Saw The Devil Is a Woman, another film based on the same source material as The Obscure Object Of Desire. Whereas that film frames the war of the sexes as being analogous to class struggle, this one is far more straight-forward. We have a scheming prostitute vs a dignified and imposing officer. It's not so much about class as it is about a woman behaving terribly and getting away with everything. I'm inclined to dislike the prostitute character, but then again the officer is no prize either. He is goaded beyond endurance, but beyond endurance lies domestic assault apparently.
So it's just a film about terrible people behaving terribly. Oh dear. The prostitute is played by Marlene Dietrich, who is always a delight to watch as long as she's being bad. She's fun in this and interesting to watch but she only seems to have one trick: to stamp her foot and declare that whoever she's trying to manipulate doesn't really lover her. It's so silly!
The film plays as a black comedy, satirizing the lengths people will go through to torment each other when a relationship goes bad. There's comic business involving the cops and cackling madams and schemes to bilk the officer out of his money. The plot is quite bleak but it seems played for laughs. I am either too sophisticated or not sophisticated enough to laugh, but it's pleasant in its own quaint way.
No comments:
Post a Comment