 Dir. Meir Zarchi, USA, 101 mins Welcome to I Spit On Your Grave month! Yes, all through May we'll be exploring probably the most famous of rape-revenge series, kicking off today with a look at the original, followed by its unofficial sequel, and then reviews of the more recent trilogy. Why May? Well, why not? In fact, it's in no small part because it's the first month of the year with five Thursdays in it... Anyway, as much as I love extreme horror, and have always watched plenty of it purely on a leisure basis before getting into Film Gutter, there remain a few inexplicable but nonetheless notable holes in my extreme education. That's not for any special reason – sometimes there are films that are just a bit hard to get hold of, or that you never really manage to make time for, or even movies that just don't appeal to you that hugely despite their reputation. One movie that falls into that category has certainly been I Spit On Your Grave, so this month-long series is in part an attempt to rectify that. Having never been the world's biggest fan of the subgenre – in fact if it's something you love as a viewer you can likely safely add a mark or two to my ratings! – I came to the 1978 original with relatively low expectations. Of course, I was aware beforehand that there was a chance this could be a bit different – this was a fundamental forerunner of the rape revenge genre, and laid down a blueprint that many a film has followed since with varying results. And let's not forget that here in the UK this movie fell foul of the 'video nasty' panic to boot. So, is it worth the hype? Well, yes and no. The movie follows writer Jennifer Hills, who has had a host of short stories published and is now heading to a remote retreat to write her novel. On the way she meets three of the locals at a gas station, as well as the innocent Matthew, who drops off her shopping to the cabin. However the four of them are going to meet Jennifer again very soon, as when she goes out on the lake in her boat, two of these nefarious characters drag her boat away, pull her into the forest and proceed to violently rape her. Following the attack, the group of rapists run from the house, before bullying Matthew into going back to kill her so she can't testify against them. But Matthew doesn't have the heart to do it, so gets some blood on the knife he was supposed to stab her with and takes it back to his 'friends'. Jennifer then takes the time to mend herself, trying to gain stability of body and mind, in a way that builds great empathy with this innocent victim and makes you care about her even more than you did before. It also tells us something more about her and who she is, adding to the tragedy of what had happened and the satisfaction in the revenge she ultimately takes. In this time we get a sense of Keaton growing in confidence and determination, and we see her plans unfold in a strong, pro-active way. She uses both her intelligence and her feminine wiles to lure her attackers into her traps before dispatching each one of them in a horrible fashion. Matthew she hangs whilst he is having sex with her on the forest floor, her second attacker she draws into her bath before cutting his penis off (the scene switches pace and style brilliantly) before dispatching her third and fourth attackers on the lake, one with an axe and the last with the blades of the motorboat itself. Then we see Keaton driving the boat away in a suitable metaphor for moving on, that same steely look of determination on her face. Personally I loved the way that this movie actually played with feminine sexuality not as something that just makes victims, but also gives power and strength. Each of men talks about how she flirted, the flesh she showed, how much she wanted what happened to her. The four vile perpetrators are still so drawn to her – and so embedded in that inexplicable belief that she was after what took place – and she uses that to her advantage. She doesn't have to overpower them, but she can outsmart them. It also makes for a compelling story and Keaton is very good in the role, but undoubtedly had more of substance and quality to work with than any of the material in the 'franchise' that followed. Taken on its own merits, I Spit On Your Grave is certainly one of the better rape revenge movies I've seen. We get a sense of who our female character is, the assault itself comes almost out of nowhere and is the more brutal and shocking for it, and her process of healing and then claiming her vengeance is better played than most. Keaton doesn't always say much in the lead role, but does a lot with expressions and body language to show a journey from tormented to tormentor. There's also a message here about the male mindset towards sexuality that part of you wants to believe has died out, but sadly there's too much evident to the contrary to really believe it. If this was one of the primogenitors of the subgenre, it remains ranked in my top five – although more recent takes like Julia and Landmine Goes Click still come in above it to my personal taste by playing with the formula and delivering something a little different. RATING: 7.5/10. It's so hard to watch this movie without some sense of the baggage that comes along with it – unless you've lived on Mars all your life you're likely to have heard something about it. It's sometimes lauded as a cult classic, almost always considered a hugely disturbing movie, often dismissed as exploitative trash and occasionally even listed as one of the worst films ever made (just ask Roger Ebert). I'd agree that it is disturbing, but probably not with any of those other statements. It's a good example of a subgenre that typically has inherent limitations in terms of character, story and structure. Keaton does a fine job in the lead, and everyone else involved is serviceable enough in their limited roles. ISOYG certainly brought more of an emotional response that many rape revenge pieces, so will get a very creditable 7.5/10 from me. Join us next week for a look at the unofficial sequel, Savage Vengeance...   |
Archives
February 2022
|
RSS Feed
|
|