I'm probably in the minority here in that I prefer the scourging part of the crucifixion to the actual hanging from the cross (something that many noted about my story The Scapegoat - I've reattached it in case anybody wants to see it without having to trawl through a search), but I'm guessing most of us enjoy whipping. So, I was wondering, what are our favourite depictions of flogging either in film, pictures or writing?
I used to read out the story of the crucifixion in my Children's Bible, replacing the word 'Jesus' with the name of a woman and changing all the 'hims' to 'hers'. Anybody else do that? Now, of course, I've upgraded, and try imagine it's an actress rather than Jim Caviezel in The Passion of the Christ - although even for my tastes that gets too gory by the end. Steve Cordero, of course, has made that rather easier.[/QUOTE
MY IDEAL: I like videos of floggings/scourgings/bull-whippings best when the naked victim is suspended by the wrists, feet well off the ground. This allows the helpless victim to writhe and kick and thrash about, twisting to avoid the next blow (and thereby exposing more of the naked body to the camera lens. I love to see the body English!
Just as important is the Punisher. None of this fancy flogger twirling for me, so common in bdsm flicks. None of this ”One, thank you, Mistress or two, thank you, Sir” bull crap for me. That reduces the action to a safe scene between friends or lovers or spouses.
I want there to be a dangerous, adversarial situation in this flick for the pure excitement of it.
I like a full-force, give-as-much-pain-as-possible administration of torture. Nothing faked.
I like the camera angle to change, and the punisher to move around so that every angle is covered. I like a few close-ups of the victim’s face and wherever the bloody damage is being done, but mostly I want to see the whole scene, victim, punisher, and instrument of pain, the scourge or the bullwhip. If it’s a bullwhip, I want to hear it crack everytime it’s a split-second from cutting across the victim’s naked body.
I want to see terror and agony on the victim’s face and hear the screams and pleas for mercy. I want to see the victim’s body glisten with sweat and lose control of a stream of piss out of trauma overload.
I like it when the victim passes out, and the punisher throws a reviving bucket of water in the victim’s face. I like the way the water rushes down the body’s contours, then drips down from the feet onto the floor.
I like to see the victim taken down, still bound, gang-banged and impaled in all possible orifaces, knocked around, bullied and abused front and back, and then hoisted back up and the serious torture continued all the way to the inevitable ultimate crucifixion, where the victim’s screams and pleas and curses are heard all through the night.
I’d love to watch a video of this, especially if I am the victim and you, dear reader, are the punisher.