A Ray of Light in The Fifty Shades of Grey
Some books and movies based on them unfortunately are misunderstood by the audience, and not in the good sense of it. In the case of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ (2015), it is no fault of the audience. For, to get to the bottom of the original idea of the story one would have to struggle through bad writing and plentiful sex scenes coupled with luxurious items and status toys. The task is not for the fainthearted, to say the least.
Personally, I could not get through the first ten pages of the book, never mind the sex scenes. Not that by doing so I have missed greatly on anything, really. Unlike me, many of my female friends and acquaintances have read the book and also have seen the movie. When asked what it is that attracted them to the story, they could not really say much except that there were some sex scenes that they fancied. Which ones they did not elaborate. I guess for private reasons.
Perplexed as ever, I contemplated on watching the movie, but could not bring myself up to do it, as I could not waste even this amount of time on something I considered as ‘rubbish’. However, the thought of being an odd one out bothered me greatly. So, I have asked my mother if she could watch the movie and retell me in plain English or rather Russian what the heck the fuss is all about.
God bless her, for my mother did!
Being a woman of certain independent age when she cannot care less for either men or sex, and being of scientific education, which gives her strong analytical skills, she was able, while watching the movie, to disregard the sex scenes and focus on what was in between. And that is when the initial idea behind it all became apparent. Here it is.
‘Fifty Shade of Grey’ by Erika Leonard AKA E. L. James is the story of an aspiring and educated girl, Anastasia Steele, and her relationship with a mentally crippled by his child experiences, sinful and much troubled young billionaire, Christian Grey. Anastasia, being a strong personality, as well as possessing a healthy state of mind and clear vision is eventually able to see through a sick man who is not good for any woman, let alone for himself. Although, Anastasia enjoyed sex with Grey, she walked away on him. The decision that takes strength and courage to do. And that is what the idea of the particular story is about. It shows women that they can do the same and leave unhealthy relationships and inadequate men behind.
The only unfortunate thing is that the idea got quite lost under the pile of rubbish, namely bad writing and plentiful sex scenes that diverted the attention from the important message. In this sense movie is much better, as one does not have to struggle through bad writing. One pile of rubbish less.
Well, what for sex scenes, I believe they were the expression of the sexual fantasies of the author. As one of my mother’s friends, a scientist and a very intelligent man, once said: ‘I feel everyone woman secretly harbours a desire of uninhibited and wild sex.’ And that is what the author wanted to see in the book and on the screen. Torn between a meaningful message and her lust, Erika Leonard AKA E. L. James lost it to her sexual fantasies. Alas, the creator turned out to be weaker than her creation - the heroine of her book.