Repulsion (1965)
Genre: Thriller / Horror
Duration: 105 minuten
Country:
United Kingdom
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry and John Fraser
IMDb score:
7,5 (61.837)
Releasedate: 1 June 1965
Repulsion plot
"The nightmare world of a virgin's dreams becomes the screen's shocking reality!"
Carol, a Belgian girl, works as a manicurist in London and shares a flat with her sister. It soon becomes clear that she is not only lonely and withdrawn, but also suffers from phobias and hallucinations. When her sister goes on vacation with a lover, loneliness speeds up her illness. Tormented by nightmares, Carol locks herself in her flat, cuts off the phone, and gulps down.
Actors and actresses
Carole Ledoux
Michael
Colin
Hélène Ledoux
Le propriétaire
Mme Balch
Mme Denise
John
Brigitte
Mme Rendesham
Reviews & comments
baspls
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- 4118 messages
- 1673 votes
"We must get this crack mended."
A Belgian girl shares an apartment with her sister. She has a hard time coping with her sister's affair and the young man who wants to go out with her. When her sister and her lover go on vacation, she shuts herself off from the outside world and is plagued by nightmares.
Repulsion is not a standard horror. The film is very psychological (although nothing is explained) and follows the main character in fear and loneliness. When Carol eventually violently kills all visitors to the apartment, it becomes a lot more horror. It's even quite bloody for a 1965 film. The dreams and hallucinations were also done well. Although I found the scene with the cracks and hands out of the wall - a precursor to the ones in Day of The Dead and Labyrinth - a bit short, because it was a genius idea .
The first in Roman Polanski's apartment trilogy. When I saw Rosemary's Baby and The Tenant I wasn't sure how to rate them and now I am again. They are all very different and actually quite vague. The Tenant I think is the best part of the trilogy, it was the most atmospheric and mysterious, where I was annoyed at the New Yorkers with Rosemary's Baby and I more vague than mysterious here.
I thought Catherine Deneuve played well, although in the end she only had to look listlessly ahead and ignore everyone. The film was shot fine, just a little too 'hand-camera-like' for me during the street scenes.
Maybe after a rewatch I can appreciate the film better. The ending was quite strong and the psychological aspect came across well. Still, I prefer Polanski's more regular thrillers, Chinatown and Frantic.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Cikx
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- 2120 messages
- 1087 votes
Strong psychological horror classic.
The stunning Catherine Deneuve plays a young woman, Carol, who suffers from androphobia (a fear of men). She lives with her sister in an apartment, but when her sister goes on vacation and she has to manage alone for two weeks, things go wrong. She pulls herself back with the result that her fears and hallucinations rapidly worsen.
Polanski manages to deliver a fine piece of work full of symbolism with minimal means. The background of the characters is never elaborated upon, but the images speak for themselves. It's wonderful how Polanski lets the viewer draw their own conclusions. This is typically one of those movies that seems simple on the surface, but if you dig a little deeper you can get a lot more out of it. The whole is expertly built. It is filmed slow and close to the skin, in addition, a jazzy score is used, creating a nerve-wracking, oppressive atmosphere. Not because it's so exciting, but because as a viewer you feel that Carol is a ticking time bomb that you just have to wait for it to go off.
Although I prefer to see this kind of character studies, Catherine Deneuve didn't quite convince me. The deterioration of her mental health is, in my opinion, overstated in the acting performance. Deneuve just sits apathetically looking ahead. A pretty easy way to let the viewer know that something is wrong with her. A little more nuance would have been better.
Repulsion doesn't come close to my favorite Polanski movie Rosemary's Baby, but comes closer than The Tenant.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Film Pegasus (moderator films)
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- 31439 messages
- 5599 votes
Polanski brings the world of Hitchcock and European new wave together, although it also remains partly in the shadow of both genres. Catherine Deneuve is a bit too distant to carry the film and so it lacks the necessary intrigue and tension. The images are beautifully made, not for nothing that Polanski gradually became so appreciated. I can imagine that the film found the necessary audience. But time hasn't done this picture too much good as far as I'm concerned.
I am a lover of the soundtrack, just like in many European contemporaries with a jazz atmosphere. At the time of the film, the musician Chico Hamilton was already able to show a track record of collaborations with Charles Mingus, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and many more legends.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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