Mondo Vision
R1 DVD
Mondo
Vision offers the first ever North American release of Andrzej Zulawski's L’ Important C’est D’aimer (The
Important Thing Is To Love, 1975) in a gorgeous new transfer, uncut and
uncensored with all new English subtitles supervised and approved by director
Andrzej Zulawski. It is a masterful edition, superbly restored and offering the
original mono French soundtrack with white or yellow subtitles as well as an
English or German dub. Personally, I think the original French is the only way
to go ! The restoration and remastering cannot be faulted and indeed some of it
was even done by hand. It is a pristine edition and the depth of the colours
and the beauty of the cinematography are only enhanced by the incredible job
done by Mondo Vision. There are also some great extras including an informative
feature length audio commentary with director Andrzej Zulawski and writer
Daniel Bird and a video interview with Andrzej Zulawski.
Andrzej
Zulawski’s films are surprising, beautiful, surreal and at times shocking. Many
of his later films follow a much wilder trajectory and are, while fascinating,
difficult to follow in any lineal sense. L'Important
C'est D'Aimer is unusual in that while it has a very straight-forward
storyline, it is populated with such eccentric and unusual characters that it
creates a truly masterful presence. It is filled with curious ideas,
emotionally charged scenes and cinematography which puts you in the centre of
each scene.
The
concept of love in this film is very different from the sort of sentimental
tales found in Hollywood. It is a love which carries within it the seed of not
only its own self destruction but the obliteration of those around it. The
characters here are clearly damaged, life has not treated them well and hence
their search for love carries with it all sorts of emotional turmoil,
intellectual scars and painful memories. They live the way they do or necessity
and survival and simply accept suffering as part of the course.
The
nexus of the film is the story of a struggling actress, Nadine Chevalier (Romy
Schneider), who makes a living in adult films, her obsessive and eccentric
collector husband (Jacques Dutronc) and a dark and moody photographer Servais
Mont (Fabio Testi). Mont has snuck onto the set of her latest film and while
grabbing some shots falls instantly in love with her. Soon a dangerous and
obsessive love triangle develops between them as each tries to resist the fatal
consequences of the emotions which are developing. Mont decides to help Nadine
get into a “real play” and invests in an insane version of Richard III, to do
so he must borrow money from the mob and make underground XXX films for them as
payment.
Richard
III stars none other than Klaus Kinski. Kinski as the flamboyant, bi sexual
Karl-Heinz Zimmer is startling as are so many characters in this film; it is
populated by porn makers, gay sex workers, gangsters, a poetic drunk who dies
with Rimbaud on his lips and more.
It
is the sub plots and back stories which create such a superb texture to the
film. It does not feel convoluted or strained and yet is filled with all sorts
of tales about the characters which inhabit this strange world. The characters
are superbly developed and you feel immense sympathy for the three leads. Each
of the main characters have their own un usual perception of the world. Jacques
sleeps with his shoes on, speaks in riddles, makes a small living running a
film magazine and selling movie paraphernalia and lives in a state of constant
emotional debasement to Nadine. At the same time the quirky lesser characters
add a real texture to the film from the perverse gangster who blackmails his
patrons after takings photos at orgies to the drunk who lives surrounded by
books and dies reciting Rimbaud.
The
wit and dialogue is fast paced and intelligent and the score by Georges Delerue
(Contempt, Shoot the Piano Player and lots of others) is luxurious and at
times quite beautiful. It is haunting, passionate and helps create the strange
mood which envelops the film from beginning to end.
This
is a sad and enigmatic film filled with truly memorable scenes and a climax
which certainly proves that love does not always lead to happiness.
Reviews
appear on the Synergy website with a single cover image. In the digital and
print edition, reviews appear with multiple images and with expanded content.
We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print
edition) to get the most from Synergy Magazine.
This
review will appear in Volume 2 No.5
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
If
you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here to go to the front page of Synergy
Magazine Website or click the following link:
http://www.synergy-magazine.com