References to torture in popular culture
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Torture is intentional inflicting pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, on a person.
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[edit] References to torture in popular culture
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The examination of the portrayal of torture in popular culture is not just an exercise in trivia, as thankfully it is the closest the majority of us will ever come to being tortured or becoming a torturer. At its best the portrayal of torture in popular culture can make us behave humanely by asking us to emphasise with the victim, however at its worst it can make us complicit in the sanctioning and endorsment of torture.
For example in the television series 24 torture is seen as unerringly effective, producing useful, timely and important information which could not be achieved by other means. The truth is that there is no garauntee that any intelligence achieved using torture would be timely or indeed truthful.[1] It has also been reported that the portrayal of torture in 24 has normalised torture to such an extent that it has had an adverse effect on the teaching of human rights and the law at Westpoint; concerns that its dean, U.S. Army Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, made known in person to the producers of 24.[2][3]
In reality torture would be closer to the experiences of ST:TNG's Jean-Luc Picard in the episode Chain of Command; that even the strongest willed man will eventually not only come to say what his torturers wanted to hear, but come to believe it to be true.
There is a small academic literature of books on torture, both in real life and as it is depicted in fiction.
Lawrence Weschler's A Miracle, A Universe discusses the widespread use of torture in Brazil and Uruguay by military dictatorships and the inspiring way that citizens have begun to heal their societies. Weschler writes about how torture deforms and destroys societies as a whole, in addition to deforming individuals.
[edit] Fiction
Horror fiction often includes torture.The depictions of torture in the Horror genre is expected, and often looked forward to, by many fans of this genre. Horror, however, is far from the only genre of fiction to feature such vile practices.
Citizens under the totalitarian regime in the novel (and movie adaptations of) "nineteen eighty-four" are threatened with torture for dissent. The main character Winston is subjected to a process wherein hungry rats in a cage are strapped to his face. Torture is used to similar effect in the movie Brazil
In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess examines the ethics of the state to use psychological "re-education" to remove the tendency to violence from members of society, and poses the question, "even if this re-education were possible, would it be desirable?
The four volume Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe dealt with the wanderings of a professional torturer.
One fictional story that addresses the theme of torture is Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum.
Nearly all of the writings by Marquis De Sade involved torture as a major element.
[edit] Film
The effect of torture on individuals, and to a degree societies, is the subject of Death and the Maiden (1994 film) and Death and the Maiden (play) upon which the film is based. Torture is not depicted but is discussed. A brief but intense torture scene occurs near the end of Syriana, a film about the dark side of the oil industry.
The Cult Classic Reservoir Dogs features a memorable scene in which Mr. Blonde hacks off a police officer's ear with a straight-edge razor. However, Blonde is not torturing the officer for information, rather his own sadistic pleasure.
The 2006 drama Catch a Fire illustrates how torture is able to convert neutral parties into enemies.
The horror movie Hostel depicts a criminal organization based in eastern Europe running a torture center. The victims are kidnapped. "Customers" pay to torture them to death, using the facilities of the torture center.
The Saw trilogy is se around the idea of torture and pain. There are many traps used to torture victims.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre also features torture, as does Wolf Creek (film). The 1972 film The Last House on the Left is also widely known for its depiction of torture.
The 2004 film The Punisher based on the Marvel Comics character has a torture scene when Quentin Glass rips Spacker Dave's piercings off his face with pliers.
In the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale, Bond is tortured by Le Chiffre after he wins the poker game. Bond uses comedy to overcome the pain with lines such as "I've got a little itch...down there...would you mind?", and "Yes, yes, yes...",(starts the laugh), "...now the whole worlds going to know you died scratching my balls!".
[edit] Television
In the popular television program 24, both the protagonists and antagonists frequently employ torture to obtain sensitive information and items.
The UK television show Spooks graphically depicts torture in several episodes including the use of bastinado, tooth-extraction, boiling fat and extreme sensory assault. Controversially both antagonists and protagonists utilise torture, though with very different motivations. The ethics of torture are addressed in the episode 'Frequently Asked Questions', torture is used to expose a potential nuclear strike in the heart of London.
In the series Babylon 5 John Sherian is tortured and interrogated in the episode Intersections in Real Time. One of the techniques used, is to allow Sheridan to build up a rapport with a fellow prisoner (who is in fact a plant by his interrogaters), this prisoner is than tortured and Sheridan is told he can end his friend's suffering by telling the interrogaters what they want to know.
In his comedy special Life is Worth Losing, George Carlin talks briefly about torture, finding it, as an extreme human behavior, to be interesting. He also mentions an anicent Roman torture that involved taking the suspect in question, stuffing him into a burlap sack, along with a dog, a monkey, and a snake, and throwing the sack into a river.
[edit] Music
Rock musician Frank Zappa wrote a long, epic, horrific song about torture called: "The Torture Never Stops" on his album Zoot Allures (1976). It contains all the clichés associated with torture rooms and during the guitar solo tapes of female screams and grunts can be heard which give the song a S&M dimension.
[edit] Computer Games
In the Video game series Metal Gear Solid, Revolver Ocelot, one of the main antagonists, is particularly fond of torture. He considers it the ultimate form of expression.
