Preaching to the Perverted

Having caught this supposedly controversial film for the first time since about 1998 I was shocked. I was not shocked at the second rate fetish imagery and its laughable portrayal on the bdsm scene in London but just how dated this film is. Maybe it is that when it first came out the Spanner Case was still on everyone's lips, the police really were busting fetish clubs and we were all still shaking from the back to basics campaign of the Major government. It's amazing how things can change. Today watching Preaching to the Perverted is a bit like watching a 70s sex comedy where showing bottoms was considered risque. Infact the only thing missing is Leslie Phillips and his smug laugh. With the film failing to remain valid in contemporary England just about the only cause of interest in it has gone. As I've already mentioned it's a totally unrealistic image of the fetish scene, from the laughable BDSM scenes to the relationship between the pervs in the film.

Just to show how out of touch the writers were when the drew up the script they have the stupid idea of an American domme in this country when the reality is that Brittania rules the fetish scene of America thanks to the likes of Skin Two and Demask, not the other way around. To have the major pervy character in it being American is just completely divorced from reality and if she was American how come shes wearing all that latex when leather is far more 'in' there? Patriotic bitching aside the script is horrible and the acting is even worse. The supposed center of the script is the issue of censorship and the rights of the individual but sadly that's all lost in a mix of 70s style jokes and double entendres. Jokes are few and far between and each character is as well sculpted as a lump of lard. Being a 'comedy' films like this live or die on their script. If like Shaun of the Dead it's good and the actors cope with it then the film can weather the ages but if not it quickly falls over. There are some fine actors in the supporting roles who are completely wasted, we all know Keith Allen is funny, Ricky Tomlinson even better, Roger Lloyd Pack can be wonderfully dead pan, and Tom Bell is a great actor but you're left feeling dead at their performances. The two leads are particularly bad. Gwen Turner is a talented actress as well as screen writer but here she might as well be reading from a board off camera. I know shes playing a mistress but her complete failure to ever emote effectively ruins her part, maybe thats the fault of the director but either way she doesn't convey the depth her part needs.

Christien Anholt (son of 1999s Tony you trivia fans) is even worse. So made of paper does he seem that you wonder whether he was recycled from his father's rubbish bin. It's not surprising that his careers has sunk without a trace since. I'm sure his agent can still hear his drowning cries. The dated feel I've mentioned is compounded by the soundtrack of mid 90s techno, whilst some people may smile at the memory of all that pill popping it just sounds rubbish these days and really bleepy, one step up from 2 Unlimited. Even the production design which some have mentioned is just gimmicky, a pink prop in every scene being something people shout about just shows how little there is to shout about. I'm struggling to find anything to recommend about this film, okay, it does have a few funny moments but they are few in far between. I can't even recommend this film for those of you who are vanilla to get an idea of the fetish scene because it's just so laughably bad. The end result is like pouring massage oil on latex and leaving it for three months to fester - flaky, white mouldy crap.

Gorgeously shot. There's a lot more going on here than just the SBDSM. The performances are solid and the story is funny and even a little touching. Big recommend.

I didn't have huge expectations of this movie, and thus was pleasantly surprised. It is basically a romantic comedy dressed up in outrageous clothing!

Guinevere Turner from Go Fish is the super cool star, and spends most of the film strutting around in a selection of stunning fetish outfits. It is interesting to get an honest insight into the Fetish world, but thankfully the details are not too gory.

It was also good to hear a soundtrack featuring dance music that you would actually hear in London/English clubs.

The film has some good deadpan humour, and has quite a feel-good atmosphere. Definitely worth a look.

Excellent movie. made even better (for me) by recognising people in it from around London. It was shot in what (used to be at the time) was my local nightclub - heaven - and featured dancers such as Enzo, and Heavens' resident drag queen Kimberley.

Great sound track, fine storyline, very sexy lead characters, and a cheeky sense of humour. Look out for a pink prop in every single scene.

Urban's ability to structure objective perspectives around emotionally and socially sensitive contexts takes us to the S&M club scene of London. Cleverly using black humour to disguise the join between the perspective and the context, it takes the completion of the movie to realise that the only view its interwoven statements have left us with is to question our own need to have an opinion. The verbal scaffolding doesn't allow us to avoid the process as it sympathetically leads us into a world of fantasy to affirm how it mirrors the social dynamics of hum drum reality - but with a lot more honesty and safety controls. Tanya is strong. Gosh, with so many people depending on her, it's enough to force a girl to dominate. Her alluring detachment is the only way to keep the world ticking for everybody who needs to be told what to do. The staid enable the illicit; and how will people feel good about themselves without being able to judge others? Well, it's a lonely job but somebody's got to do it – although you have to wonder who's controlling who (soundfamiliar?). And what do you do when the fantasy becomes the reality?

The stylish, dated cinematography really suits the necessary pace of this cult movie, but a remake could be extremely interesting. Jo Parker