You really don’t have to be a legitimate theatre aficionado to enjoy Venus In Fur, a movie based on a Tony Award-winning Broadway play by David Ives. Directed and written for the screen by Roman Polanski, the hypnotic film draws you in and holds you tight till the very seductive and twisted ending. Its tour de force acting by two of the world’s consummate actors, Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric that alone are worth the watch.
The film opens with Vanda (Seigner), an actress, arriving late for an audition at a theatre in Paris. She’s completely disheveled from a rain storm and her trip using public transportation across the big city. She walks down the aisle as writer and director Thomas (Amalric) is picking up his belongings trying to make a fast exit. He’s had a bad time at the audition not finding his star for a special play called Venus in Fur. Vanda stops the well known writer and pleads her case with description of a very devastating trip that included her being groped on the subway.
Thomas is not impressed with her looks or her excuse and wants to leave. But, just when Thomas thinks he’s avoided the question, she pulls out the script and entices him to read with her. Things go on and off for Thomas with moments of interesting possibilities for the actress, but when he begins to realize she’s “the one”, the night starts to heat up.
The story continues from there with Vanda working her magic and Thomas trying not to become bewitched. Director Roman Polanski keeps his two actors bantering back and forth, and then starts to put them in a romantic light as the actors become characters on stage. He then intertwines their real lives into the play they are performing together, bringing about an emotional twist that turns the story into a sexual tryst of sorts. But Polanski’s not satisfied with his audience just getting a dirty ditty and that’s where his unabashed finale comes in to play.
The acting by Seigner as the presumptuous actress who knows how to keep a tight leash on her director is irreverently perfect. She takes hold of her character and shows how a good seduction works. Vanda’s in control of the situational scenes and the audition slowly beguiling Thomas to accept her performance. She uses her beauty, wit and bodily charms to suck him in to her lustful charms so she can be in charge. For this performance alone, Seigner was nominated for a Caesar Award (comparable to an Oscar) and a prestigious French Luminare. At Cannes Film Festival, she took the ICS Cannes Award for Best Actress.
Her partner for Venus in Fur, Mathieu Amalric shows how even the toughest of acting judges can be persuaded. He becomes putty in Vanda’s hands as she molds this powerful man into a groveling masochist who takes orders during her domination. He shows the change in Thomas as the audition moves from script to reality and back again only to find him kissing her feet and falling waste to her desires. He was also nominated for a Caesar for Venus in Fur. Most American audiences will recognize him as Serge X in The Grand Budapest Hotel or the character Dominic Greene in Quantum of Solace.
BONUS FEATURES
The DVD has an interview with Roman Polanski covering the many facets of the making of Venus in Fur. Some of the questions include finding the story, casting talent, meeting Mathieu Amalerc for the first time, on the challenge of making a film with just two actors and more.
Venus in Fur has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains sexual situations, language and nudity. The film is spooled out in the French language with easy to read English subtitles.
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric
Director: Roman Polanski
MPAA Rating: Unrated, sexuality and nudity
Genre: Drama, Adapted Play
Running Time: 1 hr 35 min
Video Release Date: October 14, 2014
Original Film Release Date: June 20, 2014
Language: French w/English Subtitles
Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Enhanced for widescreen TV, Aspect Ratio 2.40:1
Subtitles: English SDH, English, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: IFC Films
