As soon as the film opens, Victorian ladies describe their "hysterical" conditions in front of the camera: depression, anxiety, dissatisfaction with sex, anticipation and hunger. Robert Dalrymple, a private doctor who specializes in "hysteria", is very confident in his treatment plan, which is to massage the patient's genitals with fingers. I am willing to believe that this is not a deliberate joke set by the director, because when I realize what Queen Victoria’s sexual imprisonment movement means, I must admit that the "moral" ladies of the Victorian era cannot allow themselves to masturbate. .
At that time, the "empire that never sets in the sun" seems to be true to its name, and it is exposed to the scorching religious sun all the time. Standing at the top of the world, Queen Victoria has devoted herself to sexual imprisonment since she inherited the throne at the age of 18. She stipulates:
"A woman's thighs cannot appear in any work. In order not to allow people to easily see women's thighs and buttocks, women must wear layers of stiff and wide clothes. All furniture and piano legs should be wrapped. To prevent the "legs" from being associated with women. Chicken thighs are renamed "black meat", and chicken breasts are collectively referred to as "white meat." Specify the location of the disease. "Women would rather endure extreme physical pain and danger than expose themselves nakedly to others." It is said that this is exactly the "exquisite expression of morality" of women. People are told: "One has Virtuous women rarely have sexual desire.” Adam and Eve committed the “original sin” by stealing the “forbidden fruit” in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, sexual intercourse should be regarded as a dirty act. Men should not have more desire for their wives.” Absolute demand", preferably once a month. Sexual behavior should be cold, planned, and without any passion, so that it will not affect health."
Under such a social norm system, ladies Going to the doctor again and again to seek sexual release is like Christians going to church to confess. In any case, it is still a solemn and decent thing to have a doctor massage, but masturbation cannot be tolerated. In the UK at the time, asking someone to help masturbate was really nothing compared to having sex with strangers and sexual flogging. Sexual imprisonment gave birth to too many behaviors that challenged "morality" and rebellious. What came out was abnormal". Human nature is so flexible, it will always find its way out, it's just a multiple choice between decent metamorphosis and embarrassing nature.
It was also young avant-garde and idealistic. How could Granville, a doctor of medicine who knew about bacteria, didn't know that the old Dalrymple was just masturbating for the ladies, but he finally got a bite of food and had no choice but to bow his head. Charlotte's courage lies in the fact that although she also needs her father's support, she does not make such a compromise, even if life is more difficult, even if she wants to sell her deceased mother's belongings to support her career. Therefore, ignorance and cowardice have never been gender-based. It just so happens that this society has advertised the "reality" of strong men and weak women from the very beginning, and either compromise or be beaten. So Charlotte was sent to prison. Afterwards, the double harvest of the love career is the blessing of the British director. Where is there a bloodless revolution? Moreover, it is often bloodshed, still forgotten and buried by men and women in history.
Another interesting contrast in the film is the two daughters of the Dalrymple family. Emily is a typical lady, well-behaved, dignified and noble; Charlotte has a more flamboyant personality. Looking at it now, the two girls have their own merits and can get what they want. But at the time, only the former was the standard and the survival of the latter was worrying. This description is concealed in the movie, but I have to say that the ending of "Happy Reunion" is more like a pity for Charlotte. At the very least, she has been recognized by idealistic young men like her. More often in reality, even this sole recognition is extremely extravagant. Maybe it doesn't matter to her that she can't get Granville's love, but she will also lose his father's support while losing his charity. It is almost impossible to continue to run the poverty relief center. Will she continue to sell her deceased mother's jewelry and accept the lender's arbitrary and harsh moral accusations? People don't care about speech, but she needs resources, and resources are often concentrated in the hands of people recognized by society. Such abduction of human nature by norms cannot disappear before the realization of a communist society.
What is sexual liberation? When sex has nothing to do with property, it will probably be truly liberated. Loyalty is an overbearing and selfish demand of people, and it is a derivative of private property rights. Now that it has become a kind of social norm, how many couples whose sexual life is not harmonious have been suppressed? Before you go home, you will be upset with your lover. When you come home, you still do the laundry, cook, and take care of your children. In your free time, you can also enjoy tea, enjoy tea and chat about trivial matters. Of course, this is not thorough enough, and I don't want to promote communism. After all, there are still some Apollo who look down on Dionysus. "Moral? What is morality? Two people are happy together, I think that is morality." But which girl can let go of such a look, you can let it go, can he let it go? So girls, "If you don’t want to be one of the driving forces of a great change, if you don’t want to one day become a member of the Sage Hall, if you just want to be a little woman who loves to read, loves life, enjoy herself, and doesn’t need to educate the world. , Hiding in a corner, quietly, peacefully and happily living an ordinary life", the single-plank bridge that should be walked still has to be walked, and the noble and dignified that should be put on is still indispensable.
Thinking about it this way, the irony of the British directors is the result of restraint. Sex has been "liberated" for so many years, who would think that talking about electric vibrators is ignorant? After all, it is a polite English gentleman, how can he straightforwardly talk about the frustration and helplessness of life in the face of all kinds of embarrassing itching! Just laugh it off.
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[1] Deborah Lutz "The Joy of Imprisonment: Victorian Sexual Rebellion and New Pornography"
[2] Zhu Jiaming " Historical Facts of Sexual Imprisonment Abroad"
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