Today on TV: star-studded remake of a brilliant psychological thriller that was banned for thirty years

“Straw Dogs – Who Sows Violence” is the second film adaptation of the novel “The Siege of Trencher’s Farm“* written by Gordon Williams. The direction and screenplay come from ‘Nothing But the Truth’ creator Rod Lurie.

Today, September 20, 2023, ZDF Neo shows “Straw Dogs – Who sows violence“at 11:10 p.m If that’s too late for you, you can stream the movie anytime with a flat-rate subscription from MagentaTV. The FSK 16 title is also available from Amazon & Co. as Blu-ray, DVD and paid video-on-demand:

You can expect ‘X-Men’ Cyclops James Marsden, Kate Bosworth from ‘Before I Wake’ and Alexander Skarsgård (‘Legend Of Tarzan’) in the leading roles. In key supporting roles, series stars include Dominic Purcell (“Prison Break”), Anson Mount (“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”), Walton Goggins (“The Shield”), Willa Holland (“Arrow”) and Laz Alonso of “The Boys” there.

The good three and a half star FILMSTARTS review also praises James Woods’ performance in the psychologically refined thriller. According to editor-in-chief Christoph Petersen, the “Casino” star probably delivers the dirtiest performance of his career as a choleric football coach.

The template was banned in Great Britain for a long time

In 1971, just two years after its initial publication, the book was adapted into a film by the legendary Sam Peckinpah (“The Wild Bunch”). In this country the work was published under the title “Who Sows Violence” and caused a lot of commotion because of the tension factor and strong performances, but especially because of the enormous intensity and authenticity of the violence images.

But that was nothing compared to what was happening in Britain. After regular theatrical releases there, the title was soon banned from re-releases and later from home theaters. The occasion was a particularly brutal rape scene lasting about four minutes, which would give the impression that women secretly want and even enjoy this kind of excessive sexual abuse.

The problem was that Peckinpah’s work had previously been dropped by the distributor to comply with US censorship rules. Not only parts of the scene in question were deleted, but also an entire scene before it, which was even more violent, but also made it clear that the victim (played by Susan George) felt no pleasure in the crime inflicted on him.

Although a bare chest, a bit of blood and a few swear words were omitted, the story and message of the work were misleading or even grossly falsified. It was not until the film was resubmitted to British censors in 2002 in a restored, uncut version that it was finally released to the public again.

Rod Lurie’s new 2011 edition shifts the setting of the action from England to the southern US and also makes other minor changes or updates compared to Peckinpah’s original and the novel’s plot. In terms of the uncompromising representations and the intention to show that each of us is capable of incredible violence under the right circumstances, it remains entirely true to the role models.

“Straw Dogs” on ZDF Neo: that’s the story

Hollywood screenwriter David Sumner (Marsden) accompanies his wife Amy (Bosworth) on a journey back to their provincial home in the US Deep South. There, the couple wants to prepare the house of the young woman’s deceased father for sale.

The conservative residents – including Amy’s ex-boyfriend Charlie (Skarsgård) – soon begin to tyrannize the couple psychologically, but soon also to threaten them physically. They feel increasingly provoked by David’s intellectual nature and Amy’s revealing outfits.

Ultimately, an unfortunate incident occurs between the mentally challenged Jeremy (Purcell) and the daughter (Holland) of the local high school coach (Woods). When David and Amy then fall on the ‘wrong’ side, their peaceful country life is finally over.

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