The Night Porter [Il portiere di notte] *** (1974, Dirk Bogarde, Charlotte Rampling, Philippe Leroy, Gabriele Ferzetti) – Classic Movie Review 4599

Ah yes, there is no such thing as bad publicity, though occasionally there is such a thing as a bad film, and back in 1974 many people thought this sensationalist, provocative movie was one.

Director Liliana Cavani’s 1973 Italian psychological thriller was a succès de scandale, winning much notoriety and some popularity solely because of its scandalous nature, an artistic work whose success can be attributed wholly or partly to the public controversy surrounding it. But now this Nazisploitation film is sometimes considered to be a cult classic.

Charlotte Rampling stars as Holocaust concentration camp survivor Lucia, now an American music maestro’s wife, who recognises the Fifties Vienna hotel night porter doorman Max (Dirk Bogarde) as having been her tormentor, a concentration camp commandant, in World War Two.

The strange duo link again and start up to resume a weird sado-masochistic relationship, in Cavani’s intellectual shocker. Somewhere in Cavani and Italo Moscati’s screenplay, among all the tacky sexual writhings, are important ideas debating the legacy of Nazism and the psychological condition called Stockholm Syndrome. Cavani works very hard and intelligently in both of her capacities, while Rampling and Bogarde try their darnedest to make it work.

It is a very uncomfortable experience to watch, but much of that – though not all – is deliberate. Happily for the film’s long-term reputation, its shock value has diminished and its serious interest has increased over the years. It is unlikely to be anyone’s favourite Bogarde film though.

Also in the cast are Philippe Leroy, Gabriele Ferzetti, Isa Miranda and Marino Mase.

Cavani re-emerged as the director of Ripley’s Game (2002).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4599

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