It's not clear this was in the script. I think Douglas just upset about being in such an awful film, demanded to be whipped and they just kept the cameras rolling.
shareHe had just lost his son but had to go on. It was a way to clear his mind. Kind of like a slap to the face to wake someone up if they were throwing a tantrum. Men, back then, in the films, used to ask someone to hit them in the face to make them snap out of being drunk, too, or if they were feeling depressed or helpless or couldn't feel. It was a way to change their mood.
shareFor a guy who wasn't keen on having the preacher along, therefore not needing "the good book" shoved down his throat, the "whip me" sequence came out of left field in a blinding St Paul like flash. Tadlock suddenly saw the light and it naturally involved flagellation.
share