The Movie: Repulsion (Compton Films, 1965). Directed by Roman Polanski. Written by Roman Polanski and Gerard Brach (adaptation and additional dialogue by David Stone). Starring Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser, Yvonne Ferneaux. Running time: 105 minutes.
My First Viewing: About 25 or 26 years ago, in a theater in Pasadena, California, with an Englishman named Mick who loved movies.
The Straight Dope: This is Roman Polanski's first English-language film, shot in mid-sixties London in glorious black and white. How to describe it to someone who hasn't see it? It's a deeply disturbing film, directed by a troubled man. I just noticed the film has a 100 percent approval rating over at Rotten Tomatoes, so the critics clearly love it. Polanski was only 32 when he made this dark horror film about a young woman Carole (played by ghostly Catherine Deneuve), a sensitive and troubled young Belgian beautician who's clearly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She lives in a spacious London pad with her sister, Helen (Yvonne Ferneaux). There seems to be a lot of distance between the two sisters. Helen is more outgoing. She's a product of Swinging Sixties London culture. In fact, she goes on a vacation with a married man, leaving poor, tormented Carole alone in the flat for an extended period. This is where the nightmare begins, as Carole begins to spiral downward into total madness while she's a alone. The stark cinematography by Gilbert Taylor only adds another nightmarish layer onto this already surreal motion picture. Carole is not helped by the fact that she suffers from androphobia (the fear of men). While Helen is away, Carole retreats deeper and deeper into her own fragile insanity. She stays locked up in the flat, and all the food begins to go rotten (there is a scene of a decaying chicken that you will not ever forget). Best not to give too much away, other than to say that about midway through the film, you can tell it isn't going to end well. Let's just say there's a landlord in the film who really shouldn't have tried so aggressively to get Carole into bed.
Why I... uh... was troubled by this film: It's a damn disturbing movie. The rotting chicken has stayed in my mind for over a quarter of a century (that's a hell of an image not to be able to shake for 25-plus years). The film is now available from the Criterion Collection (right). There's a great sneak preview on the Criterion website (just tap the link in the previous sentence). Psychological horror films do not come any more unsettling than this one. Also, watching the film two and a half decades after I originally viewed it, I was struck by Polanski's ability to relate to women and portray them as multi-dimensional, fully realized characters. If you don't believe me, watch Repulsion - or have a look at Rosemary's Baby (1968), Chinatown (1974), Tess (1979) or Death and the Maiden (1994). Each film contains a complex female protagonist. You can trace Polanski's perceptiveness back to Repulsion.
Bottom Line: It may not be your cup of tea, but watch it anyway, if you want to see a nightmare beautifully portrayed on film. Only a troubled man like Roman Polanski, with the Holocaust in his background and a host of demons roaming around in his closet, could have created such an elegant and ultimately horrifying work of art. Grade: I am not going to grade films anymore. The "Bottom Line" entry should suffice.
No comments:
Post a Comment