Quills(2000) Page

The film's most striking visual motif is the Marquis’s resourcefulness when his writing tools are stripped away by Dr. Royer-Collard and the Abbé du Coulmier. As he is denied traditional parchment and ink, his concept of "paper" evolves through stages of increasing desperation:

: When his quills and paper are seized, he uses blood and wine to write on his bedsheets and clothing. Quills(2000)

: By removing physical paper, the authorities only force the Marquis to find more permanent and shocking ways to preserve his work. The film's most striking visual motif is the

: De Sade’s transition from ink to bodily fluids suggests that his stories are literally part of his physical being. Quills(2000)

: Initially, he uses sheets smuggled out by the laundress Madeleine .