under 18.
people really must learn the difference between sex and rape.
But… Rape IS sex. Forced Sex, but Sex.
Exactly what are you trying to say? To completely separate Rape from Sex to make the former sound more severe? Ignorance does not do it justice.
They are both about commiting the same act.
In fact, Sex is a generic term to sexual course. There’s consensual sex, and there’s Rape. Just ‘Sex’ is both.
What you’re saying is true, when viewed from a non-rapist standpoint. “Normal” (non-rapist) people tend to believe that rape is about sex. It isn’t. Neither for the victim, nor the rapist. Rape is about power. In the most violent forms of assault rape, like literally every rape listed in this article, the act has absolutely nothing to do with sex at all. Yes, there is intercourse, and yes there is sexual gratification, but it isn’t sex. I know that’s difficult to understand for most people, but it’s absolutely true. Assault rapists are not motivated by sexual desire as much as they are aggression and abuse towards the victim. Assault rape is comparable to sex in the same way that ritual murder is comparable to sex. Both involve sexual gratification for the criminal, but they only represent sex in the most formalistic of ways. Rape is about torture, about taking power from someone and rendering them helpless. That’s what gets the rapist off, not the intercourse.
So laura is right. Scenes in ‘Salo’ should not be compared to scenes in ’9 Songs,’ because they have nothing in common.
people really must learn the difference between sex and rape. a sex scene is completely different from a rape scene. not only irreversible, but people’s suggestions, a serbian movie, last tango in paris, a clockwork orange…
Even though I have not seen many of the movies mentioned, Pink Flamingos 1972 movie by John Waters) should definitely be on this list. The lead actress is a transvestite, though playing a mother in the movie, and the mother (the real life transvestite) has uncut oral sex with her son in the movie. Then there’s the scene where the son is having sex with this woman and they actually kill a live chicken during the scene. There’s actually even more…I couldn’t even watch the whole movie…
I was waiting for Antichrist and A Serbian Film to appear on this list. The former did, the latter didn’t. I think it was probably down to the fact that it was such an obvious choice it wasn’t put in, but then you see the scene were the drugged protagonist rapes a girl tied to a bed and then handed a machete to decapitate the girl while he rapes her…Interesting list though.
I was shocked that the butter scene from Last Tango in Paris didn’t make it. Also, you list a scene from Larry Clark’s film Kids, but I would argue the oral sex scene from his film Ken Park, between a teenager and the mother of his girlfriend, is even more controversial. Especially since Ken Park seems to be banned in almost every country on Earth.
A Serbian Film has 3 most controversial sex scenes.. Ever more that Kids. And you left “L’Empire des sens” (Nagisa Oshima). Fail list!
Caligula was released just after the I Claudius series finished on UK television. Reportedly Prince Charles went to the uncut Swedish version Premier in London (and left halfway through). The incest, humping dwarves, orgy scenes, anal rape of a groom (at his wedding) and various other scenes seem to be missed by this article surprisingly. Personally I would have had it midway through this list.
No Caligula?
If we’re including rape (which we clearly are) in the discussion, the extended, violent nun rape in Bad Lieutenent in pretty notorious.
How about both Human Centipede movies? Talk about gratuitous sex and morbitity.
Totally..this movie disgusted me..and I have a pretty high tolerance for gross. I couldn’t get through it.
You missed the French film “Baise-Moi” which has graphic real sex scenes and a erally disturbing rape scene
What about “Pretty Baby”? Brooke Shields was just 12 years old playing a child prostitute whose madam auctions her virginity.
This is a film not a reality anything is possible
The Exorcist: The violence masturbation scene with the crucifix?
You forgot “Hounddog”, the simulated rape scene involving an underage Dakota Fanning.
The Girl Next Door…not the 2004 hottie playboy star moves in, but the Jack Ketchum novel that was based on true events. A girl mvoes in with her aunt and cousins after her parents die and the neighbor boy is attracted to her. her aunt doesnt think thats how a young girl should act and locks her up in the basement. some point later she lets her oldest son rape her with the other two watching. when the youngest asks about his turn, his mother says that its incese, although she the oldest boy is raping her, then they procede to burn the girl’s genitals and torture her until near death. by the time the neighbor boy finds her hes too late to save her. and i waited until number one to see cannibal holocaust, good list altogether tho, just sounds like it need to be 20 intead of 10
A Serbian Film
the begotten. where mother nature jacks off a dead god and then uses the semen ejaculated from the corpse to impregnate herself
I’m shocked. The girl with the dragon tatoo(original Swedish) wasn’t on the list. When Lizbet is raped(and subsequently rapes back), those were some tough scenes to watch.
Has anyone seen the Japanese film”Visitor Q”? Strange, surreal and difficult to describe, but it does include sex with a corpse that releases all its feces during the act…ewww!
Takashi Miike is my hero…
Last Tango in Paris, Clockwork Orange, 9 1/2 weeks, Caligula and I don’t recall the name of the film but the one where Jody Foster is raped on a pinball machine. Not so graphic, but compelling & fantastically done! Plus almost anything of Atom Egoyan’s…
The Jodie Foster film is The Accused – I definitley remember the controversy surrounding it back in the late 80s, just for the fact that the rape scene involves many and takes place in a bar in front of evryone with no one caring or intervening, but rather encouraging the attack. Nonetheless a good film about the search for justice rahter than bloody revenge like most films of its time.
Also, “Behind the Green Door”
i spit on your grave should be in this list
Rape scenes should NOT be considered for this list. Sex is consentual between two adults, whereas rape is an act of violence imposed by someone seeking to assert some power over another. The law clearly states they are two entirely different acts, so why shouldn’t this list.
To include acts of brutal sexual assualt simply serves to make it absurd.
Why is Nekromantik not on this list?
Last Exit To Brooklyn – Jennifer Jason Leigh gang rape. It’s not especially explicit but it’s hard to watch.
Another Ken Russell film; Lisztomania was made after he completed The Devils.
After reading a synopsis of some of these films, I have to wonder why any of you would watch them? Seriously, they sound like nothing but a lot of very perverse, revolting, sick, demented films produced by people with very questionable motives (money?) and perhaps some hard core mental health issues! Good Lord, turn that crap off and watch something more uplifting. Garbage in, garbage out.
“Visitor Q” is one of my top twenty faves, but “A Serbian Film”, like “Salo” is more deserving of inclusion in this list. “Salo” really got me to appreciate films that offended the sensibilities of others. Saw it with a crew of “homies” in NYC in the 80′s; some of the hardest thugs known to NYPD at the time. They were all offended and upset while viewing Pasolini’s masterpiece and weren’t shy about letting the other patrons know this. That screening still brings a smile to my face. Well, actually now it does; at the time my crew thought I was a f-g for recommending and liking the film so much.