Cérémonie d'amour

Generally I am a Borowczyk fan. So I start from a position of sympathy.

The film has a certain gritty urban style to it, and it is not by any means his worst. For instance the courting scene across the Metro line is inventive, and the scenes are often originally shot.

However the film must rate as underwhelming chiefly because it does not really go anywhere. It all leads up to a fairly brutish love making scene which had long been trailed. I did not find it erotic and there is no trademark nudity.

So what? I thought. And moved on .....

(1987) Love Rites/ Cérémonie d'amour (In French with English subtitles) PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA/ MYTH

Adapted from the novel by André Pieyre de Mandiargues co-written and directed by Walerian Borowczyk that has clothing buyer, Hugo Arnold (Mathieu Carrière) becoming infatuated with a prostitute, Miriam Gwen (Marina Pierro) after sitting next to her at a bus while she was fixing her face with makeup and a small mirror. And for a certain time, we hear Hugo's narration, and then by the time he convinces her to make out with him, she then leads him to a mysterious boudoir/ private sitting room.

At first, she becomes his subservient to his advances by allowing him to tie her up from behind and so forth. But then we then hear about what she says about him, that leads to baffling results, and an ending that makes no sense whatsoever.

The best way to describe this is that this is a no plot mythical movie to which I easily dozed off that makes less sense even by the time the movie is over. Viewers expect see any eroticism won't expect to get it from here as the lady, Hugo makes out with, while he is fully nude she on the hand is wearing a nightie with quick glimpses of her vagina that may or may not be hers as the make out scene was filmed behind a glass door.

This a total Borowczyk experience; well acted, fine dialogue, beautiful set and what not!

One jolly-irritating moment though, the prostitute (Marina Pierro) overdoing her alertness while crossing a busy Paris street leading her blinded lover (Mathiew Carrière) on the way to her friend's flat.

Except that slight moment it is just fabulous.