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THE NIGHT PORTER (1974) (ZERO)

When this film was released, they marketed its controversy and played it up as a daring artistic experiment. The wonderful Criterion company released it on DVD. Criterion usually picks films that are sure masterpieces, hard-to-find foreign films from important filmmakers or daring experiments. THE NIGHT PORTER falls under the latter category. Definitely daring, but also definitely a failed experiment.

Max (Dirk Bogarde, A BRIDGE TOO FAR) works as the night porter at a fancy German hotel. He becomes shocked and nervous when he catches sight of Lucia Atherton (Charlotte Rampling, SWIMMING POOL), who has the same reaction to seeing him. We then flashback to World War II when Max was an SS officer and Lucia was a prisoner. He becomes infatuated with her and rapes her. Max is about to go on trial for his war crimes and Lucia is one of the only remaining witnesses. So why doesn’t she turn him in right away? Because she liked it. Staying in Germany, after her husband leaves, she goes to Max and rekindles their sadomasochistic affair.

Could a good movie have been made from this premise? Certainly — I kept thinking of so many issues the scenario could have addressed, but this film’s only idea is to present evil characters having twisted sex. Come on people; it’s art.

Director Liliana Cavani defends the film as an honest love story of one aspect of the times. Yes, evil people can fall in love. But evil people also sometimes watch snuff films. I think Max and Lucia would. Max isn’t a reformed Nazi. He’s a killer. The film doesn’t even bother to develop Lucia at all.

The film is never emotionally or intellectually engaging. It drags and bores. It’s only shocking moments are its emotional ambiguity and detachment. Rampling is certainly sexy, but these vile characters are not.

On top of paper-thin characters, the plot is weak. The script writes itself into holes and then abandons logic so that the film can continue and continue and continue. This pretentious piece of crud is made to shock, but if the audience is falling asleep they’ll miss it. At least shocking horror crap is visceral. The film is like a gas chamber; it slowly knocks you out. And if you thought that analogy was crass and insensitive than you definitely don’t want to see this film.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks