Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Victor Khomenko (M) on December 30, 2003 at 06:26:32

Given the effect the Friday Night had on us, and remembering that of Beau Travail (having just ordered it) I decided to look deeper at the art of that director.

Sandwitched nicely between these two films is the one that shocked many people - it is called Trouble Every Day.

It is a gory film with plenty of blood, and... not awailable in the US. So hunting it down was not easy... BUT, I got it!

In a way of giving you some idea of what it is, here is something from imdb:

"i thought this was a well done gory film, witch was filmed in france throughout europe, witch depicts a bloody fairy tale between vincent gallo, and trecia vessey. the two couple on on a vacatiohn together, romantic one, and find this woman known as core, played by wonderful actress beatrice dalle. (night on earth) , who has an obsession with darkness, and the blood that she is surrounded by. gallo also has a very bad side to him, where he is trying to cure himself, from what is happening to him throughout the film. this film is very gory, and has a fair storyline that makes this movie unbreakably beautiful. see it, if you love gore, and dark fairy tale horror like stories. the scene where dalle is covered with blood is a classic."

I have seen several such descriptions.... Brrrrrrrrrrrr.....

My wife is quite sensitive to gratuitous depiction of objectionable things. She can certainly take them when justified, but she must see the justification, or else.

So I was naturally apprehensive about letting her know I bought that gory thing. This morning over the breakfast I gently broke the news.

I said: "Noney, I just bought another work of Clair Denis!" She yelled: "Oh, Great! I can't wait!"

I said: "But honey, I have to warn you, it is not an easy film to watch!" She said it didn't matter, as the director was obviously as artist, and would not use anything with no good reason.

Well, I dunno... I hope she's right.

I still recall her fury over Man Bites Dog, and to the lesser extent over that charming little Dutch film called 06... or 1-900 in the US... a story about phone sex, with an hour and a half mostly spent with two people masturbating. That one I too had to finish watching all by myself.

The cannibalistic 301/302 she managed to finish - there was enough beauty in it, after all.

And then she dropped that observation regarding Greenaway. She said she didn't mind watching his films, for their sheer beauty, but that they were like Neiman-Markus catalogues - beautiful but with just as much depth.

Pasolini she simply refuses to see, even his more innosent works, calling him simply the Pornograph. But she of course sat through the Salo.

So in a few days the domestic tranquility of this household will be tested yet another time.

I shall gladly let you know.