A Gothic tale ,which shows a strong RL Stevenson influence ,which should not be missed if ,by chance ,you had the opportunity to watch it;in Risi's huge filmography ,it is one of his most overlooked (and underrated) works;whereas "Il Sorpasso" is known and praised around the world,quite rightly so,"Anima Persa" remains a sleeper .
Let's forget the bland young couple ,the weakest side of the movie.Risi put the weight of his movie on Gassman and Deneuve and they carried it brilliantly.
Deneuve seems cast against type in this part of a still attractive but jaded faded woman;her last sequence has got something of Bunuel's "Tristana" .But the stand out is Gasman -who shone in "il Sorpasso" fifteen years before- in a thankless part ,who achieves the incredible feat of having us believe the unbelievable ;such is the talent of the man!Set in a baroque decadent palace in Venice,where the couple seems mummified ,in an atmosphere which sometimes recalls Roman Polanski's "Le Locataire" released the same year.
Risi's movie triumphantly renews the hackneyed subjects of the split personality ,of the mysterious closed door leading to the forbidden room ,and of the fall of the House Usher.
Let's forget the bland young couple ,the weakest side of the movie.Risi put the weight of his movie on Gassman and Deneuve and they carried it brilliantly.
Deneuve seems cast against type in this part of a still attractive but jaded faded woman;her last sequence has got something of Bunuel's "Tristana" .But the stand out is Gasman -who shone in "il Sorpasso" fifteen years before- in a thankless part ,who achieves the incredible feat of having us believe the unbelievable ;such is the talent of the man!Set in a baroque decadent palace in Venice,where the couple seems mummified ,in an atmosphere which sometimes recalls Roman Polanski's "Le Locataire" released the same year.
Risi's movie triumphantly renews the hackneyed subjects of the split personality ,of the mysterious closed door leading to the forbidden room ,and of the fall of the House Usher.