Quills

"''I write about the eternal truth that bind together all of mankind; the whole world over. We eat. We shit. We fuck. We kill. And we die."

- Marquis de Sade

A 2000 biographical film, directed by Philip Kaufman and written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright (adapting from his own play of the same name). The film follows the (highly fictionalized) last years of the Marquis de Sade (Geoffrey Rush, in an Academy Award-nominated role), the notorious French nobleman, author, philosopher, and libertine. The film is set at Charenton, a lunatic asylum where Sade has been sent for his continued publication of pornographic novels that double as nihilist philosophy tracts.

Charenton is run by the Abbé du Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix), a rather progressive administrator who allows the Marquis to continue writing, on the theory that it will "purge" the evil from his mind. Unbeknownst to the Abbé, however, Madeleine (Kate Winslet), his protégé and one of the asylum's chambermaids, has been secretly smuggling the works to the outside world, where they are published anonymously. This turns out to be a mistake, however, as the Emperor Napoleon (Ron Cook), realizing who the author is, orders the renowned "alienist" Dr. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine) to go to the asylum, where he is tasked with curing the infamous Marquis...by any means necessary.


 * All Men Are Perverts: The movie's philosophical stance. On the other hand...
 * All Women Are Lustful: The movie believes this, too.
 * Author Tract: The Marquis' novels. The sadomasochistic pornography illustrates his nihilistic worldview.
 * Bedlam House: Charenton, particularly after Dr. Royer-Collard arrives.
 * Big No: The Abbé gets one after.
 * Black Comedy Rape: The Marquis certainly finds it funny, at least in fiction.
 * Brains and Bondage: The Marquis, naturally.
 * Break the Cutie: Or, more accurately,.
 * But I Would Really Enjoy It: A rare male example. The Abbé lusts after Madeleine, but wants to remain true to his vows.
 * Byronic Hero: The Marquis.
 * Christianity Is Catholic: Well, it is early 19th century France.
 * Cold-Blooded Torture:
 * Compensating for Something: The Marquis jokes that this is why Dr. Royer-Collard has such a big house.
 * The Corrupter: The Marquis lives to drag others, especially the Abbé, down to his level.
 * Critical Psychoanalysis Failure:
 * Culture Police: The Marquis is locked in an asylum for writing what amounts to porn. Eventually, his continued publication angers Napoleon enough to send in Dr. Royer-Collard to "fix" him.
 * Actually, the films states that the Marquis was initially imprisoned for brutalizing women - not for his writings.
 * Depraved Bisexual: The Marquis flirts nonstop with the Abbé.
 * Despair Event Horizon:
 * Downer Ending: And how!
 * Drop-Dead Gorgeous:
 * Erotic Dream: The Abbé has one about Madeleine....
 * Fetish Fuel: Naturally. If you're into that sort of thing.
 * Friends with Benefits: The Marquis would really like to be one to Madeleine.
 * Funny Schizophrenia: Averted. Hard.
 * Go Among Mad People: The Marquis isn't insane in any medical sense, just really, really, really kinky. Unfortunately, the authorities don't recognize a difference.
 * Go Mad From the Revelation:
 * Good Is Not Dumb: du Coulmier.
 * Good Shepherd: The Abbé.
 * Grey and Black Morality: When the Marquis de Sade is the sympathetic protagonist...
 * Hannibal Lecture: The Marquis doles them out like candy, especially to the Abbé.
 * The Hedonist: The Marquis.
 * Homoerotic Subtext: And how. Marquis is constantly trying to seduce the Abbe, which is most apparent in the scene where the Abbe orders him to strip (makes sense in context).
 * Also the two men one of the chambermaids is having a threesome with. When they're having sex with her in the middle, you can clearly see them clutching at each other over her body.
 * Marquis is clearly no stranger to sodomy, since he orders his wife to bring him a custom-made dildo.
 * Humans Are Bastards: The Marquis believes this. The film shares his philosophy.
 * Insane Equals Violent: Averted by most inmates at Charenton,.
 * Jail Bait: Dr. Royer-Collard, who is in his fifties, marries Simone, a girl of 15, which becomes fodder for a play that the Marquis puts on at the asylum. The whole business stops being funny when the doctor rapes her in her bed.
 * Karma Houdini:
 * Love Martyr: The poor Marquis' wife.
 * Luxury Prison Suite: The Marquis' cell at Charenton is outfitted like a gentleman's study. After he continues writing and publishing despite being ordered not to, the cell is slowly stripped of all furnishings, until it merely consists of bare walls and floor.
 * Mad Artist: The Marquis affects this, when told that, but he shows his True Colors eventually.
 * Mad Doctor: Dr. Royer-Collard.
 * Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate: Dr. Royer-Collard, the film's only truly evil character, is also the only one with a degree.
 * Naive Newcomer:
 * Nietzsche Wannabe: More like Nietzsche was a De Sade Wannabe.
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Bouchon.
 * Pyromaniac: One of the asylum's inmates, who triggers the film's climax when he sets Charenton on fire.
 * The Queen's Latin: Every character in the film is French, and every character in the film speaks with a British accent (even the ones played by American actors).
 * Rape as Drama: Dr. Royer-Collard rapes his teenage wife. Bouchon tries to rape Madeleine backstage at the Marquis' play.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: The Abbé.
 * Room Full of Crazy: Stripped naked and tossed in a dank oubliette, the Marquis continues to write on the walls, using his own feces as an ink.
 * Sanity Slippage:
 * Screw The Rules, I Have Connections!: How the Marquis continues to live in luxury, and even publish, even though he is institutionalized. Until Napoleon tires of his continued antics, that is.
 * The Shrink: Dr. Royer-Collard is a Harmful Shrink.
 * Shut UP, Hannibal: "You're not the Antichrist. You're just a malcontent who can spell."
 * Single-Issue Psychology: Dr. Royer-Collard practices this, believing that there are no mental illnesses that cannot be cured through application of negative reinforcement (for example, repeated dunking in water). It works about as well as you'd expect.
 * Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Way, way over on the cynical side.
 * Stalker with a Crush: Bouchon.
 * Straight Edge Evil: Dr. Royer-Collard.
 * A Taste of the Lash: Dr. Royer-Collard orders Madeleine flogged for smuggling the Marquis' writing out of Charenton. The Abbé later flogs himself for.
 * There Are No Therapists: Averted. There is a therapist. Unfortunately, he's evil.
 * Three-Way Sex: Three of Madeleine's coworkers are shown having some while spreading gossip between them.
 * Torture Technician: One of Dr. Royer-Collard's footmen also mans his "treatment" devices.
 * Upper Class Wit: The Marquis.
 * Villain with Good Publicity: Dr. Royer-Collard.
 * Wicked Cultured: Both the Marquis and Dr. Royer-Collard.
 * Your Cheating Heart: Mostly averted. Dr. Royer-Collard's child-bride Simone shamelessly flirts with the hunky architect that's renovating the doctor's house..
 * Villain with Good Publicity: Dr. Royer-Collard.
 * Wicked Cultured: Both the Marquis and Dr. Royer-Collard.
 * Your Cheating Heart: Mostly averted. Dr. Royer-Collard's child-bride Simone shamelessly flirts with the hunky architect that's renovating the doctor's house..