Liberte. (18.)
Directed by Albert Serra.
Starring Helmut Berger, Marc Susini, Iliana Zabeth, Laura Poulvet and Baptiste Pinteaux. Subtitled. Out on Blu-ray from Second Run on January 11th. 138 mins.
Though it combines two quintessentially British pursuits – costume dramas and dogging – this is a prime example of the kind of foreign muck we have set our borders against. It's the 18th century and a group of exiled French libertines and free thinkers turn up in Germany to encourage the Duc de Walchen (Berger) to round up some loose ladies, head down to the woods and circle the hand-drawn carriages for a night of sexual debauchery and abandonment, but always with their wigs on.
The Libs talk a good depravity, dreaming up various scatological and sadistic scenarios that suggest something akin to Pasolini's infamous stomach turner Salo. The reality though is a good deal tamer. Initially, a lot of screen time is engaged with men rubbing themselves while sneaking around furtively in the undergrowth. Later on, it pushes the limits of what the BBFC will allow, even with subtitles.
Serra's inscrutable, narrative-free film doesn't offer viewers much guidance as to how to interpret all this BDSM observed by moonlight. Are they striking out against repression and hypocrisy, or just a bunch of desperate pervs? And what are we doing watching them being watched? (Actually, I think we both have a fairly clear idea of what we are doing while we are watching them being watched.) The only certainty is that it looks fantastic, with Albert Tort's balloon light cinematography creating a visual design that is sinister and yet serene; perfect for a vision that is simultaneously dream and nightmare.
Directed by Albert Serra.
Starring Helmut Berger, Marc Susini, Iliana Zabeth, Laura Poulvet and Baptiste Pinteaux. Subtitled. Out on Blu-ray from Second Run on January 11th. 138 mins.
Though it combines two quintessentially British pursuits – costume dramas and dogging – this is a prime example of the kind of foreign muck we have set our borders against. It's the 18th century and a group of exiled French libertines and free thinkers turn up in Germany to encourage the Duc de Walchen (Berger) to round up some loose ladies, head down to the woods and circle the hand-drawn carriages for a night of sexual debauchery and abandonment, but always with their wigs on.
The Libs talk a good depravity, dreaming up various scatological and sadistic scenarios that suggest something akin to Pasolini's infamous stomach turner Salo. The reality though is a good deal tamer. Initially, a lot of screen time is engaged with men rubbing themselves while sneaking around furtively in the undergrowth. Later on, it pushes the limits of what the BBFC will allow, even with subtitles.
Serra's inscrutable, narrative-free film doesn't offer viewers much guidance as to how to interpret all this BDSM observed by moonlight. Are they striking out against repression and hypocrisy, or just a bunch of desperate pervs? And what are we doing watching them being watched? (Actually, I think we both have a fairly clear idea of what we are doing while we are watching them being watched.) The only certainty is that it looks fantastic, with Albert Tort's balloon light cinematography creating a visual design that is sinister and yet serene; perfect for a vision that is simultaneously dream and nightmare.
