Depardieu and Polanski make the film unforgettable
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
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| A Pure Formality (1994) - By Giuseppe Tornatore |
Our Rating: 9.0
IMDb Ratings: 7.7
Genre: Crime | Thriller
Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Roman Polanski, Sergio Rubini
Country: Italy | France
Language: French
Runtime: 108 min
Color: Color
A
Pure Formality is a 1994 psychological thriller written and directed by
celebrated Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore. A Pure Formality stars legendary
Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski and renowned French actor Gérard Depardieu in
the lead roles. Polanski, in a rare screen appearance, portrays the part of a tenacious police inspector (unnamed) heading over a derelict police station in the French
countryside. Depardieu, on the other hand, plays the part of Onoff—a recluse
literary genius stuck in a creative lull. It’s been quite some time since I
last analyzed a film from Cinema of Europe on my movie blog. And, it’s indeed a
matter of great privilege for me that this drought is finally ending with a Tornatore film.
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| Gérard Depardieu in Giuseppe Tornatore's A Pure Formality |
The
movie takes place on a stormy night in an eerie French countryside. It is raining
heavily and a disheveled-looking man is picked up by the night patrolling police as
he is fails to substantiate his identity. At the police station he is greeted by
some curious eyes. As he waits for the arrival of the police inspector, he is given
a towel to keep himself warm. The
dilapidated police station is flooded by the rainwater dripping
continuously from the crevices in the roof. Perplexed by his unanticipated
arrest, the man grows more hostile with every passing second. When one of the
police attendants generously offers him some warm milk, he disdainfully spills
it at the former’s face. He subsequently gets involved in a brawl with a bunch
of policemen and ends up biting one of them.
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| Roman Polanski in A Pure Formality |
On
the inspector’s arrival, the man rebukes the former questioning the conduct
of his men. He then introduces himself as "Onoff"—a celebrated French writer and a literary
icon. The inspector, unimpressed by the man's shameless audacity, retorts calling himself "Leonardo Da Vinci". The inspector, a diehard fan of the real Onoff, begins to recite a few lines from one of Onoff’s famous novels which the other completely fails
to identify. Fully convinced that the man is an imposter, the inspector mocks him by
revealing that the excerpt is nothing but a quote from a renowned novel by the writer Onoff. During the next round of investigation, Onoff begins to recite a few lines of his own that finally help him prove his identity to
the inspector. The inspector, overwhelmed by the sudden revelation, hastily
apologizes to his literary idol citing excuses for his inability to recognize him at
once.
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| The Police Inspector interrogates the writer Onoff |
Overwhelmed
by his guilt, the inspector asks one of his subordinates to offer Onoff a dry
set of clothes. In the change room, Onoff spots a blot of blood on his shirt.
In a state of terror, he tears away the part and swallows it. When he comes out
of the room he learns from the inspector that he will be required to stay a bit
longer. To Onoff’s dismay, the inspector begins with yet another round of
investigation. Onoff’s inconsistent answers once again arouse his suspicion.
The viewers too get glimpse of Onoff’s troubled past through a series of hazy
flashbacks. The inspector becomes certain that there’s something
more than meets the eye. During the course of the inspector’s probing
investigation, many disturbing facts are revealed about Onoff’s reclusive
personality and his obscure past.
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| Onoff makes a shocking revelation |
We
soon learn that the revelations may help the inspector solve a murder mystery
involving Onoff. But, Onoff is an adept storyteller and seems to carry enough
guile to keep the inspector at bay. But, the inspector who has ardently read
each and every of Onoff’s novels seems to be the only one capable of stymieing
Onoff’s skullduggery. What started as an investigation gradually takes the form
of a cat and mouse game between the nameless inspector and his beloved idol. This battle
of wits reaches its crescendo at the movie’s shocking climax. The movie's nigh inconceivable climax, one that's highly reminiscent of American writer Ambrose Bierce’s 1890 short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, adds a whole new dimension to the movie. It’s only
due to Tornatore’s subtle brilliance that the movie doesn’t fall apart in spite
of an ending that, for some viewers, could actually trivialize the movie’s entire plot. In fact, in the end it becomes a matter of personal choice whether or not to take the ending into consideration while assessing the movie, for either way the movie serves its purpose quite well.
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| A Still from Giuseppe Tornatore's A Pure Formality |
The
beauty of European Cinema (or the Cinema of Europe as it's often called) is that the directors are always in absolute control
of the movie, which seldom is the case in Hollywood
where an actor more often than not is the real star. And, the
director, instead of being the centerpiece, is just another part of a colossal
setup. On the contrary, European Cinema usually treats a director as its most
important entity. Here the films are driven by director’s creative vision
rather than the whims of money-mongering film studios. It seldom happens that
an auteur like Giuseppe Tornatore gets to direct a virtuoso like Roman Polanski
and an actor par-excellence like Gérard Depardieu in the same film. While
Polanski and Depardieu show complete trust in Tornatore’s abilities, he too
reciprocates by giving them the creative space that good actors thrive upon. And the end result is simply a treat to watch!
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| A Still from Giuseppe Tornatore's A Pure Formality |
Overall,
A Pure Formality serves to be an endlessly compelling work of cinema that can be interpreted at different levels. At one level, the movie seems to mourn the hollowness
of human existence while simultaneously highlighting the complexity associated
with the human psyche. At another level, the movie, marked by surrealistic overtones, succeeds in fading the line that separates real and fantastical cinema. In the movie, the trio of Tornatore, Polanski, and Depardieu achieve a level of brilliance that’s seldom matched in contemporary cinema. The balance between entertainment and art is simply awe-inspiring. Tornatore’s intelligent script has enough to keep the
literary enthusiasts interested. The name ‘Onoff’ serves to be a great oxymoron
that alludes to the hapless, confused state of humanity. Master composer Ennio
Morricone’s evocative music—albeit far from being his best work—enriches the
movie with a sense of eeriness that greatly complements its setup. A Pure
Formality may make an average viewer nit-pick but it’s bound to fascinate an
intelligent viewer who, bored by the mundanities of contemporary commercial cinema, is
desperately on the lookout for a breath of fresh air.
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!
A Pure Formality (1994) Trailer
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Polanski is amazing in this film. Once, when asked what he regretted in his life, he said, "I should have acted more". Every part he's ever played, in his own films or those directed by others, is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but agree with him, though, that Una Pura Formalita is flawed due to its makers wish to make the twist ending. I don't remember his exact words, but he said that they should have hinted at the meaning of the events from the very beginning, so the viewer could guess very early, and it would make a by far more profound experience, which was, as it happened, sacrificed for the sake of a ten-second shock in the end.
While I agree that had they done that we would have had a very different movie in our hands (better or not, I can't really say but different, yes). Btw, I agree with everything that you seem to have said of Polanski.
ReplyDeleteLOL, if by "everything" you really mean everything, it's quite a lot!
ReplyDeletehttp://polanski-oddmanout.blogspot.com/
***
Miraculously, have just found that quotation in my archives:
Polanski:
You know, the director lost a lot of people like that. If he said from the beginning that something is amiss, the people would be much more interested. They'd identify with the character of Onoff much more. You know, just for one trick, for one joke, practically, he sacrifices a lot of other things that are really important.
Montague:
Do you think it was gimmicky for the director?
Polanski:
Yeah, I think this is gimmicky. As a matter of fact, I remember that he asked us not to reveal the end or what it's all about even to the crew, I think that was a bit silly. Otherwise, I think he's a very talented guy with a lot of invention and imagination, but that was a mistake.
Enlightening (for me as well as for my readers)... thanks for sharing it... appreciate is very much!!!
ReplyDelete