Teorema
In this intellectual, erotic and political drama, Terence Stamp portrays a handsome stranger who enters the lives of a bourgeois Italian family and proceeds to seduce each member, including the maid. Also starring Silvana Mangano, Massimo Girotti, Laura Betti.
Member Reviews
Beauty or the beast - feliper
Which is Terrence Stamp's character, looking less gorgeous and less naive than he did in Billy Budd. Yet his character has a shattering impact on the lives of a bourgeois Italian family, breaking through their exteriors to force them to be more than their shallow selves. Not everyone survives the impact. The dialogue is minimal with much suggested simply by the actors' faces and actions. Given Pasolini's reported Marxism there is a very strong element of Catholicism here, including a levitating maid (who the family doesn't notice has been replaced by another woman - they continue to call her by the first maid's name!). Ultimately not my cup of tea; Pasolini's ideas seem limited - primarily sex or religion or madness, with the son escaping into art but not appearing any happier than any other member of his family.understated beauty - flam
This movie is quiet and very minimal but visually it is gorgeous. The subdued richness of the colour, the scenes and settings, the characters even. The plot has been described elsewhere and that is what you get in a plain matter of fact kind of way, but the lovliness comes from the way the poetics of this message just seep out of the images. Even things like the perfection of the mothers hairstyling make me gasp and then also of course, an understated soundtrack from Morricone. I only saw this one time but it left me with a lot and since then I can't stop thinking about it. Some may laugh at the over the top artiness of it; some may accuse lack of realism at the way that the characters live outside or have been incited to live outside the bounds of their practical bourgouis realities, but this is the very point of the film and it uses an exceedingly naturalistic look and feel to launch into the connection with divinity or humanness or mystery or whatever beyond you want to plug in depending on your take on the philosophy here. I look forward to seeing more Pasolini films. This is my second and the only other I saw was Decamaron which was completely different. Anyway, a highly recommended view.a genius or an impostor? - ClarkNova
This is is definitely not for everybody. It reminds me of Blow-up for its minimalistic setting.
You will think Pasolini is an impostor or a genius. And I think that may be precisely what he wants. In the film, he tells us that even if you have weaknesses, you can pretend to do art by hiding them and making a work that is truly unique, thus escaping the judgment of critics since it cannot be compared to anything else. Easier said than done, so if an impostor succeeds at doing a truly original work, is he an artist? Is Pasolini doing that with this film?
He thrives on ambiguity. That visitor, is he Christ or Satan? Everyone that sees him are immediately seduced. Why the love is illustrated with sensuality, even if not explicit? And after he is gone, do the family members do good or evil? Is the distinction clear? The man who gives all of its belongings, has he really changed the world or simply stripped himself and gone to the desert to find nobody? Jesus found the devil and felt abandoned by God, I think.
Can we change the order of the world or is it pointless to try to do it? There is something about the poor maid/rich family/middle class but I can’t see it clearly. I think that question is at the beginning of the film. If middle class becomes all there is, it will have no goal anymore. Maybe the classes simply cannot be abolished.
Art or not, at least the film generated a lot of questions in my head. Apart from the rich possibilities of interpretation, I found the form very interesting. The music from Morricone is fantastic and Mozart’s requiem seems a more than appropriate choice for the theme. Notice the use of bw vs color in the scenes before and after the visit, the strange esthetic in the sensuality and the high walls that isolate the rich family from the rest of the world. The various settings are original and beautiful. This unique film will last, in my head.
Member Reviews
Read All...
Beauty or the beast - feliper
Which is Terrence Stamp's character, looking less gorgeous and less naive than he did in Billy Budd. Yet his character has a shattering impact on the lives of a bourgeois Italian family, breaking through their exteriors to force them to be more than their ...understated beauty - flam
This movie is quiet and very minimal but visually it is gorgeous. The subdued richness of the colour, the scenes and settings, the characters even. The plot has been described elsewhere and that is what you get in a plain matter of fact kind of way, but ...a genius or an impostor? - ClarkNova
This is is definitely not for everybody. It reminds me of Blow-up for its minimalistic setting.
You will think Pasolini is an impostor or a genius. And I think that may be precisely what he wants. In the film, he tells us that even if you have weaknesses, ...