[3.9]
Very odd, perhaps the strangest film Orson Welles ever made (with the possible exception of F FOR FAKE). While the “plot” can drag at times, and the harshly cynical humor can feel a bit dry, the camerawork and production design are always top-notch. Welles had a flair for drama and he has rarely shied away from camera angles that many other people would find overly flashy and indulgent. Anthony Perkins again proves what a strange actor he is. Only a couple of years of PSYCHO, it must have been hard for any audience to see Perkins and NOT have flashes of Norman Bates. Welle’s casting is fascinating, as it offers a glimpse of his intentions for the character. Perkins’s Josef K. does not come off as an “everyman,” nor does he seem overtly sympathetic. Yes, we can empathize with Josef’s overwhelming sense of paranoia and confusion, but the intensity of Perkin’s denials and frustrations hint that perhaps Josef has more than a few reasons to feel guilty. I can’t claim to understand everything that happened in this film, nor am I completely certain what the film wants to say. Yes, it is about the horrible trappings of bureaucracy and the labyrinthian halls of the legal system, but is that really it? In Welles’ film, Kafka’s existential questions border on nihilism, but Welles infuses the film with such a dark sense of humor that even the most serious of themes is granted a bit of cynical levity. The greatest injustice of this film is that Jeanne Moreau’s appearance leaves almost no impression in my memory, and that’s a shameful waste. Welles claims this is his favorite film, but at this point, it is no more than a curiosity to me. It is filled with delightful cinematic flourishes, but it lacks soul. I would love to see this film again, but only once its picture and sound have been restored to reflect the (hopefully) gorgeous black-and-white world that Welles created.
burning retina 