For good or bad, notoriety has long brought fascination for controversial movies, regardless of their quality or lack thereof. The success of Sam Taylor-Johnsons erotic drama Fifty Shades Of Grey has again shown that the sense of breaking a taboo and being part of the conversation still combine to make the controversial film nigh-on irresistible for the moviegoer. Anyone - critics and audiences alike - who's seen that film, however, are wondering what the fuss is all about. But then, of course, it was that very thing - the controversy surrounding the project - that got people reading the book in the first place, and that's now getting bums on seats in the cinema. It's been the case throughout cinema history: the topical, the derided and the banned have always generated interest, often via the help of a fiery, inconsolable media that, all too often, hasn't really taken a look at the material to realise that what's being protested wasn't ever really worth generating all that hype over. Excessive violence, sexuality and apparent sacrilege have been the reasons most cited for why more outré films generated so much publicity in the first place. But for many a controversial film, the reputation preceding them has been an unwarranted deflection away from how the actual content within holds up.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
