When it comes to movie made in other countries we here in
the U.S. rarely accept or encourage their viewing. Yes I know there is a market
for these films but it is a niche market at best for the most part. That’s sad.
Rather than shy away from other points of view or have the opportunity to see
something that might not be as mainstream as the rest, we’ve settled on
watching things only we create and complain about the fact that we have to read
subtitles. For that reason when the chance presents itself I often try to watch
foreign films.
All that being said there is a difference in film when you
look at these works as well. The steadfast plotlines used in American film are
not always adhered to. There are times that’s a good thing and others when it
is not. In any event what I’ve learned from most foreign films is that there
are more risks being taken there than in our movies for the most part.
One more thing as viewers we need to take into
consideration. Coming from the U.S. we have more freedoms and have had them
longer than other countries and when viewing movies we need to keep that in
mind. Artistic suppression sometimes decades long stirs something in artists to
step out of the box, to come up with something different and sometimes
uncomfortable, a display of the feelings and emotions long held in check. If,
as we watch, we remember that then foreign films take on a different quality.
Which brings me to IMMORAL TALES. Director Walerian
Borowczyk was a Polish born director who first studied art, eventually
attracted to the possibilities of film. His animated short predated those of
Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam who seems to have adopted his style. Those
works led to his interest in pursuing feature films. But to say his films are
not like most is an understatement. Borowczyk always seems more interested in
what we see, in the visual, than the story being told. It’s as if story takes
second place to visuals in his films.
IMMORAL TALES features four stories with little in common
except for the theme of sex. The first story tells of a young man’s obsession
and eventual seduction of his cousin, taking her to a beach and comparing his
oral gratification by her to the tides. The second story revolves around a
teenage girl in what seems to be medieval times infatuated with the church as
she mixes her desires with images of the Catholic Church while masturbating in
a locked room. The third story involves the legend of Elizabeth Bathory who was
said to bathe in the blood of virgins to retain her youth. In this story that
appears to be the case as she gathers a group of young women from a local
village, strips them down and watches them cavort nude before taking the
legendary bath. The final story concerns young Lucrezia Borgia, the daughter of
Pope Alexander VI, having sex with her male relatives and their assistants. So
from these descriptions it becomes obvious that the main thing that ties them
together is sex.
So what would prompt a highly regarded artistic director
like Borowczyk to make a movie that at times feels more like soft core porn
than art? Looking deeper into the film I learned that at the time the movie was
made (1974) short films were not the rage they had been earlier. At the
suggestion of his producer and because of the relaxed censorship in France it
was thought that by directing a sexual film like this Borowczyk could draw a
bigger audience to his films. The response to the film was mixed with some
liking it and others feeling that his decision guided him more into the realm
of pornographer than artist. While the movie did well at the box office many
felt that it was his weakest film and that it led to a decline in his
abilities.
So with the storyline described and a touch of history added
what did I think of the film? On a story level it left me wondering just what
story was being told. The fact that there was no theme running through each
left me confused. Then again perhaps that’s the American in me having grown up
with stories in film that run beginning, middle and end. For me as a viewer then
the movie wasn’t necessarily an entertaining experience.
But there is also the artistic merit to consider with this
movie. Borowczyk does have an eye for film. Images that he places on the screen
are often unlike any other and I mean that in a good way. His framing of
certain scenes brings to mind more famous works of art than they do
pornography. While there is definitely nudity in the film none of it has the
hardcore sensibilities that the world of pornography has made easily accessible
with the click of a mouse online these days. I don’t doubt that it was
considered shocking at the time but viewers today will consider it mild for the
most part.
From a moral standing it will all depend on your beliefs.
Christians will undoubtedly be shocked by the images of religious leaders
caught up in sex with various characters here. The incestuous relationship in
the first story is sure to upset as well. Non-religious viewers will then rally
to defend the film as art. The question of Borowczyk’s motive in doing so will
not be discussed if that argument is followed. Was it done to shock or was it
done as a reaction to years of repression he felt? One you get past the
eroticism he uses that becomes the question.
Arrow Video does another outstanding job of extras, one of
the main reasons that movie fans have begun flocking to their releases. With
the exception of Criterion films release you won’t find many companies that
delve this deep into their offerings. The biggest difference is that Arrow
doesn’t charge an outrageous fee for this with their movies at a more
affordable price. Included on this release are a new high def digital transfer
of not only the version I’ve described here but the five-part film that
included “The Beast” (a segment that Borowczyk adapted into another feature
also available from Arrow), an introduction by Borowczyk expert Daniel Bird, an
interview featuring the production manager and cinematographer of the film, an
archival interview with Borowczyk, a visual essay about Borowczyk’s works on paper,
a theatrical trailer, an illustrated booklet with writing on the film by Bird
and an archive piece by Philip Strick and a reversible sleeve for the cover.
In the end I can’t say that I loved this film or would go
back and watch it again but I will say it present an interesting look at film
making from another country and the sensibilities involved because of that.
While some will hail it as great art I felt more like I witnessed the potential
of a great film maker gone to waste on something that was dropped into the
world as pornography. It would have been interesting to see what he would have
done with a more mainstream film.
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