The Comfort of Strangers (1990)

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writers:

Ian McEwan (novel)
Harold Pinter (screenplay)

Release Date:

April 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The appearance of innocence. The heat of desire...

Plot:

An English couple holiday in Venice to sort out their relationship. There is some friction and distance between them...

Plot Keywords:

Stranger | Wine | Restaurant | Shaving | Nightmare

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Christopher Walken	...	Robert
Rupert Everett	...	Colin
Natasha Richardson	...	Mary
Helen Mirren	...	Caroline
Manfredi Aliquo	...	Concierge
David Ford	...	Waiter
Daniel Franco	...	Waiter
Rossana Canghiari	...	Hotel Maid
Fabrizio Castellani	...	Bar Manager
Mario Cotone	...	Detective
Giancarlo Previati	...	First Policeman
Antonio Serrano	...	Second Policeman

Also Known As:

Cortesie per gli ospiti (Italy)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA | Italy | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Erre Produzioni

Quotes:

Caroline: Are you in love?
Mary: Well, I... I do love him, I suppose. Not quite like when we first met. I trust him, really. He's my closest friend. But, what do you mean by in-love?
Caroline: I mean that you'd do absolutely anything for the other person, and you'd let them do absolutely anything to you. Anything...
Mary: Anything?

Movie Connections:

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Soundtrack:

AMOREVOLE

The "menace" all-star team

Let's think how to put together the all-star team of menace.

We'd have Paul Shrader direct, and he'd never shoot a centered, straight-on angle. The movie would be filled with nearly empty frames, where the actors can be seen only far off to the side, and the scenes would begin with tracking shots through an alley to the characters, as if from a stalker's P.O.V. Doors and windows would open and close near our protagonists, manipulated by unseen hands, for unspoken reasons.

We'd have Harold Pinter write the screenplay, and every line would be pregnant with vague menace. The character's actions would be filled with unexplainable and unexplained malice. People would repeat with gravitas lines that don't seem important. People would tell awful stories about their youth and their excessively stern parents.

We'd locate it in Venice at night, where every corner seems to turn into a deserted and foggy dead end, every street is a waterfront, and there are as many ghosts and echoes as living people.

We'd star Christopher Walken.

Sorry, guys, it's already been done. This is a spooky, creepy movie, well presented by the all-star team. I really found only one flaw. The menace was not left unspoken and threatening. The movie ends with people doing explicit and unspeakably awful things for no reason.

It's one strange movie. Great use of Venice as the backdrop for the story. It is a masterpiece in its own Euro-noir genre. I liked it a lot, but don't expect a typical cinema experience, or a happy ending.