Bitter Moon : This film is a proof

This film is a proof

that (after all his incident with this little girl) Polanski knows and understands deep feelings of women, so much about emotions and love sadly unlike a lot of men. This film for me is a proof that he's no sick or spoiled like some may think of him. Thank you Roman for this beautiful film full of emotions and betrayal and also about an intimate world lots of people will never know.


Re: This film is a proof

Roman understands and knows how to write and direct female characters like no other director. He's got an eye for their inner and outer beauty. It's clear women and their intimate feelings fascinate him.

"Bitter Moon" is one of the most unappreciated of all his works. Despite its twisted and humorous sexual veneer it's a story about very basic yet complex human feelings:love and passion---their birth and their erosion. There's a saying that love often ends for the very same reason it began. Even the most delicious dessert eaten daily looses its flavor. The one sided death of passion and rejection at the top of one's emotional involvement is the demon of many relationships and Mimi's tragedy was to deeply love a man who no longer loved and desired her and be subject to his emotional cruelty causing loss of her feminine dignity and suffering. It was truly heartbreaking to watch because there's nothing one can do to get that once lost love/desire back and to let go of those intense feelings can get one close to insanity.

Re: This film is a proof

Definitely, I remember back when I first saw this I had a pretty dim view of Polanski but this film did much to dispel those feelings, that his apparently insatiable taste for women wasn't born entirely of perversions perhaps and Mimi showed that he really discovered plenty more in his life about the opposite sex than a mere sex fiend would've. Bitter Moon is such a beautiful film, heart wrenching stuff

Re: This film is a proof

This film is much more interesting when erotic moments are recessesed and subtle drama of manipulation and power is revealed. Without this, Bitter Moon would be superficial. I liked the change of the entire mood of the film in the second half. In the first half Emmanuelle Seigner excites viewers sexual-erotic (?) attention, in the second half the viewers "desires" are slowly being "punished" by showing her in situations which excites rather remorse. She is moving from "body-based character" (object) to the "feeling human character" (subject). And when she begins to act like ruthless vamp, her cruelty is justified by the past. Only one thing which is not good at all is that Oscar is perfectly understandable character after his story with Mimi is all told, his cynicism is perfectly clear but Mimi's seductive attempts aren't balansed with more believable revelation of her "living inner wounds" (like Oscar's neurotic smoking and laughing). Even when she makes those big sad eyes on Nigel, she is playing a game and there is nothing "tragic" and "human" on her now. Nigel is out of any pretending but Mimi is still little mystery, dressed in her ambiguity. Was she "dead inside"? What do you think? Every character is unmasked except her.

The best thing on Bitter Moon for me was unexpectable story development and Oscar's cynical-poetical comments which are reminiscent to Henry Miller and Vladimir Nabokov style of writing.

Re: This film is a proof

Mimi never let go off her love for Oscar but her hatred and pain is just as strong. She cannot love anyone else or herself and cannot offer anything to Nigel either. So as you said something died in her, she's a memory of a young woman she once was. Notice how she changes from the fresh and innonecent girl to a bitter vamp.

Oscar's love ended at the pinnacle of Mimi's emotional involment when she reached the state of happiness in togetherness and intimacy. Rejected she immediately questioned herself "Where did I go wrong? What can I do to make you want me/ love me"? Fighting for Oscar's Mimi looses her dignity, her sexappeal and then her feelings. She knows she will not ever love another man like she loves Oscar.

When a love dies gradually over the years we realize that the spouse becomes a habit we formed. It's like eating in a favorite diner where the food is always good, the waiters know our likes and dislikes and we see the same familiar faces. Then the diner is sold and food deteriorates, new waiters have to be reminded how we like our food served and people we knew move to other venues. Then we feel it's time to change the diner. That's Nigel and Fiona.

Re: This film is a proof

In Mike Wallace`s autobiography, he talked about interviewing Polanski and afterwards feeling far more sympathetic towards him than he felt he would`ve beforehand. It`s easy to judge Polanski just based on what he did (and I won`t attempt to excuse it), but as the first post stated he is able to show the emotions of female characters far better than any other director.

Re: This film is a proof

Polanski truly created a wonderful movie, with deep feelings from all characters, especially the female ones. But I don't think anything can be a proof that someone does not have a problem, is not sick or whatever.
People do have their ways of facing things. A person might hurt others deeply and even so have his/her morals, and even judge people by them, or, like Polanski, be able to create great things.

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Re: This film is a proof

He really is quite something when it comes to writing his female characters, delving into, exploring, and building films around them. I wouldn't call this quite on par with his strongest efforts, but the brilliance is still clearly there.


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Re: This film is a proof

Really? Really? THIS film made you think he is not sick?

I think you need to seek help

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