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DVD Review: Repulsion |
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| Written by Trent Daniel | ||||||
| Tuesday, 08 December 2009 | ||||||
 Repulsion is a psychological horror film starring Catherine Deneuve, Yvonne Furneaux, James Villiers and Patrick Wymark. Directed by Roman Polanski.One wonders what horrors Polanski suffered as a child. He lost his mother to the Nazis and WW2 and survived on the streets of Warsaw. He depended on the kindness of Roman Catholic families and from apartment to apartment, for it was not safe for a Jewish child to stay in one location for too long. I can imagine him as a child, hearing footsteps and voices above and below these apartments and wondering if those voices were of the ones who meant to do him harm. Throughout his acclaimed career, a signature trait (particularly in his works of horror) emerged. Instead of a large, haunted mansion, Polanski has always found a small enclosed apartment, surrounded by voices, footsteps and other noises, much more terrifying. Furthermore, he has often found a broken mind to be much scarier than any ghost or monster. Though not his best film, Repulsion captures these fears about as well as any film could. It offers a brilliant mix of genuine shocks combined with mounting unease. It remains a landmark horror film and, even though it is 44 years old, still retains much of its power. The story centers around Carol (Deneuve), a young Belgian woman who is living in London with her older sister ( HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvonne_Furneaux" \o "Yvonne Furneaux" Furneaux). Carol (strikingly beautiful) constantly notices (and is distressed by) the way men seemingly treat her (be it whistles from construction workers to the smarmy flirtations of her sister’s boyfriend to the dogged determination of a young man [Villiers] desperate to suit her). When her sister departs for Italy with her boyfriend, Carol is left alone in their apartment. Soon, all hell (real or imagined) breaks loose. Rabbit meat and vegetables decompose. Men (seemingly) break into her bedroom at night and molest her (one of the great jump scares in cinema is a rather simple shot of a man’s reflection in a mirror). Most famously, hands emerge from the walls to grope her. Carol’s mind begins to crumple, causing her to sometimes resort to violence against the unsuspecting. The film never relents, leaving the viewer both emotionally spent and haunted by it. In one of the supplemental features, director Polanski states: "Don't ever ask me to explain any of my pictures." Many viewers at first will be at a loss to explain what caused Carol’s breakdown. However, the final, eerie shot of the film, focusing on a family portrait, offers a clue, I think. See if you can find it. I must admit that Repulsion did not make near as much of an impact on me the first time I saw it. However, I truly believe that wasbecause my first viewing was on a grainy VHS copy. Criterion’s outstanding Blu-ray transfer of the film allows the full beauty and terror of the film to flower and is an excellent example of the advantages of Blu-ray. The picture is clear and the contrast is excellent, highlighting the outstanding work by cinematographer Gilbert Taylor. Shadows are dark and ominous, the whites are almost blinding at times. Hallways and empty living rooms seem infinite and devoid of light. A film like this often offers visual clues (a Polanski film often focuses on the tiniest details and actions) as to what actually is happening and this beautiful, clear version brings out those subtle clues, heightening the film’s emotional impact as a result. Though not Polanski’s best work, it is still better than any work by most other directors. It is also one of the greatest horror films of the 60s and a landmark in psychological horror. It is truly a disturbing and challenging work, but a rewarding one for the brave. Extras
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