Review of Repulsion (1965) by Mikko L — 14 Jul 2008

Deneuve's journey into madness. In the beginning of the flick Deneuve is lame, even frigid. And not only in her role, but also behind it. She's not hot at all. Unlike for women, and like for the men, aging has done a lot for her, added on her charisma and appearance. From a feautreless, perhaps impeccable in terms of facial feautures, but featureless nevertheless, Deneuve later bloomed into a real beauty.

Now, in this flick, not everything is right in Deneuve's character. It's impossible to pinpoint what it is, but there's something from the vey beginning. And that something develops in the full-blown psychosis as the movie goes by. A reason is never provided. Then again, psychosis doesn't necessarily need a reason. It's just chemicals in your brain toying you as they please.

You see a razor blade in the first act, and you don't need to be a dramaturg by trade to know what's going to happen in the third act. Things portrayed are, indeed repulsive. Take food items for one. Fresh portion of fish and chips is repuslive by default, but British cuisine is. Then the pictures of spoiled potatoes and the corpse of skinned rottening rabbit which tempts flies is repulsive. Deneuve locks heself in the apartemt and lives just by eating sugar cubes. The bells are repulsive. The doorbell, the phone; my home entertainment center repeated like an extra touch of repulsive metallic sound would have been added to them. Something comparable to the sound of the screech a chalk can make in the chalkboard. The people are repulsive. The fact that the British drive on the wrong side of the road is repulsive. It makes me dizzy. I'm prepared to that, though, if I ever have to drive in Britain. Then you just have to think like a communist: "Stay on the left, watch for the right!".

The music is hard to describe. It's jazz. A horror movie with a nickel and dime lame version of John Coltrane to support the atmosphere of a horror movie, of a journey into an abyss? Strangely enough, it is not as bad as it sounds, but suits this film. I would not advice the current makers of horror movies to try that, however. It's just a time-bound issue.

I also wonder if Charlie Manson ever saw this flick?

Btw, someone who had reviewed this movie before me wrote that in this film you hear the female orgasm first time in the movie history. I think he meant the history of a mainstream movie, but it may just as well be so. Though I'm not sure if it was an orgasm or just moaning. What a thought to finish just another review.