Che? (1972)

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Gérard Brach (writer)
Roman Polanski (writer)

Release Date:

3 October 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The kinkiest caper of the year!

Plot:

A young American woman (Sydne Rome) traveling through Italy finds herself in a strange Mediterranean villa where nothing seems right...

Plot Keywords:

Mediterranean | Italy | Villa | Absurdism | Seaside

Cast

Marcello Mastroianni	...	Alex
Sydne Rome	...	Nancy
Hugh Griffith	...	Joseph Noblart
Guido Alberti	...	Priest
Gianfranco Piacentini	...	Tony
Carlo Delle Piane	...	Young Oaf #1 in Car
Mario Bussolino	...	Young Oaf #2 in Car
Henning Schlüter	...	Catone
Christiane Barry	...	Dresser
Pietro Tordi	...	Man-Servant
Nerina Montagnani	...	Chambermaid
Mogens von Gadow	...	German
Dieter Hallervorden	...	German
Elisabeth Witte	...	Nurse
John Karlsen	...	Edward

Also Known As:

Diary of Forbidden Dreams (USA) (recut version)
Quoi? (France)
Was? (West Germany)
What? (International: English title)

Runtime:

114 min | Argentina:115 min | USA:112 min

Country:

Italy | France | West Germany

Language:

English | Italian | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:18 | UK:18 | Australia:M | West Germany:16 | USA:R (re-rating) (1976) | USA:X (original rating) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15

Company:

Compagnia Cinematografica Champion

Trivia:

When producer Robert Evans was trying to coax Roman Polanski to direct Chinatown (1974), he found Polanski thoroughly absorbed with this film, to the extent that he had bought a 50% share in it. Evans eventually lured Polanski by saying that whatever "What" made in its opening week, he would pay him as his salary for directing "Chinatown". Polanski readily agreed to this, expecting "What" to do well as he considered it the best thing he had done up to that point. Unluckily for Polanski, "What" only grossed $64 on its first week.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Nancy's hands are well manicured throughout the movie, but quite ordinary during close-ups, when she's supposedly playing the piano.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Surreal Pop Movie (2008) (V)

Okay...So it WAS like Alice in Wonderland

This was a movie that I'd checked out years ago and was intrigued enough to buy it for another viewing. It is beautifully dated as evidenced by the film quality and the attitudes towards sex.

The main character is a young woman hitchhiking across Europe. After a violent encounter with what has to be the most inept rapists that Europe has ever produced, she escapes via cable-car. Suddenly, she is in a house that is filled with loonies.

There is a large table, set for dozens and, most of the time, void of diners...save Alice. There is the pimp who, despite his cruelty and rudeness, seduces the young American girl. There is Mosquito, a small man with a deformed face and a speargun...

This movie is strange. It treats as normal the oddest situations; however, it gets strangest when the situations are at their most normal: A piano duet, a middle-aged couple unpacking...

I would give it three and a half out of five. Probably one of Polanski's best...