Repulsion
| Repulsion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Roman Polanski |
| Produced by | Gene Gutowski |
| Screenplay by | David Stone |
| Story by | Roman Polanski Gérard Brach |
| Starring | Catherine Deneuve Yvonne Furneaux Ian Hendry John Fraser |
| Music by | Chico Hamilton |
| Cinematography | Gilbert Taylor |
| Editing by | Alastair McIntyre |
| Distributed by | Compton Films |
| Release date(s) | June 11, 1965 (UK) October 3, 1965 (US) |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $300,000 |
Repulsion is a 1965 British psychological horror film directed by Roman Polanski, based on a scenario by Gérard Brach and Roman Polanski. It was Polanski's first English language film, and was shot in Britain, as such being his second film made outside his native Poland. The cast includes Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser and Yvonne Furneaux. Polanski himself makes a cameo as a spoon player[1] in a trio of street buskers.
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[edit] Plot
Carole Ledoux (Catherine Deneuve) is a young Belgian manicurist who lives in Kensington, London, with her sister Helen (Yvonne Furneaux). Carole seems shy and interacts with men awkwardly. When Helen leaves on a holiday to Italy with her married boyfriend, Michael (Ian Hendry), Carole appears distracted at work, refuses to leave her apartment, leaves a raw, skinned rabbit out to rot, and sees hallucinations, first of the walls cracking, then reaching out with hands to grab and attack her, and finally of a man breaking in and raping her.
When Colin (John Fraser), a would-be suitor whom she has rejected, breaks into the flat, she bludgeons him to death with a candlestick and dumps the body into the overflowing bath. Later, the landlord (Patrick Wymark) arrives for the late rent. Carole pays him and at first just sits on the sofa, staring into space, as he remarks on the state of the apartment and gives her water to drink. But when he tries to force himself on her, she slashes him to death with a straight razor.
When Helen returns, she discovers the dead men's bodies and finds Carole hidden under her bed. Carole appears catatonic. As neighbours arrive and call for help, the camera slowly pans to a family photograph on the mantel, zooming in on Carole's face as a child. Her eyes are riveted to the man next to her, and she appears to be afraid of him.
[edit] Cast
- Catherine Deneuve as Carole Ledoux
- Yvonne Furneaux as Hélène/Helen Ledoux
- Ian Hendry as Michael
- John Fraser as Colin
- Patrick Wymark as Landlord
- Renee Houston as Miss Balch
- Valerie Taylor as Madame Denise
- James Villiers as John
- Helen Fraser as Bridget
- Hugh Futcher as Reggie
- Monica Merlin as Mrs. Rendlesham
- Imogen Graham as Manicurist
- Mike Pratt as Workman
[edit] Imagery
Repulsion is the first of Polanski's "apartment trilogy" (the other two being Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Tenant (Le Locataire, 1976).[2]
The film is shot in black and white, increasingly adopting the perspective of its protagonist. The dream sequences are particularly intense.[3]
[edit] Awards and reception
At the 15th Berlin International Film Festival in 1965, Repulsion won both the FIPRESCI Prize and the Silver Berlin Bear-Extraordinary Jury Prize.[4] The film paved the way for Polanski's entry into the cinemas of Western Europe and drew attention to Catherine Deneuve with her performance.[3]
The film currently holds 100% on Rotten Tomatoes[5] and it is widely considered as a classic of the psychological thriller genre.
[edit] Similar works
- Rosemary's Baby (1968), by Roman Polanski
- The Tenant - (Le Locataire) (1976), by Roman Polanski
- π (1998), by Darren Aronofsky, alludes to the film, and Aronofsky's Black Swan (2010) certainly contains thematic allusions to it.
- May (2002), by Lucky McKee, was heavily influenced by the film, and has a similar motif of the protagonist's apartment mirroring her mental state.
- Scissors (1991), by Frank De Felitta and starring Sharon Stone as a paranoid woman trapped in a mysterious apartment.
- Music videos for The Cardigans' "Hanging Around" and Metric's "Monster Hospital" were directly inspired by the film.
[edit] References
- ^ "Combustible Celluloid film review - Repulsion (1965), Roman Polanski, Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, dvd review". combustiblecelluloid.com. http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/classic/repulsion.shtml. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- ^ Orr, John; Ostrowska, Elżbieta (2006). The Cinema of Roman Polanski. Wallflower Press. p. 122.
- ^ a b "Wettbewerb/In Competition". Moving Pictures, Berlinale Extra (Berlin): p.38. 11–22 February 1998.
- ^ "Berlinale 1965: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1965/03_preistr_ger_1965/03_Preistraeger_1965.html. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
- ^ Repulsion at Rotten Tomatoes
[edit] External links
- Repulsion at the Internet Movie Database
- Repulsion at AllRovi
- Repulsion at Rotten Tomatoes
- BFI gallery
- Images from the movie
- Review 2010
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- 1965 films
- British films
- English-language films
- 1960s drama films
- 1960s horror films
- 1960s thriller films
- British drama films
- British horror films
- British thriller films
- Films directed by Roman Polanski
- Black-and-white films
- Rape and revenge films
- Independent films
- Psychological thriller films
- Schizophrenia
- Films set in London
