Seduction: The Cruel Woman (2024)
Wanda is a dominatrix who runs a gallery in a building on the Hamburg waterfront, where audiences pay for the privilege of watching her humiliate her slaves. She is a business woman who smashes sexual stereotypes and social taboos with icy self-possession and an enigmatic smile. As artist she specializes in the staging of elaborate BDSM fantasies and her affairs transgress the usual boundaries of personal and professional life. Along the way she leaves her German lesbian lover, a shoe fetishist, for an American "trainee," and does more than step on the toes of the male performer who has broken the rules of the master-slave relationship by falling in love with her.
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Blistering performances.
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
The acting in this movie is really good.
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
"Verführung: Die grausame Frau" or "Seduction: The Cruel Woman" is a West German German-language film from 1985, so this one already had its 30th anniversary two years ago. The two writers and directors here are Elfi Mikesch and Monika Treut and I am almost sure that if males had made this film, then some self-proclaimed feminists would call it sexist or so, but I guess this way it is fine. Anyway, the movie runs for 1.5 hours roughly and stars Mechthild Großmann as the main character and this casting decision (as well as the one regarding Udo Kier) is one of the main reasons why I did not give this film an even lower rating. Großmann that many probably know from "Tatort" (Münster) recently is perfect for the part and honestly and her voice sounded back then already just like it sounds today as if she smokes 50 cigarettes each day. As for the story, it is all about sex, sadism and masochism, even if it is never really graphic and more about verbal expressions really. Nonetheless I fail to see an artistic side really in here, but people who like films like this more than I do in general or even those who have a connection to the SM scene may see this movie as something more special and accurate. I guess there must be a reason why this one is still relatively known today several decades later, at least here in Germany. Of course, it is not famous or anything, but it also has not disappeared into complete oblivion. The baity title may also have something to do with that. All in all, I guess you can see it as a compliment that there are many other (old) films out there dealing with similar subjects and that I really disliked those and did not hate this one here as much. But this does not mean I enjoyed the watch or that I would recommend it. Thumbs-down overall here. Watch something else instead as this movie may be cruel, but it will most likely not seduce you.
I like Mechthild Großmann a lot. THAT voice, you have to hear it to believe it. Incredible! I love her voice. I wanna listen to her all day long. That's the reason, I forced myself on this particular movie. Usually it wouldn't be my cup of tea.It's utterly weird, to say the least. It's stuffed with fetish (fashion). I guess it's meant artsy....I felt latent violence throughout the movie. But that's S and M for you.The only thing I really enjoyed was the "lesbian" spirit between the main character and ...her "girlfriends"? I am not sure. That was very hot for some reason. I guess it's hot because I see what snooty characters these women play nowadays....Total contrast.This movie is one of a kind. The setting is good old Germany. I was more interested in background houses than that story itself. But I am stupid. ;)
In the long history of cinema, probably more than one hundred thousand movies have been made. Of these, there are surely many thousands of clunkers. This one belongs somewhere near the very bottom of the list of clunkers. It is supposed to be about sado-masochism, but the director is apparently the sadist here and the audience the masochists. This film does not even have any titillating value; it's all talk - long, dull conversations. It is very poorly lit, with most of the scenes shot in dark, dingy rooms. The dominatrix is played by Grossman, a German actress who looks like a cross between Patricia Neal and Boy George, with shades of Sean Young.
The only reason I tracked down this movie is because of Udo Kier... And I have to say, he's done some really really bizarre roles... Including this one...All the women in the movie look like men, or sound like them... So it's pretty funny. But the movies not funny, not really. Except the guy who wants Mistress to use him 'as a toilet' hahaha.The movie is bizarre.. it's haunting. The colors are.. I don't know, it just adds to the weirdness. The ending sort of left you hanging, but I did watch it again before I commented here, and I guess it ended at a nice place.Udo Kier. Any movie with Udo, I can't leave a bad comment... lol. He talks German all through the movie, which I like... he has the BEST voice in the world... He's mistreated in the movie by, Wanda, the Mistress who owns the 'GALLERY', and it's sad! He did good in his role, I guess, he never gave any expression, or anything...It's not the type of movie I'd watch at a party or anything, but it's definately not the worst I've ever seen...