Tops and bottoms

An 80-minute ride through the underworld of bondage, whipping, chains, and sex slave culture. Narrated by an omniscient and world weary gargoyle, 'Tops and Bottoms' traces the history of sadomasochistic ritual in the Western world from the Black Plague through the Marquis de Sade, medieval flagellants, Leopold von Sacher Masoch, English public school boys, and Betty Page. Filmmaker Richey argues the roots of S&M can be found in Catholicism, Nazism, even capitalism. Sexual sadomasochism is merely a reflection of heirarchical societal structures and their obsession with power. Historical perspectives are interspersed with explicit bondage and domination scenes featuring both professionals and enthusiastic amateurs. The films takes us from clubs where hot wax is dripped onto genitalia to the living room of a Toronto master. At the centre of the film is the disturbing relationship between Robert Dante, his wife Mary, who regards the pain of whipping as a badge of honour, and Mercedes, who has signed a six-month contract with them as a slave-in-training. A film that combines provocative intellectual content, a richly imaginative visual language and powerful and shocking images, 'Tops and Bottoms' generated enormous controversy inside and outside the broadcaster.