Venus in Fur (La Vénus à la fourrure) is the film version of the Broadway play by David Ives, inspired by the 1870 novel by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (namesake of the word ‘masochism’).
This latest offering from writer/director Roman Polanski explores the relationship between theatre director, Thomas (Mathieu Amalric), and an aspiring actress, Vanda (Emmanuelle Seigner).
Venus in Fur travels to and from a theatre where a play about a play (about a book) unfolds. The grimy and thunderous bookend external shots establish a feeling that it’s safe and dry inside, where the entire rest of the film is set in real time. However, as the intimate character studies unfold, all is not as it seems on the “casting couch”.
In this cat-and-mouse suspense, the tattooed actress/maîtresse Vanda/Wanda goes to some frankly extraordinary lengths to either get the part, make her point, or both, depending on what you consider is her end-game, whilst making Thomas appreciate the character he’s written, Severin.
The lightning-fast character snaps of Seigner’s Vanda/Wanda are acting at its best, and the more drawn out transition of Amalric’s Thomas/Severin is as brilliant as it is disquieting. Enhanced by a minimalist score and absorbing Foley to mime, listen out for Thomas’ ringtone of Richard Wagner’s The Ride of the Valkyries which adds yet more interest.
Not unusually for Polanski, the off-screen stories hold as much intrigue as his films. Seigner is Polanski’s real-life wife; Amalric bearing a passing resemblance to a young Polanski, delivers a spiel about ‘child abuse’; and novelist Sacher-Masoch is the great-great-uncle of Marianne Faithful.
Cleverly, the deeper Polanski takes us, the more difficult it becomes to separate the story within the story. It makes for hard work if French is not your native language; you may miss some fast and furious nuances. However, if you become immersed in the unfolding, in relation to the characters, the age-old acting question, “What’s my motivation?” may spring to mind.
Venus in Fur will leave you with plenty of questions about exactly what Polanski’s take on gender roles is, in this film/play/book, which was warmly received with applause at the end of the screening.
Reviewed by Gordon Forester
Rating out of 10: 7
The Alliance Française French Film Festival screens exclusively at the Palace Nova Eastend cinemas from 20 March – 8 April 2014.
Venus in Fur remaining screenings are:
Sunday 6 April, 6:15pm
Monday 7 April, 9pm
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