DVD Review - Repulsion
Criterion Gives a Terrific Single-Disc Release to Terrifying Film
Jul 25, 2009
And, of course, that's the point. Insanity, anxiety and loneliness aren't mean to be seductive or chic qualities, no matter how many times the movies try to tell us otherwise. So although it may seem all too typical to cast the stunningly beautiful Catherine Deneuve as the schizophrenic lead in a film titled Repulsion, Polanski uses his actress's sex appeal to draw his audience in, only to shatter their expectations.
Carol Ledoux (Deneueve) exhibits a laundry list of psychological tics and symptoms, but ultimately, she defies any kind of simple psychoanalysis. She's crazy from the second we meet her working at a London beauty salon, in an extreme close up on her glazed iris. It's a clever play on the seduction of cinema and a defiant shot at the old idiom, the eye is the window to the soul.
All we see in Carol is blankness, and eventually, madness. Was she a casualty of abuse, the alienation of city living or just stark raving mad from the beginning? Polanski and co-scribe Gérard Brach aren't really concerned with uncovering the cause. Repulsion is all about the effect. Direction, camera, production design -- everything lapses into Carol's warped perception, which means the viewer has no choice but to come along for the ride.
The First of the Apartment Trilogy
As Polanski's follow up to his Oscar-nominated Knife in the Water, Repulsion marks the first in what has often been referred to as the "Apartment Trilogy". But where the other two films -- Rosemary's Baby and The Tenant -- indicate the main character's madness as a result of isolation and urban living, Repulsion uses its central apartment as an embodiment of the lead's psychosis instead of the catalyst.
Once Carol's sister leaves on vacation, the apartment space widens and contorts. As Carol cracks up, so does the apartment. Her fear of sex and sexuality -- brilliantly captured as Carol sits in bed listening to her sister screams of pleasure from the next room -- spirals out of control.
Penetration, Surrealism and the Camera
The real men in Carol's life -- the well meaning suitor Colin and not so well meaning landlord -- get confused with her imagined attackers. They, and most of the people around her, have next to no clue what exactly the "frightened animal" will do when she's backed into a corner.
Polanski and director of photography Gilber Taylor's camera is downright violent. In one of the DVD's special features, Taylor talks about how Polanski decided to decrease the camera's focal length as the story progressed, and the effect works incredibly. The subjective camera, like Carol's mind, cannot be trusted as the world becomes a fun-house mirror image of reality.
The Thrill and Threat
Much has been said about Repulsion's accuracy in terms of depicting schizophrenia, although Polanski claims he did not specific research for the film. To the non-institutional eye, though, Repulsion seems to best reflect the truth of madness by implicating the viewer. As the clock ticks on, the faucet drips, the church bells (Christianity is always a noticeable threat or tormentor in the Apartment movies) ring away ... well it's enough to drive any person mad.
That doesn't necessarily make for the most pleasant viewing experience. But there's nothing sadistic about Repulsion either. It's just impeccably observed and artfully executed.
Special Features
Aside from Polanski and Deneuve's commentary, the DVD contains two really worthwhile features. The 2003 documentary A British Horror Film tracks the development and production of Repulsion, an unlikely success story from exploitation/soft core porn distributor Compton Films. Hearing from the many members of the production team illuminates just how meticulous of a young director Polanski was.
Slightly less informative but no less interesting, the 1964 French TV behind-the-scenes doc on the set of the film achieves a different type of illumination with the archive footage. Seeing Polanski literally act out each part when blocking scenes completely verifies everything his crew had to say in A British Horror Film. He comes off as a bit kooky, even then, but an intensely thoughtful and intelligent artist through and through.
FILM RATING: 4.5 out of 5 stars
SPECIAL FEATURES: 4 out of 5 stars
VERDICT: 44 years after the fact, Polanksi's Repulsion sticks out as the fiercest and most focused of his so-called "Apartment Trilogy". Criterion's transfer job matches the impeccable picture and audio quality the DVD label is known for, and for a single disc, the special features are both compelling and compact. If you're looking for an art film freak out, Repulsion is as fine as they come.
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