09 March, 2007

incest is best


a further reminder why the independent has always been my newspaper of choice

Tainted love: Are we wrong to treat incest as a taboo?

and for a good list of 588 films to plow through:

on my favourite subject matter: enter the keyword

4 comments:

albeo said...

this is... er... wrong...

Anonymous said...

There have been some interesting cinematic explorations of incest, and I recently posted about the first movie I'm aware of that features an incestuous relationship between two brothers (6 Feb: Reinvention). I'm struggling to see how the main reason for incest taboos - messed-up genetics - could apply to incestuous relationships where there is no chance of offspring. Although that logic quickly gets you into a heap of trouble involving post-menopausal mommies and places I really don't want to go (Pasolini's Edipo Re is, for me, still one of the best...).

Erm... I don't have a brother. Just thought you ought to know.

Although it's striking how frequently identical twin brothers crop up in gay porn. Is that because it's just like having sex with yourself?

Oh... and how does it work for conjoined twins where, almost by definition, having sex with one involves both (see post of 5 December: Brothers of the Head).

And now I'm beginning to worry that I've been unconsciously obsessing about this stuff. Oo-er.

Anonymous said...

well, i think the stock answer by dr freud would be that incestuous fixations or a by-product of clinical narcissism. and he wouldn't necessarily be wrong.

incest was a also very popular with the jacobeans (not just john ford). i rate pasolini's edipo re highly. very disturbed by not one but to ingmar bergman movies (the silence ... cries and whispers). more recently close my eyes with clive owen (and a gratuitous willy shot to boot). a few cinematic takes on genet's maids weren't so good but one of my favourites is ``the weight of water'' (underrated film by the father fab bygelow) and lest i forget..the sweet hereafter or anything quebecois... ah yes. mmm..

Anonymous said...

So glad you brought up Clive Owen's gratuitous willy in Close My Eyes (a film which, btw, I think Alan Rickman stole. That man is a God-actor). I may post the Owen willy at some point, it's in a file somewhere...