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What was the last film you watched?
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<blockquote data-quote="Willie Oleson" data-source="post: 435331" data-attributes="member: 8"><p>The Night Porter (1974)</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]58300[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Another one from the to-watch list, mostly because of Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling.</p><p>It's a psychological, erotic WWII drama, and because the motivations only make sense to the main characters it's a film with multiple readings.</p><p>While I understand the negative and emotional response to the film, especially from those who have experienced the holocaust, I simply can't catagorise The Night Porter as exploitative Nazi "porn".</p><p>I had expected it to be much more vulgar, but that isn't even the point.</p><p></p><p>The story can be described as an extreme example of Stockholm syndrome, or, from an erotic point of view, an extreme example of a sadomasochistic relationship.</p><p>Personally, I interpret it as the story of two characters who have survived the war; in Max's case because he got away with it, in Lucia's case because she didn't die. But to survive and to live aren't necessarily the same thing.</p><p>Max is dehumanised for the monster he became and he can no longer live in daylight. Lucia feels dehumanised for having been subjected to that extreme kind of depravity.</p><p>If it's not possible to move forward, if there's no cure or forgiveness, then it almost makes sense that they would try to find some emotional attachment in the only hellish reality they understand, no matter how sick it looks to other people.</p><p>A paradoxical love story, as it were.</p><p></p><p>Another interpretation is that, rather than having her revenge, Lucia's decision to voluntarily reenact that disturbing relationship gives her the agency that she lost once she was imprisoned.</p><p>She could even trick herself into believing that it's <em>always</em> been a matter of choice, and that the holocaust circumstances was only background noise.</p><p>Regardless of what the story is supposed to express, I found it a rewarding and thought-provoking experience.</p><p>It also shows that the war didn't end when the Nazis surrendered as we watch the escaped SS officers trying to bury their guilty conscience.</p><p>Just when you thought it couldn't get more evil...</p><p></p><p>The film has one problem: the vocal dubbing of the continental European actors. It doesn't have to be a problem if it's well done, but in this case it's <em>so</em> bad that it makes those actors look like amateurs, and sometimes it almost took me out of the story. Thankfully, these scenes are relatively short.</p><p>Charlotte Rampling looks frighteningly believable as the younger and skinnier version of Lucia - she looks like a beautiful alien - even more so because she made this film only four months after giving birth (according to wiki).</p><p>It's not a film for everyone but at the very least it should be celebrated for being unique. I'm going to add it to the growing list of "best of 1974".</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Willie Oleson, post: 435331, member: 8"] The Night Porter (1974) [ATTACH type="full" alt="1768314962484.png"]58300[/ATTACH] Another one from the to-watch list, mostly because of Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling. It's a psychological, erotic WWII drama, and because the motivations only make sense to the main characters it's a film with multiple readings. While I understand the negative and emotional response to the film, especially from those who have experienced the holocaust, I simply can't catagorise The Night Porter as exploitative Nazi "porn". I had expected it to be much more vulgar, but that isn't even the point. The story can be described as an extreme example of Stockholm syndrome, or, from an erotic point of view, an extreme example of a sadomasochistic relationship. Personally, I interpret it as the story of two characters who have survived the war; in Max's case because he got away with it, in Lucia's case because she didn't die. But to survive and to live aren't necessarily the same thing. Max is dehumanised for the monster he became and he can no longer live in daylight. Lucia feels dehumanised for having been subjected to that extreme kind of depravity. If it's not possible to move forward, if there's no cure or forgiveness, then it almost makes sense that they would try to find some emotional attachment in the only hellish reality they understand, no matter how sick it looks to other people. A paradoxical love story, as it were. Another interpretation is that, rather than having her revenge, Lucia's decision to voluntarily reenact that disturbing relationship gives her the agency that she lost once she was imprisoned. She could even trick herself into believing that it's [I]always[/I] been a matter of choice, and that the holocaust circumstances was only background noise. Regardless of what the story is supposed to express, I found it a rewarding and thought-provoking experience. It also shows that the war didn't end when the Nazis surrendered as we watch the escaped SS officers trying to bury their guilty conscience. Just when you thought it couldn't get more evil... The film has one problem: the vocal dubbing of the continental European actors. It doesn't have to be a problem if it's well done, but in this case it's [I]so[/I] bad that it makes those actors look like amateurs, and sometimes it almost took me out of the story. Thankfully, these scenes are relatively short. Charlotte Rampling looks frighteningly believable as the younger and skinnier version of Lucia - she looks like a beautiful alien - even more so because she made this film only four months after giving birth (according to wiki). It's not a film for everyone but at the very least it should be celebrated for being unique. I'm going to add it to the growing list of "best of 1974". [/QUOTE]
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