Review of Insignificance (1985) by Rod E — 05 Sep 2012

While Bad Timing (1980) and Eureka (1983) may have went down well with the critics, but not at the box-office, that didn't stop Nicolas Roeg working again with producer Jeremy Thomas. This time going for an adaptation of Terry Johnson's 1982 play, first performed at the Royal Court Theatre.

It's a good play on film, with the actors playing their subjects well, or are they?? Knowing Roeg, nothing is ever that simple. In 1954, in a hotel in New York City, The Actress (Theresa Russell) meets The Professor (Michael Emil).

The Actress has been in town making a film, while her husband The Ballplayer (Gary Busey) looks on in discomfort, so he goes off into the night. The Professor has a dilemma, he's been interrupted by The Senator (Tony Curtis), who has come to The Professor's room to try and coax him into attending committee hearing to investigate the activities of The Professor.

However, The Actress wants to sleep with the Professor, but when The Ballplayer arrives, he and The Actress try to sort out their marital problems, and The Senator will not leave The Professor alone, even as he's trying to work out complicated mathematical calculations.

It's a very unusual film and like a lot of Roeg's film's, it require's patience. It mixes the setting of the 1950's with music from the 1980's, the cast give great performances as the people they're meant to be, but it's never said who they are, we're only meant to presume that.

But, it also has the best explosion on screen, topping Zabriskie Point.