“What got into you last night? Maybe I should say ‘who‘…”

I was hoping a second viewing of this would help me to review it but I can’t really say it did, lol. This isn’t to say I didn’t find it just as fascinating, though. This is a psychological horror by Robert Altman that I hadn’t even heard of until last year when I planned to watch it on Halloween. I never got around to it and it lay in my “to watch” pile all this time. It became more pressing when I saw it being mentioned a lot in discussions about Inception … you know, those “what are the most confusing movies ever?” articles etc. I was right to wait until I really had the time and attention to spare for it… but like I say, I still found it pretty tough to follow.

It starts simply enough with Susannah York as a children’s author frequently left alone at home by her husband. She receives a phonecall from a strange woman who asks, laughing, “do you know where you husband is tonight?” and further suggests he may be having an affair. So far so simple. It doesn’t take long for the movie to launch into its unique brand of insanity. When the husband returns, she quizzes him but he calms her. They kiss, but their lips part, he’s become another man entirely. This becomes a frequent occurrence in the movie with York’s character Cathryn seeing the wrong face on a character (this, incidentally, is mirrored in the character names, which are just the actors’ names mixed up a little).

The middle act consists of Cathryn hallucinating (or not?) further, seeing the “ghost” of a man she had an affair with before he died 3 years previously, and a visit from the neighbours, a lecherous man who can’t keep his hands off Cathryn and his 12-year-old daughter. The “ghost” suggests she shoot him, which she does, but only destroys her husband’s camera in the process. She’s not so lucky with subsequent attempts to “kill” her demons.

I’m almost inclined to say something similar of this as I did about *Inception*… that is, that sure it’s all very clever, but once you put it all together it’s really not, and it never really draws one in emotionally. But what I loved here from the outset was the atmosphere. The movie is beautifully photographed (a good thing, considering the title) and features a stunning score by John Williams notable mainly for how little it sounds like a John Williams score. All through it is Susannah York’s performance. While I stand by the fact that I never felt emotionally involved, York just feels so right for the role and you feel glad that this performance was captured. She reads a children’s book of her own creation throughout in voiceover and it adds even further to the haunting tone. It’s by no means a masterpiece but it is a fascinating oddity that I suggest you keep an eye out for.

“What’s the difference between a rabbit? Nothing. One is both the same.”

Tags: identity, twist

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