Episode 118 – Liliana Cavani’s The Night Porter

By On At 7:15 pm

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This week on the podcast, Ryan and Travis discuss the May 2012 Criterion titles, the possibility of a Beauty And The Beast film directed by Guillermo Del Toro, as well as Liliana Cavani’s The Night Porter.

Film discussion begins at 45:20

About the film:

In Liliana Cavani’s scintillating drama, a concentration camp survivor (Charlotte Rampling) discovers her ex-torturer/lover (Dirk Bogarde) working as a night porter at a hotel in postwar Vienna. When the couple attempt to re-create their sadomasochistic relationship, his former SS comrades begin to stalk them. Operatic and disturbing, The Night Porter deftly examines the cruelty and decadence of Nazi culture.

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Trailer:

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Next week on the podcast: Gus Van Sant’s Mala Noche

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Ryan Gallagher

Ryan is the Editor-In-Chief / Managing Editor / Co-host, along with whatever else the site needs at the moment. You can find his own, poorly maintained blog at RyanGallagher.org, follow him on Twitter (@RyanGallagher), or send him an email to: ryan (at) criterioncast.com.

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  • criterioncastcritic

    Probably the most uninformed account of a movie I have ever heard. Did you do no reading or background research beyond the scandalising reviews that the film received in the latter part of the C20th? Do you know anything about Vienna in 1957, or what the director has written about that herself? Do you not think it worthwhile to mention the huge importance of its place as a movie within a trilogy on Germany and thus the wider context? Do you know the level of research that went in to the backgrounding of the characters and historical accuracy? You refer to moral responsibility, and tone, but the film obviously expects of the audience a rudimentary grasp of the political situation in Europe during the mid-1970s. Sorry, but there is just so much you overlook here, it is cringe-worthy in the level of superficiality you chose for discussion of the movie. You also fail to mention the flaws in the Criterion edition and the foul-up with their digital transfer, and their colour correction which undermines the allegorical symbolism of many scenes (some of which harken back to symbology deployed by Hitchcock and other Eastman film stock directors). Additionally there are the problems of serious historical errors in the subtitles of the criterion edition (some of which are important in pointing up key historical facts to the audience). This is embarrassing to listen to. Your grasp of C20th European culture is seriously lacking here too but it is crucial in understanding the film. Additionally you overlook the reception of the film in the USA which differed from European countries die to Joe Levine’s chosen modes of promotion in the USA. This is basic stuff that you leave out. And yes… there are several text books on Nazi-exploitation movies (nazisploitation) that you refer to and some of them easily accessible to high school level critics. In fact, you have Internet access. Why did you not do some preparatory reading prior to opening your mouths on thus one?

  • http://ryangallagher.org RyanGallagher

     No, I did no reading before watching the movie. Thanks for all of the information! Very helpful.