Straw Dogs

Straw Dogs

Straw Dogs is a book authored by Gordon Williams. The book was the basis for the screenplay for the 1971 film of the same name, directed by Sam Peckinpah. Dustin Hoffman and Susan George play the lead roles. David Warner, although uncredited, is also featured.

The film Straw Dogs was released theatrically in the US the same week as A Clockwork Orange and Dirty Harry, sparking a heated controversy over apparently excessive violence in films.

The movie gained notoriety in the UK following its being banned in 1984 by the British Board of Film Classification under then newly introduced Video Recordings Act. The film was again refused a licence in 1999, following the distributors refusal to cut the scene cited as problematic. The film was finally certified uncut for video and DVD release on July 1, 2002.

The story is of an American couple, David and Amy Sumner (played by Hoffman and George) who move to a small town in Cornwall, UK to escape crime and violence in the United States. They face increasing levels of harassment by the local residents. Finally David retaliates with extreme violence.

Apparent glamourisation of sexual violence in a scene where Amy Sumner is raped and sodomized sparked the UK controversy, although a portion of the scene had already been cut by the studio, prior to US release, in order to obtain an R rating from the MPAA.