20 BDSM Movies More Provocative Than Fifty Shades Of Grey
Think Fifty Shades Of Grey pushes the boundaries of sex in cinema? Think again.

20. In The Realm Of The Senses

19. Quills

18. The Notorious Bettie Page

17. Matador
Spanish director Pedro Almodovar is no stranger to exploring non-mainstream sexual preferences in his movies, often taking homosexuality and transgender issues as the basis for the characters who inhabit his stories. Matador takes the idea of domination and sadism to the extreme and features a murderer who kills her prey during sex, sinking a sharp pin into their neck which she keeps concealed in her hair. Sumptuous-looking and featuring Antonio Banderas in a role which was to eventually catapult him into the international spotlight, Matador is an intelligent thriller which flirts with sexual taboos.16. Blue Velvet

15. Belle De Jour

14. Crimes Of Passion
Ken Russell's Crimes Of Passion might not have the artistic clout of a film like Belle De Jour but it's still a worthy addition to a collection of films which explore the world of BDSM and is worth watching for Kathleen Turner's performance alone. Turner plays Joanna Cray, a woman who moonlights as a prostitute by the name of China Blue and finds herself involved with a string of clients with bizarre sexual fetishes. As lurid and over the top as is to be expected from Russell (a director who appears to have had the word "subtlety" removed from his lexicon) it's satirical elements might be heavy-handed but if you're after a trashy yet entertaining film then you'd do worse than to watch Crimes Of Passion.13. Flower And Snake

12. Cruising

11. Sick: The Life And Death Of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist
While narrative fiction films dominate this list, it wouldn't be complete without Sick: The Life And Death Of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist. Few documentaries have provided such an insight into not only the world of BDSM but also the unique performance artist who forms the subject of the film. Bob Flanagan's perfomance art - along with his writing and poetry - is informed by his suffering from cystic fibrosis, his BDSM shows pushing the envelope of pain and artistic expression. If ever you want to see the correct way to hammer a nail through your penis, this is the documentary you need to see. For most of us, it's a unique insight into a world far removed from the one we're familiar with.10. Maîtresse

9. Romance
With half a dozen films by the name of Romance available it's easy to get confused, but Catherine Breillat's 1999 slice of eroticism represents one of the early "mainstream" movies of the era to feature scenes of unsimulated penetrative sex. Caroline Ducey plays Marie, a young woman who's boyfriend refuses to have sex with her, leading her to embark on a journey of sexual exploration with a series of other men. The hardcore sex scenes are offset by a strangely objective study of Caroline's increasing detachment, while the final scenes see her moving further away from conventional sexual encounters towards sadomasochism with an older man. Romance marks the beginning of a period of mainstream and arthouse cinema experimenting with unsimulated sex.8. Story Of O

7. The Night Porter

6. Venus In Fur

5. Tokyo Decadence
Returning to Japan for the final time on this list of BDSM-related films and Tokyo Decadence stands out as one of the most popular of the pink cinema movies released in the West. There's little in the way of a substantial plot to Tokyo Decadence but if BDSM is your thing the prolonged scenes of humiliation and domination will no doubt be right up your street. Perhaps the strangest thing about the film is the music composer - Ryuichi Sakamoto will be far more familiar to fans of less specialised cinema, even winning an Academy Award for his soundtrack to The Last Emperor. Seeing his name on the credits to Tokyo Decadence is surprising, to say the least.4. Crash

3. Salò, Or The 120 Days Of Sodom

2. The Piano Teacher

1. Secretary
