Agnieszka Holland's "Olivier, Olivier" shares some things with Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo." Both are mysteries, both are suspenses, and both have deceptive scripts. In truly great mysteries, no matter how complex and intricate the plot may be, at the end one can go back, rethink. analyze and discover every plot element falls into place. All the clues and information which transpired are justified and neatly explained. Not so with the aforementioned. The first time viewers can be fooled into thinking every element is in place. But see it a number of times and one begins to discover deliberate false clues placed ino the action to throw off the viewer and manipulate his thinking. These clues are dishonest, for they are not internally justified, only an unfair device to "stack the deck"--to make the viewer think one way only to have a surprise element later on. But if the device use is a fake clue, this seriously undermines the work. These two films do just that; on first viewing they seem great. Watch it a few more times and note the "unfair play" these scripts have--all the pieces do not fall into place in the end, and indeed, they reveal themselves to be seriously flawed concepts. It is indeed a let down to make this discovery, but there it is. "Olivier, Olivier" is, like "Vertigo," a gem with a smooth surface and a cracked core.
Review of Olivier, Olivier
