Grégory

One of the most incredible attempt of the cinema's history. 40 minutes and a single subject (glorious ambition) : how to film the Méditeranée ? Pollet built a space of sensation, putting things in line without explicit intentions. He didn't film himself more than a half of this movie, he has just ordering things (antique ruins, corrida, dead girl after the operation, factory, Horus) according with his own obsessions : darkness, morbid & illuminate feeling, chaos ('when there is life, there is death and there is chaos' he seems to say) and pain. In France, Pollet was considered as a great film director after it - he gave a shock. We can't believe he's unknown in other country so, react !

This movie is a command by Sandoz, the famous Switzerland's laboratory, who wants something about drug effects : Pollet has the idea to make an adaptation of "Le Horla" by Guy de Maupassant. Indeed, drug equals paranoia. The Laurent Terzieff's performance is constantly remarkable - he's alone in this film - and the point of view of Pollet is dark, worrying, unstable. It's much more than a curiosity : the private hell of a man who's going crazy for no reasons, except himself. Difficult to see because it's hard to find (especially in USA I guess) but essential regarding the density of Pollet's vision.

Nicholas Ray, at his best. His usual purpose - a man who's acting like a boy - at an unusual degree of intensity : Richard Burton is here, giving a high feeling that he's lost in his own contemporary world. I get shocked each time I see it.