Venus in Fur **** (2013, Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric) – Movie Review

Director Roman Polanski casts his wife Emmanuelle Seigner as an actress who arrives late for an audition at a Paris theatre but still tries to convince the writer-director Mathieu Amalric that she’s perfect for a role in his upcoming production of his play.

It’s a stage version of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s provocative novel Venus in Fur, and Amalric thinks she’s wrong for it, doesn’t like her, and tries to get her to go home. Pretty soon, she’s taking charge of him, and he’s eating out of her hands.

Polanski’s two-hander is witty, provocative and saucy. Considering there are only the two players and it’s all played out in the one theatre, it should be much of a film at all. But it is.  The two actors give it their all, and that’s a whole lot, playing out their sado-maso sex game teasingly, tantalising and satisfyingly. Polanski stands by in the wings, confident they’ll be up to the task in hand, and making sure they are.

It is a bit disturbing that Amalric  looks like Polanski. He could easily have done the role, but as Seigner has pointed out, he’s too old. In any case, Amalric’s a much better actor than Polanski could have been. He gives a tour de force – and so does Seigner. Deux tours de forces. Tres, tres bien.

The film’s based on a play by David Ives, who writes the delicious screenplay with Polanski. Venus in Fur doesn’t perhaps sound much on paper, but it’s a total success.

(C) Derek Winnert 2014 Movie Review

Link to Derek Winnert’s home page for more film reviews: http://derekwinnert.com/