The Comfort of Strangers is an exquisitely crafted gothic novella. Yet it has a mediocre reputation at best so when I settled down for the viewing I was hopeful but had low expectations.Pinter and Schrader handled two things poorly here- the ending, and the introduction of Christopher Walken's character, Robert. As before (The Cement Garden, In Between the Sheets), he writes some of the cleanest, most sparely seductive narration this side of Graham Greene. She is escorted by Caroline to a bedroom, where she finds the walls covered in photographs of her and (mostly) Colin taken over the course of their vacation. As the detectives commence their interview with Robert, he begins telling another story about his father. The name ‘the comfort of strangers’ fits the storyline perfectly. COVID: Maximum capacity is currently 25 patrons. A young couple, Mary (Natasha Richardson) and Colin (Rupert Everett) travel to Venice to try to rekindle what is left of their lukewarm relationship. One evening, they lose their way looking for a restaurant, and a stranger invites them to accompany him. 1981 105m. Colin does not tell Mary about the incident. As she escorted out of the police station, Robert and Caroline are interrogated. Paul Schrader’s “The Comfort of Strangers” is a one-of-a-kind thriller given new life courtesy of The Criterion Collection. Comfort … Realizing that he and Mary have been lured there to take part in Robert and Caroline's twisted sex game, Colin attempts to fight the couple off, but they slash his throat with a razor as Mary helplessly watches. An Italian diplomat's son (Christopher Walken) follows and seduces English lovers in Venice. play_arrow. Paul Schrader's The Comfort of Strangers presents the discomfiting encounter with another —someone like you—and yet entirely unlike you, … Movies Like The Comfort of Strangers. Directed by Paul Schrader. Adapting the acclaimed novel by Ian McEwan, playwright and screenwriter Harold Pinter lends his trademark unnerving dialogue and air of creeping menace to this spellbinding study of power, control, and the frighteningly thin line between pleasure and pain. When in Venice, if a man in a white Armani suit extends an invitation to a bar after midnight, spends 12 uninterrupted minutes describing his father’s mustache, his cruel sisters, and his lifelong insecurities, politely chug the glass of wine and escape. "The Comfort of Strangers" contains the elements to be a violent crime story, or a lurid horror film. In the 1970s, Patricia Hearst is abducted by American revolutionaries, but eventually joins their cause instead. [3], "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing", "Festival de Cannes: The Comfort of Strangers", http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comfort_of_strangers, The Harold Pinter Archive in the British Library, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Comfort_of_Strangers_(film)&oldid=992205224, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 December 2020, at 01:46. That’s when you look back and see all the clues. I'm not usually too concerned with faithfulness to the source material but what McEwan did with both aspects in the novella definitely did not require any sort of alteration. Paul Schrader, who directed it, is not interested in such a mundane approach. Jewel case is glossy with minimal shelf wear. The Comfort of Strangers is a 1990 psychological thriller film directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Christopher Walken, Rupert Everett, Natasha Richardson, and Helen Mirren. They leave disoriented, physically ill, and morally repelled. The Comfort of Strangers was published nearly thirty-five years ago and there is a timelessness about its tone and the shadowy, shuddery story. The film in question is The Comfort of Strangers, the latest disturbing film I'm trying to wrap my head around, and it's out this week on Blu-ray and DVD from the Criterion Collection. Infamously macho author Norman Mailer shares a 1971 NYC panel with an audience of intellectual women and famous feminists receiving a lively critique revealing the sophisticated political, literary discourse of early Women's Lib movement. Thu–Fri : 4pm – 11pm Sat–Sun : 1pm – 11pm The screenplay by Harold Pinter was adapted from a novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. The Comfort of Strangers Synopsis: An English couple holiday in Venice to sort out their relationship. Read full review MGM Home Entertainment, 2004. The use of Venice’s setting is cleverly manipulated by Schrader in The Comfort of Strangers. There is some friction and distance between them, … Also as before, what his page-by-page craft sweeps you along to is a virtual dead end: a kinky, symbolic sexual situation which is neither effective as storytelling nor freshly resonant as metaphor. The song ended in a triumphant symphonic climax and immediately began again. Behind the bar, glass shattered on the floor and there was a brief spate of slow hand-clapping. The Comfort of Strangers (1990), directed by Paul Schrader, is a horror movie but you don’t know that until the startling climax. (1990). Ballarat Open. Confidential" among others. With Christopher Walken, Rupert Everett, Natasha Richardson, Helen Mirren. 20 August 2020 - 05:00 Keith Bain While Colin went to the bathroom, Mary returned to the balcony to wait. He sees the story as literate, elegant eroticism. The film is set in Venice. play_arrow. Set in an unnamed European city that closely resembles Venice, the story follows a British couple, Mary and Colin, as they become entangled in the sadomasochistic sex-games of a local couple. Templar, after the quest Reign of the Black King in … Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. , "The Comfort of Strangers" sounds superb on paper. Caroline stays with Mary at the house, and finds the home is mostly packed. As Colin bleeds to death, Robert and Caroline begin to have sex. Albert Brooks directs himself as a successful film editor with far too many issues that affects the relationship between him and his remarkably patient girlfriend. SYNOPSIS: Adapted by Harold Pinter from Ian McEwan's novel, THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS follows a pair of indifferent lovers, Colin and Mary, who travel to the beautiful, romantic and mysterious Italian city of Venice to rekindle their love. The Comfort of Strangers is a solid adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel. Picture 8/10. When they are accosted by a man with a strange and alluring story to tell, they soon become entwined in a fantasy of violence and erotic obsession. Robert and Colin return to the house, and Colin is alarmed to find Mary unable to speak. But there’s more about his TV film The Imitation Game (not to be confused with the Benedict Cumberbatch one, though the topics are very similar with the focuses being … Subscribe Watch Trailer Share Share with your friends 1:44:50 The Comfort of Strangers The Comfort of Strangers. Item #72083 ISBN: 5050070020281 1 hr 40 minutes running time. Use the HTML below. Stacy Link’s review published on Letterboxd: Streaming on the Criterion Channel as part of their screenplays by Harold Pinter programming. The comfort of strangers: how a British family kept a slain Canadian airman's memory alive. T he 1990 film The Comfort of Strangers is a unique collaboration of diverse (and quite perverse) talent, as it’s an adaptation of an early Ian McEwan novel that’s been written for the screen by Harold Pinter and directed by Paul Schrader. The Comfort of Strangers Christopher Walken (Actor), Rupert Everett (Actor), Paul Schrader (Director) What is surprising about this film is just how well it works as a thriller. Cold Comfort Farm. The ending, while disturbing and unforgettable in the novella, is a predictable and simple conclusion on film. It holds a rating of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes from 19 reviews. They encounter Robert, an elegant British-Italian man who offers to take them to his bar. One evening, they lose their way looking for a restaurant, and a stranger invites them to accompany him. Region 2. The Comfort of Strangers 1990 ★★★½ . The Comfort of Strangers (1981) is a novel by British author Ian McEwan. 2. Much of The Comfort of Strangers, including the shocker of a climax, is hard to swallow. The Comfort of Strangers will. This is a very mysterious book in which the two of the main characters Caroline and Roger are slowly tightening the noose on the necks of the Ian McEwan's brilliantly devastating and profoundly disturbing novella adapted by the genius that is Harold Pinter, directed by the excellent Paul Schrader, scored by Angelo Badalamenti, and starring what is essentially a dream cast absolutely perfect for the material. Thu–Fri : 4pm – 11pm Sat–Sun : 1pm – 11pm. At dawn, the couple awaken and visit a cafe in the square at St Mark's Basilica. Meanwhile, Robert tells Colin he is selling his bar. There, Mary expresses unease and wishes to abort their vacation. The Comfort of Strangers is a 1990 psychological thriller film directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Christopher Walken, Rupert Everett, Natasha Richardson, and Helen Mirren.The screenplay by Harold Pinter was adapted from a novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. The Comfort of Strangers is a 1981 novel by British writer Ian McEwan. Walken is excellent in the role, however. Unmarried English couple Colin and Mary are vacationing in Venice for a second time, in an attempt to rekindle their passionless relationship. Paul Schrader’s “The Comfort of Strangers” is a one-of-a-kind thriller given new life courtesy of The Criterion Collection. Be the first to write … The three are taken by a water taxi to Robert's spacious, Moorish-styled apartment, and the couple take a nap. He plies them with wine and grotesque stories from his childhood. The Comfort of Strangers. But, next day, when the stranger sees them in the piazza, they accept an invitation to his sumptuous flat. Search for "The Comfort of Strangers" on Amazon.com, Title: 1990 Preview SONG TIME Theme from the Comfort of Strangers (Main Title) 1. Complimenting Schrader's work, which is probably his most impressive outside "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters", and at times superior to that, is one of Angelo Badalamenti's most memorable and distinctive scores. Colin and Mary attempt to return to their hotel after their night with Robert, but become lost. It is his second novel, and is set in an unnamed city (though the detailed description strongly suggests Venice). They leave disoriented, physically ill, and morally repelled. ... STRANGER. Natasha Richardson was out of left field for me but the casting worked spectacularly well here, and it goes without saying that Helen Mirren is superb as Robert's wife Caroline. A couple retreat to Venice to work on their relationship, but an encounter with a stranger leads them into a world of intrigue - where their darkest desires are in reach. But, next day, when the stranger sees them in the piazza, they accept an invitation to his sumptuous flat. Subs. Lacking any digital disc release in North America, Paul Schrader’s The Comfort of Strangers comes to Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection, presented in the aspect ratio of 1.66:1 on a dual-layer disc (other releases have presented the film in a 1.85:1 ratio). Another questionable alteration.Other than those faults "The Comfort of Strangers" is an absolutely tremendous and amazingly involving film with a brilliant script by Pinter which allows for more nuanced characters and a different approach than McEwan's novella featured, and superb work by Paul Schrader as director, who uses Venice brilliantly her to create mood and ambiance and certainly shoots the film very, very well, with one scene, where Robert is discussing his relationship with his father and sisters with Colin and Mary in the bar which is shot stunningly well. It stars Natasha Richardson and Rupert Everett as Mary and Colin, a European couple who take a trip to Venice to get away from her … Upon release, The Comfort of Strangers received mixed reviews from critics. Free shipping. HD. The Ian McEwan paradox continues. McEwan plays with the comfort level of the audience and characters more than Pinter does, causing the story to be even more sinister and disturbing as it develops. Photo Credit: John Bernstein. He offers to have them over for a meal at his home, which they accept. 'The Comfort of Strangers' Reviewed by Reviewed by John Leonard June 15, 1981 Colin and Mary are on a European holiday in an unnamed city that is obviously Venice. Once you have found and spoken to each companion, simply return to town and add them to your party in a single player game. A couple retreat to Venice to work on their relationship, but an encounter with a stranger leads them into a world of intrigue - where their darkest desires are in reach. 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