20 BDSM Movies More Provocative Than Fifty Shades Of Grey

7. The Night Porter

If you wanted a sure fire way of transforming a film about sado-masochism into a truly controversial work of cinema, what better way than to throw in the Nazis for good measure. This tactic certainly earned The Night Porter a deserving reputation as one of the most unconventional movies of the time. Dirk Bogarde plays a former Nazi SS officer who reunites with the concentration camp inmate Lucia Atherton (Charlotte Rampling) with whom he had a sado-masochistic relationship during the war. Not surprisingly many critics at the time accused the filmmakers of striving for sensationalism above all else, although this judgment is perhaps too harsh - The Night Porter might have divided audiences with its controversial themes but for the strong-minded there's enough here to warrant a viewing.