Querelle
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Movie Reviews of Querelle
Movie Review: A semi-surreal odyssey into sexuality & human nature
Summary: 3 Stars
Fassbinder's "Querelle" translates as more of a filmed play than an actual film: characters speak stilted dialogues, the narrator delivers philosophical passages and thoughts of the characters, and so on. The late Brad Davis stands out as Querelle, a darkly hunky French sailor who can "never fall in love with a man", yet can give himself to one sexually. The characters intertwine in a tale frought with homoeroticism & violence.
My reaction: I became bored with this film's pretentiousness about half-way through it. Not Fassbinder's best, but it's interesting the way he uses lighting to bathe a character or the orange skies prominent throughout the film. I found the occasional narrative dialogues annoying and intermittently funny. The European artsiness of the film dominates this tale. There are interesting moments of symbolism here & there.
But for my taste, it was just a bit too hokey and campy in places.
Movie Review: This is a sad movie.....
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie reflects a really bad name for the gay community. I wanted to watch it. I did. Won't watch it again. Brad Davis should have turned down this role.Movie Review: Quriously Quirky "Querelle"
Summary: 2 Stars
Films are a lot like wine. Some become finer with age, others simply go flat. "Querelle" has neither improved nor deteriorated since it first made the rounds of U. S. arthouses back in the early 1980's. It was potent rotgut then, and it's still potent rotgut twenty years later ... okay for a quick buzz, but ultimately an unsatisfying selection that may not settle well. The film's appeal lies within the main ingredients that promise a flavorful mix: source material by Jean Genet; direction by maverick German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder; and star performances from an impressive international cast headed by Franco Nero, Jeanne Moreau, and (especially) gay icon Brad Davis who is cast as the overtly homosexual title character. Unfortunately, the final product is contaminated by some unneeded artificial flavors and colors, specifically: preachy and pretentious narrative interruptions; some disconcertingly choreographed sequences that would more properly belong in a stylized musical romp rather than a dramatic character study; and an incoherent script that diverts the core of the movie away from plot and character development and allows the director to indulge in too much visual grandstanding (the phallus-shaped turrets, the coital etchings in the tavern glass, etc., etc.). Some of these minor elements might have blended well if they had been added in balanced proportions, but the haphazard recipe followed resulted in a bitter mess that is sure to leave many connoisseurs with an unpleasant aftertaste and a queasy stomach. If you're still determined to sample this unusual concoction, may I recommend the DVD? The contents may be flawed, but the packaging is outstanding, and the film is presented with great style. This is one film that requires a wide-screen viewing; otherwise, you'll be left wondering if something you missed over on the side might have been a key to understanding and appreciating the whole experience. (No.) And just remember afterwards, when your head is spinning and you're wondering why, oh why, you indulged ... you were warned!Movie Review: Wild Boys
Summary: 2 Stars
An ambitious and original movie, Rainer Werner Fassbider`s "Querelle" is an interesting effort with some compelling moments but ends up being too flawed as a whole. This experimental release presents a surreal and dreamy mood that showcases Querelle`s (a marine played by Brad Davis) search for himself and his true nature. His search will lead to some risky relationships with a couple of his mates, presenting a movie that combines campy moments with some introspective and symbolic ones. What we have here is a film that explores human desire, narcisism, homo(sexuality) and seduction in an unique and peculiar way, even if the characters are too self-absorbed and the plot drags in many scenes. "Querelle" is too ambiguous and ethereal to deliver a convincing resolution, even if it delivers an unusual dark atmosphere with compelling settings and brilliant direction (the photography is also good, displaying excellent colours and textures). The acting is not very intriguing and the weird characters turn this into an unusual yet cold cinematic experience. Fassbinder presents some good ideas here, still this effort is to sparse and disjointed to become a solid movie.Not bad, just too uneven to convince.
Movie Review: Is it camp or is it serious....
Summary: 2 Stars
This was Fassbinder's final film, and I didn't like very much about it. I saw in a pan and scan VHS copy, and thought it was one of the silliest, most pretentious things I've ever seen. Seeing it in a widescreen DVD has altered my opinion only slightly. I do love the photography and the hilarious set design, which is overly phallic and rivals Ken Russell's films. It's hard to tell whether Fassbinder meant this as camp or as a serious film. The performances are really over the top, especially Hanno Poschl and Franco Nero's performances. There's a hilarious scene in which Poschl and Querelle (Brad Davis) are fighting, and they are interrupted by Jesus carrying the cross. The film is very homoerotic, more so than any other Fassbinder film, but it doesn't make it any better or more interesting. It's a shame this was his final film, but it doesn't diminish his legacy at all...