If you had to pick what film would you say is the most theater worthy?
Man, you're really painting me into a corner making me pick and choose
In all seriousness, while I really do think every single one of them is worth it, I managed to whittle it down to 7:
Goto, Island of Love (1968)
Blanche (1971)
Immoral Tales (1974)
The Beast (1975)
Behind Convent Walls (1978)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (1981)
Love Rites (1987)
Goto and
Blanche are essential because they were Borowczyk's first two live action features and they established Boro's unique directorial style. Coming from an animation background, Borowczyk had a different way of directing actors in that he essentially maneuvered them around like they were animated objects on a canvas so the films have a look to them that is entirely singular. The attention to detail is staggering, particularly in
Goto even down to the props, every single one of them hand made by Borowczyk. Amazing.
The third segment in
Immoral Tales is worth the price of admission alone. Its an anthology film consisting of four naughty tales taking place during various time periods but it’s the third story centered around Countess Bathory with Paloma Picasso, daughter of Pablo, as the Countess that really seals the deal. There’s virtually no dialogue, the piece is carried by the lush classical score and some of the most arresting imagery in European cult cinema. Seeing it in a restored print on a big screen with great sound is going to be mesmerizing.
Immoral Tales also marked a turning point for Borowczyk as its where he began to fall out of favor with critics. Prior to this film his work made him a critical darling but as his films took a turn towards the more erotic he slowly found himself becoming a pariah. Not that he gave a shit.
Its always a trip seeing
The Beast with an audience and preferably with a crowd that has no idea what they’re in for as the reactions to the scene that made the film infamous can range from walking out in disgust or falling over in hysterics. There are so many ways this film could be interpreted. Is it a horror film? A comedy? Fairy tale? Erotica? Its really all of the above and like the majority of Borowczyk’s films it refuses to be pigeonholed into one genre or another. What’s certain is its one of the most audacious films ever made and love it or hate it, its damn near impossible to forget.
Behind Convent Walls is another one that would simple be jaw-dropping to witness on a theatre screen. I know that at this point saying a film looks like a painting is tired and cliché but it still doesn’t change the fact that the film literally looks like a moving painting with it being filmed almost entirely in soft focus with hand-held cameras using mainly natural lighting and select use of filters, the film is truly astonishing to look it. It was lensed by Luciano Tovoli who did the cinematography for Dario Argento’s
Suspiria (1977) and if you’ve seen that than you know you’re in good hands. Plus the film falls into the nunsploitation category so there’s no shortage of gorgeous nuns behaving badly and Boro’s typically antagonistic attitude towards Catholicism. Also an important film as it marked the first time Boro worked with the mind-numbingly beautiful Italian actress Marina Pierro who would become his muse until his final film.
For the longest time
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne was considered a holy grail type of film for fans of this type of stuff. Making its official DVD debut next month, fans have had to make due over the years with copies duped from old VHS tapes so seeing this one restored, not to mention in its original language will be a revelation. One of the most original and perverse takes on the Jekyll/Hyde story, this is also Borowczyk’s most vicious film and yet it could also be considered a parody with Boro giving snooty high society (as well as religion of course) a proper skewering. While that sort of thing is prevalent in all of Borowczyk’s films, the satire here is at its most biting. This film also features what has to be the best ensemble cast Borowczyk ever assembled with the aforementioned Pierro, Udo Kier as Jekyll along with the legendary Patrick Magee and Euro horror favorite Howard Vernon.
Love Rites, Borowczyk’s final feature film is also my favorite of his and one of my favorite films of all time with a secure spot in my top 10. I’ll level with you, its not the easiest film to get into and even some Boro fans have a difficult time taking to it but I find it possesses a certain mood that I’ve not been able to shake since the first time I saw it. Nor do I want to. Its a dialogue based film and said dialogue is very dense, stagy and artificial (
“Isn’t it true than an actress craves attention like a panther flesh?”) and nobody in real life converses like the two characters the film follows but much like
Cosmopolis, it needed to be like that and if you’re like me and the film works for you, you’ll find it lingering in your head long after its over.
