Slaves in Bondage – Blunt, sweaty and almost embarrassing

Ok, so you know when you end up watching a film just because nån tipsat dig “it’s a real cult classic, du måste se den”? Well, that’s what happened with “Slaves in Bondage,” this 1937 drama by Elmer Clifton. Honestly I was halfway expecting something totally bananas or, I dunno, some forbidden fruit feeling, given all the fuss with the title and the old “exploitation” hype.

But holy smokes, the acting! Lona Andre (who had a weirdly intense thing going with the camera), Donald Reed trying to look serious but mostly staring like someone stole his smörgås. Also, Clara Kimball Young from silent films dropped in and kinda classed up the place, at least for a minute or two.

And yeah, Clifton, who also did “Assassin of Youth,” tries to stir up trouble with this whole “innocent girls snatched into underground nightlife” theme. If you squint you could probably see some kind of warning to society, but mate… is it subtle? Nä, it’s about as subtle as dropping a köttbulle in a church.

I remember, ärligt, when I first watched this – it was midsummer night 2002, rain pouring in Södermalm, me and a friend crammed on a tiny sofa, eating wienerbröd and yelling at the crappy sound. There’s this odd charm to it – the clunkiness, the way everyone smokes like it’s the last cig on earth, the low-lit dive bars feeling like a dodgy bar in Årsta. Like, screw Netflix – this is the gritty stuff.

Would I say it’s a good film? Nja, not really. But it’s weirdly fascinating. Like an embarrassing journal you can’t look away from. Makes you kinda wonder about what we’re actually entertained by, or how easy it is to freak people out.

So, if you’re up for a bit of film history and “what-the-heck-was-that” vibes, and maybe wanna have a giggle with a mate and some kanelbulle, sure, fire it up. You’ll probably regret it and yet…not really.

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

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