The Comfort of Strangers (1990) – Paul Schrader
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Saw The Comfort of Strangers (1990) on VHS; at the same time I went to the Fnac and read bits of this 100-page novella. With a runtime of 107 minutes it is probably a better idea (quicker and better) to read this story than see it.
Nevertheless: What will you miss when you read instead of see:
- Music by Angelo Badalamenti
- Armani’s 1980s chic clothing
- Sumptuous interiors of Venetian villa and views Venice itself (armchair travelling)
- Saint George slaying the dragon painted by Paolo Uccello
- Christopher Walken
- Screenplay by Harold Pinter
Notes:
- Paul Schrader is probably the most ‘European’ of American directors
- Compare the throat slashing in Comfort with the one in Haneke’s Caché.
- What was the drug that Everett’s wife was given: it left her conscious but unable to move?
Most memorable moments:
- “Robert started to hurt me when we made love … Though it took a lot of time, … I liked it.”
- Walken striking Everett in the stomach
Rating (film): Psychological realism 4/10, feelgood factor: 3/10, Oddity value 5/10.
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