Fantasm (1976) - full transcript

(dreamlike, cascading electric piano)

(sensual breathing)

(dreamlike, waltzing music with woodwinds)

(music swells)

(dreamlike waltz continued)

(woman breathes heavily)

(woman breathes heavily)

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

This evening, we intend to undertake

the exploration of the
innermost mechanisms

of the female mind.



This is truly a fascinating tool,

which is quite...

A tool, which is capable

of the innermost

acts of

imagination and achievement.

There was a time, of course,
ladies and gentlemen,

where these sexual fantasies

were regarded as (indecipherable);

as shameful, as a subject
not to be discussed,

as a subject to be kept in private,

indoors, away from all
forms of life and humanity.

But my colleagues, of course,

and members of the profession



have realized today in the 20th century,

that this kind of sexual fantasy

is a necessary step

in helping the female of our species

reaching a

sexual

achievement, as it were, or a sexual

pleasure, if you will.

For example,

one woman

making love to one man

may find it necessary

in her imagination

to believe, for sexual climax,

sexual enjoyment and happiness,

to believe that she, in fact,

is being made love to by many men.

I recall a time, not long ago in Vienna,

a patient of mine, a Frau Hornblower,

required

multiple partners

to achieve sexual happiness.

The whole faculty at this time took a

particular interest in this case.

And I am happy to say
that within one or two...

one to two months,

we had reached a satisfactory solution.

How it happened specifically

is difficult for me...

But I digress.

(inhales)

Our esteemed Grandmaster Dr. Sigmund

put it this way:

(chalkboard scrapes across floor)

(inhales)

The sexual appetite, the id,

was opposed by the barriers the ego

and the superego.

(inhales)

When the directional flow of this energy

is blocked by the ego
and superego processes,

it tries to break through the resistance

and discharge itself

in displacement activity

or fantasy.

And so, through fantasy,

the rational process

of the ego

and the superego

are undermined.

And so, to our subjects,

each of the women you will see
has been a patient of mine.

The voices you will also hear

were recorded by me personally
during the treatment.

Each one came to me
with a feeling of guilt

about their fantasy,

and each was brought

to an understanding by
my own patient labors,

I must admit, with the
help of my assistant,

the very lovely Hilde.

Now first, Abby, Abigail.

Abby's fantasy was exceedingly common.

She was not happy in marriage.

She could not overcome the belief

that she was not sexually
attractive in any way

and always regarded herself

as an ugly gooseling.

Of course, these fears
that she had have no basis.

None at all, as you will see.

But her fantasy allowed her subconscious

to overcome these fears.

(soothing woodwind music)

(Abby, V.O.) I go to the
beauty shop once a week

and often dream about my hairdresser

asking me out for the evening.

After we've had dinner and a few drinks,

he suggests we drop back
to the shop for a nightcap.

(lamp switch clicks)

(soothing woodwind music continues)

(sound of cabinets and
drawers opening and closing)

(chair creaks)

(sound of wheels rolling across floor)

(switch clicks)

(water sprays)

(hairdryer hums)

(hairdryer continues to hum)

(smooth acoustic guitar
and woodwind music)

(hairdryer clicks into holder)

(acoustic guitar, woodwinds
and strings continue)

(sound of chair whirling around)

(sound of scissors snipping)

(snipping continued)

(sound of straight razor scraping)

(moody electric guitar music)

(deep, sensual sighing)

(moans)

(moans)

(moans)

(louder moan of pleasure)

(moan)

(moaning continues)

(moans)

(moaning intensifies)

Very interesting view

of common anxiety and how the
subject is dealing with it.

The beauty parlor, of course, for Abby,

has become the panel shop
of her own dented libido.

Abby's mirror image becomes
more and more beautiful

and the ugly duckling

is transformed into a beautiful swan.

Sexual fantasy was her leader.

(cabinet slides open)

I wonder how many ladies in our audiences

have imagined themselves performing

outrageous acts in public.

If you have, of course, ladies,

you must force yourself to admit it,

because, you see, this sexual dream

releases tension created
by childhood where

sex and sexuality

has been regarded as shameful
and sometimes even obscene.

Now, Barbara...

The next case of Barbara and her husband,

who invited friends once
a week, or whatever,

to play a game of poker.

These men arrived

and Barbara felt that this act, in itself,

was an intrusion into
her own married life.

Paradoxically, it is in fact these men

who provided, for Barbara, the springboard

into her own sexual fantasy.

(Barbara, V.O.) I guess I
imagined myself to be at a

small but classy dinner party.

About three couples.

It's after dinner and there
are cigars and brandy.

Someone suggests a little strip poker.

I guess it's okay with me,

but my husband is such
a rotten poker player.

Cards, gentlemen.

(sultry, bluesy saxophone music)

One, Bob.

Dealer stands pat.

(hand slides against fabric)

All right, gentlemen, what do you have?

Kirby?

Bob?

Aces against.

You lose, Bob.

Sorry, kid.

(suckling sounds)

(indistinct mumbling)

That's right.

(bluesy xylophone music)

(music continued)

(necklace clinks onto table)

(bracelet clinks onto table)

(wet kissing sounds)

(fly unzips)

(kissing sounds)

(Barbara breathes sharply and moans)

(moaning intensifies)

(gasping and moaning continues)

- How many cards?
- One.

(Barbara moans)

(bluesy organ solo)

(Barbara moans repeatedly)

(moaning continues)

(sharp moan)

(Bob grunts)

(fly zips)

And now, Kirby, what do you have?

(chuckles) Sorry.

This time, eights and aces.

My turn with your wife.

(up tempo flute music)

(kissing sounds)

(moody instrumental music)

(heavy breathing)

(chair creaks)

(Barbara moans and gasps )

(moaning continues)

(Barbara yelps)

(thud)

(both laugh)

(Barbara giggles)

(group kissing and moaning)

(group moans)

(male groans)

(kissing and moaning)

(Barbara moans)

(chuckles) Contract bridge
would be quite absorbing,

if played under those rules.

Imagine the penalties for
failing to make the grand slam!

(chuckles)

Now, the point of this type of fantasy

is that the response of
the audience is necessary

for the approval and
strengthening of the individual's

own sexuality.

One may reflect on the use of
mirrors during the sex act,

where the participants
themselves are also the audience.

And vice versa, the other way around.

If you follow my meaning.

Recently, women have come
to be accepted as equals,

but in the battleground of the boudoir,

there is still a war to be won.

It must be fought on the couches.

It must be fought on the sheets.

There must be no surrender.

(chuckles)

But pardon me, I wander
from the garden path.

Now, Gabrielle, our next subject,

feels trapped in her female role

and has a compulsion

to wear the pants.

Her visitor...

(chuckles)

But you shall see.

(somber trumpet and warm organ music)

(Gabrielle, V.O.) I'm
probably what you would call

an everyday housewife.

The kids and husband are gone all day

and I'm left at home with
a lot of time on my hands.

Sometimes I think it would
be more exciting being a man.

Getting out and being able
to work, or... whatever.

(somber music continued)

(music shifts to Latin rhythm
with trumpet and organ)

(funky electronic music)

(footsteps on stairs)

(clothesline swaying)

(intruder gasps)

(footsteps shuffling up stairs)

(loud thump)

(funk music)

(intruder gasps)

(fabric rustles)

(intruder groans)

(clattering)

(intruder groans)

(whip cracks)
(intruder groans)

(whip cracks)
(intruder groans)

(whip cracks)
(intruder groans)

(funky electronic music)

(intruder groans loudly)

(intruder groans loudly)

(intruder grunts)

(clattering)

(sultry trumpet music)

Gabrielle's fantasy
is about role-reversal.

In her imagination, the house
frau is transformed into a...

a rampaging sadist,

only to be confronted

by the reflection of her true self.

At last,

she is in command

of the sexual situation.

She has the whip, and,

and she uses it to free herself

from the bondage of her home duties.

And so...

To rape.

It's a clich? of male
chauvinism that deep down,

every woman desires

to be raped.

A cliche most women are at pains to deny.

Even so, the idea of being raped

is the most frequent

of female sex fantasies.

(clears throat)

For within the seductive folds of fantasy,

Diane, a pretty little secretary,

is free to take her own
personal excursion into

"Nightmare Alley"?

(Diane, V.O.) I guess I'm
a fairly average female.

I think I'm attractive and I'm not dull.

I'm nice to people, and most
times, people are nice to me.

Maybe too nice.

Nothing really exciting
ever happens to me.

(suspenseful music)

(yelps)

(groans)

(boxer grunts)

(yelps)

(yelps)

(boxer grunts)
(yelps)

(boxer grunts)

(boxer grunts)
(yelps)

(moans)

(moans)

(moans)

(moaning increases)

(moans)

(pants and moans)

(pants)

(moans)

(helmet thuds)

(shoes scraping against canvas)

(rhythmic music)

(boxer grunts)
(yelps)

(sinister rock music)
(yelps)

(yelps)

(fabric tears)
(yelps)

(panting)

(boxer grunts)
(moans)

(music intensifies)

(both moan)

(moaning intensifies)

(moans)

(boxer grunts)
(moans)

(moans)

(moans)

(moans)

(typewriter clacks)

The puritanical
association of sex and guilt

is very strong in this subject.

The fantasy is devised so
she can relieve herself

of responsibility

for the sexual pleasure.

Significance, of course,
of the leather mask,

and the punching bag,
is not to be overlooked.

(typewriter thuds)

The fact that the rapist is unseen

behind the mask

removes any commitment to him,

and so the patient can experience

paroxysms of pleasure

with her anonymous lover.

A woman having sex with
another woman in fantasy

is very common, but of
course, does not indicate

that the subject is a secret,
or a repressed lesbian.

(exhales sharply)

Francine frequently imagined herself

exchanging tender caresses
with a dream girl.

The antithesis of what she
imagines herself to be.

Voluptuous.

Buxom.

Sensual.

(Francine, V.O.) I've always
lived a rather simple life.

Not much excitement.

I don't go on dates very
often, although I'd like to.

Most people think I'm
rather quiet and shy.

I guess I am.

(ambient sauna sounds)

(bench creaks)

Hi.

Hello.

It's nice and warm in here.

Mm. Yes, it feels good.

Your glasses are all steamed up.

Let me clean them for you.

Here. That should be better.

- Okay?
- Thank you.

You have beautiful skin.

Mm, thank you.

Do you put a lot of oil on it?

Ah, yes.

So smooth.

You have beautiful breasts.

Thank you.

Yours are pretty.

They look so soft and beautiful.

Mm, but I've always wanted
to have big ones like yours.

And I always wanted
to have smaller ones,

so I wouldn't have to wear a bra.

Mm.

Isn't it nice?

(moans)

- The steam feels so good.
- It's relaxing.

You have a beautiful body.

You're so slim.

(Francine sighs with pleasure)

You like that?

(Francine sighs again)

(tender music)

(kissing sounds)

(inhales)

(breathes sharply)

(breathes sharply)

(steam hisses)

Francine is not a lesbian.

Her fantasy is narcissistic.

Her lover is as she would wish to be.

She, in fact, is making love

to a dream image.

Now, our next episode

concerns a fantasy

which is more common in real life

than in the dream world
of the imagination.

Imogen first came to
see me six months ago.

Her imaginary sex life was
very limited and inhibited,

but after therapy by myself
and my esteemed colleagues,

we were able...

We were able to get to
the core of the problem.

(Imogen, V.O.) I enjoy
sex and I love my husband.

He's virile and good-looking,
but extremely jealous.

He's often away on business.

Sometimes when I'm left
alone in the house,

I will really like to get
into some of the things

he thinks I get into.

(moody, exotic music)

(banana peeling)

(water splashes)

(slurping sounds)

(moody, exotic music)

(juice splashes)

(fruit squelches)

(loud slurping sounds)

(fruit squelches)

(whipped cream can hisses)

(slurping)

(slurping)

(water splashes)
(moody guitar instrumental)

(underwater bubbling)

(bubbling continued)

(moody blues instrumental)

(bubbling)

(glass shatters)

In this fantasy,

the intensity and variety
of real sexual activity

has been increased.

The woman's combination
of fresh fruit and water

lifts her into

an erotic fairyland

containing a whole catalog of tingling

and tantalizing situations.

The creation of a partner who is

overly well-endowed

(restrained laughter from crew)

(chuckles) is far too common a subject

to take up here at the moment.

(sniffs loudly)

Incest.

Incestuous desires

are probably dormant in all of us.

The strong religious, moral,

and ethical taboos
surrounding this subject

make it ideal for

harmless fantasizing.

(somber acoustic guitar music)

(V.O.) I'm a bit ashamed to admit this,

but I have this
reoccurring sexual daydream

where I have sex with my son.

I can't ever remember having
incestuous thoughts, though,

about my own father and brother.

(knocks)

(birds chirping outside)

Son!

Son, you're so dirty!

(floorboards creaking)

(dog barking outside)

(water splashes)

(shoe clacks)

(water splashes)

(water splashes)

(water splashes)

(water splashes)

(water sloshes)

Billy went to the
foxhole with 17 other guys.

He was the only one to come out.

His uniform was all cut to shreds.

His face was all bloody.

And his eyes.

It's as if he saw the devil himself.

17 guys went into that goddamn foxhole.

Billy was the only one to come out.

(water splashes)

(water sloshes)

Wash me, son.

(water splashes)

(jaunty electronic music)

(water splashes)

(water splashes)

(sensual sighing)

(water splashes)

(water splashes)

Belle no doubt recalls a
fantasy she had as a little girl,

but no longer remembers.

Most young little girls

between the ages of about two and six,

have these feelings towards their fathers,

or their brothers, or even
their favorite uncles.

It is not healthy to block this out.

Instead, we should use it to decorate

and embellish one's
own sexual experiences.

Celeste, for example,
overcomes in her mind

the inhibitions of the
society in which she moves.

(doorbell rings)

(Celeste, V.O.) I
sometimes imagine myself

as a high-class call girl,

but I never give my
clients what they want.

Well, not exactly, anyway.

(sexy soul music)

Hello, there.

How are you?

You are a sexy-lookin' woman today.

(door creaks)

(door closes)

It's a little sooner than I expected.

Yeah, it's good. It's good timing.

Let me get you a drink.

(alcohol trickles)

(doorbell rings)

(door creaks)

Hi.

Nice to see you.

Nice to meet you.

Get you a drink.

(alcohol trickles)

(knocks)

(doorbell rings)

(door creaks)

- Well, hello.
- Hello, there.

Come on in.

Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.
(door closes)

(bed creaks)

(door slides shut)

(sultry blues music)

(saxophone solo)

(cymbals crash, blues number climaxes)

(clock chimes)

By imagining herself
to be a lady of night,

Celeste is able to
indulge all the sensations

of titillating,

tantalizing, but never
touching her clients,

thereby debasing them.

Naturally, as a rational man,

I abhor such behavior in my own fellow men

and find it an insult
to the dominant species.

The fact that some men will
always find it necessary

to pay for their pleasure
in this way indicates

that the world should follow

the enlightened leadership
of the Fatherland

and legalize such contracts of the flesh.

But, onto our next fantasy.

The desire to be dominated

and humiliated originates
with childhood memories

of beatings and spankings.

However, here...

the tables are turning

in that Harriet is using
a beautiful instrument,

her own, ample body, to
humiliate this authority figure

which once humiliated her.

(distant bell rings)
(children chatter outside)

(Harriet, V.O.) Let's
say I've lived a little

and I'm not afraid to try something once,

or maybe even twice, who knows?

But I guess I have a
rather strange fantasy.

It's like this:

I'm back in school and I'm
the one with the upper hand.

Well, (chuckles) to some extent, anyway.

(shoes clack)

(playful music)

(nails tap)

(gum pops)

(whip cracks)

(thud)

(door slams)

(teacher pants)

This is more than an adult body

bursting out of that
imaginary school uniform.

It is a rampant and irresistible id

exploding the barrier of the superego.

(folder clacks)

(sighs)

We come now, perhaps, to the
greatest of all taboo areas.

The connection

of sex with religion.

The connection of religion with sex

is, even in these permissive times,

a fearful blasphemy

in the eyes of some.

But, similarities between

religious rituals

and orgiastic sexual practices

can be observed.

For example, in the laying
of the hands for novitiates,

once practiced by adherents to the faith.

Now, Zelda is a lovely girl,

make no mistake.

But somehow, religion and sex

had become so muddled in
her young mind that...

(chuckles)

Well...

You shall judge for yourselves.

(solemn organ music)

(doors clack)

(doors clack)

(Zelda, V.O.) I was
brought up in a very small,

quiet town, where my family
and myself devoted most of our

spare time to the church.

Since I had such a strict upbringing,

my sexual outlook tends
to be a bit far-out.

(doors clack)

(organ music continued)

(Satanic priest roars)

(chanting)

(sinister organ music)

(yelps)

(grunts)

Get off me!

(grunts)

No.

(yelps)

(groans)

(screams)

(screams loudly)

Ah!

(groans)

(grunts)

(grunts)

No.

(pants)

(moans fearfully)

(groans)

(Satanic priest groans loudly)

(loud groan)

(thump)

I hear you ask, "Is this wrong?"

Perhaps these fantasies
are symptoms of frigidity.

Surely, a woman should
be able to be satisfied

by her partner without the use of fantasy.

The answer is "no," "no,"

und again, "nein."

You see, the freer the
imagination is left to roam,

the more orgasmic potential is released.

A rich,

full sex life

requires... no, demands...

the use of fantasy.

It will, of course, supply
a whole new dimension

to your sex life.

The id

must be unbridled.

The ego must be crushed!

The sensual spirit

must triumph!

Thank you.

(warm keyboard arpeggios)