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Extreme Cinema

The films listed below are (in)famous for arousing controversy on their initial release, be it for explicit scenes of violence, sex or extreme political beliefs . The best films in this collection use their notorious elements not merely to shock, but to provoke ('Salo' uses its disturbing sequences, borrowed from Sade, as a comment on Fascism, whilst the sickening rape scene in 'The Accused' rightly refused to soften the depiction of this despicable crime). The following films can still cause impassioned debate, in some cases decades after they were made... See also the category 'Asia Extreme'. Right: One of the most shocking debuts 'Man Bites Dog'.

In The Realm Of The Senses (1976)

6.6/10
Director: Nagisa Oshima
Starring: Aio Nakajima, Eiko Matsuda, Tatsuya Fuji

Tells of the bizarre true-to-life love affair between a gangster and a prostitute in 1930s Japan. Highlighted by lush visuals and graphic sex, as well... Read more

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

8.3/10
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Miriam Karlin, Patrick Magee, Malcolm McDowell, Adrienne Corri

Stanley Kubrick's dark, dazzling, ironic tale of an ultra-violent future filled with marauding gangs, decaying cities and bizarre technologies. Follow... Read more

Man Bites Dog (1992)

7.6/10
Director: Andre Bonzel, Benoit Poelvoorde, Remy Belvaux
Starring: Benoit Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde Pappaert

A no-holds-barred portrait of an unashamedly brutal serial killer (played by co-director Benot Poelvoorde). This unique black comedy, shot in document... Read more

Triumph of the Will (1934)

7.5/10
Director: Leni Riefenstahl
Starring: Adolf Hitler

Leni Riefenstahl's breathtaking film record of the 1934 Nazi Nuremberg Rally is universally regarded as one of the most outstanding documentaries ever... Read more

Ichi the Killer (2001)

7.1/10
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Omori, Shinya Tsukamoto

Welcome to a world where violence is a virtue and depravity is a way of life. This is the underside of Shinjuku, and the home of Kakihara, a sadistic... Read more

The Piano Teacher (2001)

7.5/10
Director: Michael Haneke
Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Annie Girardot, Benoit Magimel

"The Piano Teacher" is a powerful and controversial new drama from the award winning filmmaker Michael Haneke ("Funny Games"). Isabelle Huppert ("8 Wo... Read more

Scum (1980)

7.6/10
Director: Alan Clarke
Starring: Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, John Judd, Phil Daniels

A controversial and vivid story of the violence and mindless cruelty inside a government borstal. The brutality of the officers creates pressure on th... Read more

Audition (2000)

6.8/10
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Jun Kunimura

Extreme drama from rebel Japanese director Miike Takashi tells of Aoyama, a lonely widower owner of a video production company, who joins forces with... Read more

The Holy Mountain (1973)

7.9/10
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky

After "El Topo" and with the production assistance of John Lennon and ABKCO Films and the desire to become "the Cecil B. De Mille of the underground",... Read more

El Topo (1971)

7.5/10
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Brontis Jodorowsky

Aka "The Mole." "I ask of film what most North Americans' ask of psychedelic drugs" said Writer, Director and star Alexandro Jodorowsky of this stunni... Read more