I stumbled across this movie Sunday. I barely paid attention the first few minutes. Once I did pay attention, I was blown away. This movie is cold-blooded. Released in 1964, you just know you couldn't get away with making such a film in America at that time. The film is too confrontational, and it gets at the inner part of human nature America didn't want to admit in that era.
If you had the power over your neighbors, power enough to sway their minds, what would you do with it? What price would you pay for such power?
I'll say it up front: you really ought to watch this film.
Ingrid Bergman stars as "Carla". Anthony Quinn is the male lead, "Serge". As the film opens, Carla comes back to her small home town in some far-off European nation. She's quite possibly the richest woman in the world, and the town puts out its' best welcome. That welcome is modest, because the town has fallen on economic hard times (think about the present troubles in Detroit, for example).
Carla knows about the town's struggle, and makes an offer. She'll give the town a large sum of money for improvements, and give a matching amount to be evenly distributed among the citizens. Alas, there is one string attached. Serge must be executed.
In a bit of confrontational exposition, Carla reveals that Serge got her pregnant when she was seventeen. The same townsfolk who honor her in the present day called her a whore back then, and banished her from the down in the dead of winter. Carla did desperate, sordid things to survive the intervening years. Now, she wants revenge, and thinks she has the means to achieve it.
Initially, the town's leaders are horrified at such an offer, rejecting it out of hand. Carla, however, is patient. She's been planning this power play for years. She sits on a balcony in a rented villa, overlooking the town square and Serge's dry goods store. Day after day she looks down on him, waiting for circumstances to change in her favor.
Over time, though, the people start to second guess their principles. Serge was a respected member of this community, but Carla's disclosure upsets that. One by one, the prospect of a financial windfall changes the town and its leaders.
Two scenes really stood out to me. One was the "my panther is loose" scene, where Serge's wife "Mathilda" (Valentina Cortese) empties a pistol in Carla's exotic pet. Mathilda's not just shooting the cat, but symbolically killing the love for her husband. The second scene that hit me was Serge's attempt to catch a late-night train to leave the town for good. The men of the town find out, and "see him off". The scene ends with Serge at the train station platform, consumed with despair, with two forlorn lights shining down on a defeated man.
Bergman made a reputation on her beauty and screen vulnerability. Here, she's cold as metal and vulgar as any nouveau riche person could be. Even with that, there are weird little moments where her character's seventeen-year-old self leaks out. She admits she "died" that fateful day the townsfolk drove her away. On some level, she's trying to find closure for that death of self.
Quinn, with a rich history of masculine, powerful roles, appears go through the stages of grief in this movie. Serge had moved on from Carla, achieving his goals in life (he married into a rich family, sired a son, owned his own business). Carla's return wiped out nearly all of his life. He wants to fight, but is resigned to the fact that he's finally being held accountable for his past indiscretions.
The most chilling part for me was the ease with which the townsfolk were willing to sell out Serge for a certain price. That selling-out started slowly, but once it picked up momentum it really made me think of this present day. How quickly would we do the same if the right person suggested it, or the right price was offered. This script pulls no punches.
Watch for Irina Demick as "Anya". Carla meets Anya, sees something familiar in the younger woman, and informally makes Anya her protege. Demick is alluring in this role, with qualities similar to a young Sophia Loren.
Yeah, for some the ending might be predictable. To me, that didn't make it any less enjoyable. I wrote it earlier, and I write it again - you really ought to watch this film. Give it your full attention.
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