First I have to apologize for my bad English, but I hope the text can be understood nevertheless.
I think that this is a great movie. It appears astonishingly modern. What I appreciated most is, that the story is not about a conflict between bad and good characters. Rather it's about the inner conflict of Myra, who hates herself, so she can't accept the love of another man. The mirror scene, when she puts on her make up before she walks the streets, is amazing in that respect. In the mirror we see her on one hand through the look of the others, of her 'clients' (as well of us, the spectators), who see in her (only) the prostitute. On the other hand it is also her own look at that part of herself, which she hates. So one could say, that she sees herself through the others. (I like this 'lacanian' logic though it may seem presumptuous).
As well the final scene, where they kiss while in the background London is bombarded by a zeppelin, is great. There seems to be a relation between the war and the strange love affair, which is only possible in a world which is out of control.
The second thing I noticed was, that there are many long shots and just a few close ups. So it has an incredibly realistic look. It reminded me somehow of the films by Ingmar Bergmann, who (as far as I remember) also tried to explore the torn subject.
The ending is erratic. Why is she killed? Is it a punishment from god? For me it seems a bit like it, because we see in the last scene the fur again, which Myra had received from a 'client' in the first scene. So it could be read as a symbol for her greed or her morally wrong decision (leaving the theater), that led her astray. But her death could be also read as a 'carpe diem' motif, which points again at the war, that confronts the human being with the possibility of a sudden, unexpected, unjustified death by accident.
It is exactly this (moral) ambiguity, which makes this a great movie.
I think that this is a great movie. It appears astonishingly modern. What I appreciated most is, that the story is not about a conflict between bad and good characters. Rather it's about the inner conflict of Myra, who hates herself, so she can't accept the love of another man. The mirror scene, when she puts on her make up before she walks the streets, is amazing in that respect. In the mirror we see her on one hand through the look of the others, of her 'clients' (as well of us, the spectators), who see in her (only) the prostitute. On the other hand it is also her own look at that part of herself, which she hates. So one could say, that she sees herself through the others. (I like this 'lacanian' logic though it may seem presumptuous).
As well the final scene, where they kiss while in the background London is bombarded by a zeppelin, is great. There seems to be a relation between the war and the strange love affair, which is only possible in a world which is out of control.
The second thing I noticed was, that there are many long shots and just a few close ups. So it has an incredibly realistic look. It reminded me somehow of the films by Ingmar Bergmann, who (as far as I remember) also tried to explore the torn subject.
The ending is erratic. Why is she killed? Is it a punishment from god? For me it seems a bit like it, because we see in the last scene the fur again, which Myra had received from a 'client' in the first scene. So it could be read as a symbol for her greed or her morally wrong decision (leaving the theater), that led her astray. But her death could be also read as a 'carpe diem' motif, which points again at the war, that confronts the human being with the possibility of a sudden, unexpected, unjustified death by accident.
It is exactly this (moral) ambiguity, which makes this a great movie.