Fetishes (1996)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Main Menu Audio & Animation Introduction-Nick Broomfield Gallery-Photo
Rating
Year Of Production	1996
Running Time	87:00 (Case: 84)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Nick Broomfield
Studio Distributor	Shock Entertainment	Starring	Nick Broomfield Mistress Beatrice Mistress Catherine Mistress Delilah Mistress Natasha Mistress Raven Elissa Wald
Case	?
RPI	Box	Music	Jamie Muhoberac

    This film was made for the HBO cable network and was originally intended to be a travelogue of houses of domination across the world. However, film-maker Nick Broomfield decided that he could make a better film by concentrating on just one such establishment, Pandora's Box in New York.

    I have to say at the outset that I found this film to be confronting. What you get here is an inside look at a business that caters to clients who want to be dominated, humiliated or feel pain. Some want all three. There are scenes of whipping and nipple-clamping (and clamping of other body parts). The clients allow themselves to be put into degrading situations, at least one of which involving the cleaning of a toilet I found too much to watch.

    It seems that there are people who will pay to put themselves through these experiences and get enjoyment or at least release through them. Most of the clients in this film seem to be highly-paid executive types who spend their days in positions of power and somehow find that being at the other extreme works for them.

    Broomfield allows his camera to observe clients in session with their mistresses. We get to meet the mistresses and get some insight into their lives and their feelings about their work. The clients, most of whom have been ordered to allow themselves to be filmed by their mistresses, also talk about what they want to get out of their sessions. Most wear masks or face away from the camera, though some seem unconcerned by what others will think.

    This is about as close as most of us will ever get to the world of bondage, S&M and humiliation. The film is reasonably insightful, even though in Broomfield's approach I sense a sort of implicit personal judgement about the participants. It is well put together and many will find this fascinating, if a bit lurid. Not the sort of programme that will have me reaching for the disc from the storage shelf.

Video

    The film is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.29:1 and is not 16x9 enhanced.

    It looks to me as though the film was shot on video, and there is a lack of sharp detail as a result. A lot of the rooms in which the film is shot are dark and thus the film is quite murky at times. Contrast is not the best though it is adequate for undistracted viewing.

    Colour is a little dark and drab. Even the bright colours, such as the red dress that one of the mistresses wears, seem drab. There is a lot of low level noise, and therefore there are no solid blacks.

    There is some minor aliasing and pixilation, though neither was disturbing to me. There is some excessive noise reduction, resulting in the front of a building at 1:55 seeming to move.

    No subtitles are provided. The film comes on a single layer disc, and consequently there is no layer change.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The sole audio track is Dolby Digital 2.0. I'm pretty sure that this is a mono track.

    Dialogue is clear for the most part, though sometimes I had to strain to hear some of the voices. It's a bit hard for your voice to be clear when you are wearing a rubber mask over your face. The sound generally is acceptable without being exceptional, with no obvious distortion or other issues. Audio sync seems to be perfect.

    The music score is credited to Jamie Muhoberac, but it seems to consist mostly of excerpts of the music of Mozart, which was playing in the establishment when Broomfield arrived.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Main Menu Audio and Animation

    The main menu animation involves each menu option having a small window with a scene from the film in it. The audio is the sound of a film projector.

Introduction (3:32)

    An introduction to camera by the director, giving a background to how the film was made.

Photo Gallery

    Nine behind the scenes photographs.

    The film is available in Region 1 (US) as a standalone release. I have not seen any reviews but it looks to include just the film. The Region 4 is only available as part of a box set, so if you just want this film the Region 1 might be the better option.

    A film about one of the extremes of human sexual behaviour, this might be offensive to some viewers, and off-putting to others. Caveat emptor.

    The video and audio quality are acceptable given the source material.

    The extras do not amount to anything.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall