11review repulsion

7/30/2019 11Review Repulsion

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Written by Emily Clarkson

Repulsion (1965)

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Repulsion tells the story of a young Belgian beautician named Carol, who iscompletely repulsed by sexuality. When her sister goes on holiday with hermarried lover, leaving Carol alone in the apartment, she quickly descends intomadness with some dramatic consequences. The film was directed by RomanPolanski and screened in 1965.

Polanskis approach to the madness of Carols character, as played by CatherineDeneuve, is initially a gentle and subtle one. When seen with her sister Helen,Carols nature is a slightly odd one but then again she might just be a shycharacter. However as soon as Carol is left to cope alone, things take a rapiddownturn. This falling from grace is achieved with a variety of filming techniquesas is highlighted by Time Out LondonPolanski employs a host of wonderfullyintegrated visual and aural effects to suggest the inner torment Deneuve suffers.

(GA, 2012) He insisted on blurring the lines between Carols reality and herimaginings, allowing audiences to experience Carols madness first hand.


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Camera views close to Carol and over her shoulder allow an insight into her life,so that soon the viewers are drawn into her routine. They begin to understandher thoughts and feelings. But in order to hammer home what it might be like toloose ones mind, Polanski uses the environment as a form of narrative and asurface upon which to project of Carols psyche. Cracks appearing in walls, menappearing in mirror reflections, groping hands reaching our of the corridor wallsinstill the fact that something is most definitely wrong with Carols world.(Image2 and 3.)

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There is a great use of sound to this film. Its limited use providing tensemoments but also painting pictures and removing all need to film certain explicitscenes; such is noted by Variety There are two brief sequences, for instance, whenthe young heroine tosses in her bed as she listens to the muted sound of her sisterand her lover in the next room. The moans and ecstatic whimperings of the love actis a dozen times more effective and sensual than any glimpse of the lovers in bed.(Variety Staff, 1965) The raw sounds of these scenes leave the audience in thesame situation as Carol, made to feel uncomfortable and wanting to put their

fingers in their ears. But for the rest of a soundtrack is heard, used to unnervethe audience in the eyes of Christopher Long, of Movie Metropolis. A discordant


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Jazz score jangles the nerves in key scenes,and Even more powerful, soundsconstantly intrude from off screen and from outside the apartment. (Long, 2009)The intruding sound effects Long speaks of remind the audience the worldexpands beyond the edges of the scene, but also disturb the peace that Carolscharacter seems to be seeking from all of the sexuality in the world, especiallywhen she barricades herself inside the apartment.

To make Carols reality all the more tangible, there is a potential love interestnamed Colin. However due to her repulsion of the affection of any man, all thepolite advances of Colin are met with barely any recognition. His involvementwith such a sensitive young woman was only ever going to end in disaster as theaudience begin to realize Carol is not only a danger to herself, but also the peoplearound her.

The storyline of this film is twisted, tumultuous and tragic, calling into questionwhat is real in this world of Carols and what she is fabricating. It is a productionthat successfully draws in the audience, to play with their minds and shock themwith visuals and Carols erratic behaviour towards all men as she goes insane.Despite there never being a concrete explanation as to why Carol behaves theway she does throughout this film, there is opportunity to draw conclusions andthis helps to wrap up the cinematic experience of Repulsion. This is a fantasticpsychological thriller, fully capable of making viewers jump, skin crawl andchins wag, trying to fathom Carols motivations and what is real.

Bibliography

GA (2012) Repulsion (1965)http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/76606/repulsion.html(8/12/2012)

Variety Staff (1964) Repulsionhttp://www.variety.com/review/VE1117794407?refcatid=31(8/12/2012)

Long, Christopher (1009) Repulsion- DVD Reviewhttp://moviemet.com/review/repulsiondvdreview(8/12/2012)

PicturesImage1:IMDb (2012) Repulsion (1965)http://uk.imdb.com/media/rm821921792/tt0059646(8/12/2012)

Image2 and 3: Roboto, Fister (2012)repulsion (1965) movie reviewhttp://lefthandhorror.com/2012/10/25/repulsion1965moviereview/

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