Š DR -CUL DE SAC de Roman Polanski (1966) p19

04/10/2013 06:11 par tellurikwaves

Š DR -CUL DE SAC de Roman Polanski (1966) p18

04/10/2013 06:09 par tellurikwaves

Highly Intriguing Polanski Drama

Author: richard winters (rwint) from Chicago, Illinois
28 April 2002
Two gangsters on the run hide out in a isolated castle that is occupied by Plesance and Dorleac. The two share a rather bizarre passive, aggressive relationship that quickly disintegrates when interrupted by the strangers. Eventually a even more bizarre bonding develops between the couple and Stander, one of the gangsters. Very, very intriguing psychological drama with wonderfully subversive elements lurking just beneath the surface.

Polanski makes full use of the castle showing it's dark, shadowy interior as a sort of symbolic equation to the dark recesses of the human mind. The characters all have their odd traits yet are still believable and compelling to watch. Wonderfully photographed with a strong visual style that really gives this film a distinct look and personality.

Stander, who is probably best known as Max on the old HART TO HART series, has one of his finest roles. He plays a brute that mixes both savage and human traits all at the same time. Plesance though is astounding, playing a truly pathetic character that is simply unforgettable

Š DR -CUL DE SAC de Roman Polanski (1966) p17

04/10/2013 06:07 par tellurikwaves

Š DR -CUL DE SAC de Roman Polanski (1966) p16

04/10/2013 06:04 par tellurikwaves

Excellent black comedy thriller

Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England
6 July 2004
This film is incredible. Polanski's best film behind Knife in the Water and Rosemary's Baby.(qui a bien veilli)

The plot revolves around a gangster (Lionel Stander) and his partner that seek refuge in a castle on a small island in England. The couple that inhabit the castle are played by the sublime Donald Pleasance and the beautiful Françoise Dorléac. The movie plays out like a three way triangle of hatred; we have the contempt between the couple and the gangster, who is invading their home; the gangster's mean streak is inflicted on the couple and the lady obviously holds her husband in low regard when he takes on the role of a wimp in front of the gun toting criminal. However, it is not as simple as that as in several points in the movie, the characters let their guard down and start to communicate with each other in an almost friendly way.

This is the real beauty of this film; it is a character study, studying the relationship between a couple and a third party in their home. Three is a crowd, and the effects of that true to life phrase are felt by each of the three characters.The three main players in Cul-De-Sac are fantastic, Lional Stander in particular who was surely born to play his role in this movie. He has the voice and the persona of a not very bright gangster spot on; his comic timing for some of his more obviously funny lines is also noteworthy. Donald Pleasance has never been better than he was here either; his portrayal as the 'lord of the manor' is both believable and intriguing.

Last but not least,Françoise Dorléac, in undoubtedly the most overlooked role in the piece,although no less important than the other two, is also on time and believable in her role; making up a perfect cast.From a relatively simple plot line and few characters, through excellent dialogue, restrained plotting and interesting scenarios, Roman Polanksi has managed to weave a story that is interesting and entertaining. Roman Polanski has a great flair for human relationships in his movies, the best example of this was in his best movie, Knife in the Water, and that element is abundant here too. The scenes in which all three characters are on screen interacting with each other are this movie's finest moments.

Cul-De-Sac is an excellent black comedy thriller that fans of the genre and fans of the excellent Roman Polanski will not want to miss. Recommended viewing

Š DR -CUL DE SAC de Roman Polanski (1966) p15

04/10/2013 06:02 par tellurikwaves

Trivia
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-Has one of the longest continuous sequences in cinematic history (at the time of release) at 7 mins 28 secs (the beach scene).
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-Roman Polanski shot 16 takes of the scene in which Lionel Stander drinks a pint of milk.
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-Jack Nicholson claimed in an interview in 2007 that this is his favorite film.
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-Set on an island in the north-east of England called Holy Island.

Š DR -CUL DE SAC de Roman Polanski (1966) p14

04/10/2013 06:00 par tellurikwaves

Š DR -CUL DE SAC de Roman Polanski (1966) p13

04/10/2013 05:57 par tellurikwaves

La critique de Roger Ebert(fin)

This much sounds like a standard horror-film outline, especially since Stander looks amazingly like Frankenstein. But Polanski ignores the horror to concentrate instead on macabre humor. The criminal, it appears, has an accomplice who was injured in an auto wreck. While he has been at the castle intimidating the couple, the tide has come in and nearly drowned his friend in the car. The friend is brought up to the castle, dies and is buried. Everybody gets drunk and confesses meaningless secrets.

In the morning, friends come to visit. The grisly and unshaven criminal masquerades as a butler. There is a hilarious stretch in which the dinner party gets involved in box kites, pressure cookers, Sir Walter Scott, Dior ties and omelets (the castle, it appears, subsists entirely on eggs). Then a little boy blows out a stained-glass window with a shotgun, and Pleasence, in fury, orders the guests out of his "f-f-fortress."

Polanski has fun stealing scenes. He lifts the procession of visitors to the crypt from "La Dolce Vita," the woman and bird outlined in a sunny doorway from "Through a Glass Darkly" and a shaving scene from W. C. Fields' "The Barbershop." And he plays the grave-digging scene with overtones of "Hamlet."When he finally gets back to the horror in his story it's too late to do much about it. But Pleasence, in a role that requires him to run sideways most of the time with his head at a crooked angle, is hilarious and frightening as a man going mad, and the film has an eerie appeal.

Š DR -CUL DE SAC de Roman Polanski (1966) p12

04/10/2013 05:55 par tellurikwaves

Š DR -CUL DE SAC de Roman Polanski (1966) p11

04/10/2013 05:53 par tellurikwaves

La critique de Roger Ebert(1)
December 28, 1967   

Sometimes I get the idea that Chicago is trapped in a time warp, and that is why we get European films a year after their New York openings. Alain Resnais' "La Guerre Est Finie," for example, still hasn't played here a year after its heralded arrival in New York.The Town Underground has been helping the situation recently with a series of first-run films by such as Tony Richardson, Jules Dassin and Resnais. The trouble is, some of the runs have been so short the secret didn't leak out that they were even in town.

The current offering, which crept into town under cover of Christmas and will doubtless creep out again in a day or two, is Roman Polanski's "Cul-de-Sac." It arrives bedecked with the best film award from the Berlin film festival and the critic's award from Venice.Polanski, the wild man of the young European directors, made this after "Knife in the Water"and before he came to Hollywood.He shot it in English on location in a grim British castle where Sir Walter Scott allegedly wrote "Rob Roy." He has populated the castle with strange people: Donald Pleasence, who shaves his head; Francoise Dorleac, his sensuous young French wife, and Lionel Stander, as a criminal who terrorizes them for two days.

Š DR -CUL DE SAC de Roman Polanski (1966) p10

04/10/2013 05:51 par tellurikwaves