RARA-AVIS: RARA AVIS: Re: Straw Dogs

From: MisterGrey@aol.com
Date: 26 Jun 2003


Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a new member to the group (longtime lurker, though), which I came across in my search for info on Charles Williams; I thought I was the only person left who knew who he was! It's great to know that there are other people who keep interest in cult novels. Anyway, I was a bit disappointed with the adaption of The Siege of Trencher's Farm (which was by Gordon Williams, you had it right) into Straw Dogs; I feel that Sam Peckinpah's inclusion of the rape scene screwed it up bigtime. One of the points was that, with his home and family threatened, the coward main character would finally break down and become a killer. But by Peckinpah changing the wife from just a bitch, as she was in "Farm," to a slut of sorts as portrayed in the movie, he altered that point; Hoffman's character loses motivation there. Why would he defend his wife when, moments before, she was parading around naked for the attacking mob to gawk at? Also, the rape itself brings up warped conotations, in that the wife character appears to give herself over to her attacker because he used to be her boyfriend and she isn't getting the necessary violent sex from wimp Hoffman. Susan George was adament about not doing the scene, but was more or less contractually forced!
 into by Peckinpah, who insisted it go on; if her word is to be trusted, he lay on the floor beside the soundstage while directing the scene and mocked being anally insulted; his interpretation, apparently, was that she was enjoying being raped.

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