THE DRESS
[DE JURK]
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
Netherlands, 1996 Running Length: 1:43 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Nudity, sex, mature themes, profanity, violence) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, 5/3/97 & 5/6/97
Cast: Henri Garcin, Ariane Schluter, Alex van Warmerdam, Ricky Koole, Rijk de Gooyer, Elisabeth Hoijtink, Olga Zuiderhoek, Eric van der Donk Director: Alex van Warmerdam Producers: Marc van Warmerdam, Ton Schippers, Alex van Warmerdam Screenplay: Alex van Warmerdam Cinematography: Marc Felperlaan Music: Vincent van Warmerdam In Dutch with subtitles
I can think of few things more appropriate to call THE DRESS than absurd. It's a bizarre comedy with a brand of humor that, despite making fun of normally-serious issues like rape and sexual harassment, can inspire bouts of uncontrolled, politically-incorrect laughter.
Most films follow characters. Alex van Warmerdam's THE DRESS, like TALES OF MANHATTAN and TWENTY BUCKS, accompanies an object as it changes hands. In this case, it's a dress. From the design of the pattern and the garment's manufacture to its passage from owner-to-owner, THE DRESS offers us glimpses into the lives of a gallery of characters, all of whom are, in one way or another, losers. There's a mentally unbalanced man who stalks anyone wearing the dress, a woman who wants to excite her passionless painter lover, a meek young girl looking for a way to assert herself, and a businessman who finds himself on the outs after attacking his boss. The dress has an impact upon each of them.
The dress seems to generate male sexual arousal, and, as a result, much of the film's outrageous comedy is sexually-oriented. Several attempted rapes are played for laughs, and, although these scenes may not be in good taste, they are funny, and the director recognizes how to stage them to limit the potential to offend. THE DRESS relies on coincidence and the recognition of familiar faces from earlier in the film to provide its funniest moments. Several of the characters resemble refugees from such diverse, offbeat sources as a David Lynch movie, a Coen brothers' outing, or a MONTY PYTHON sketch. Unusual, to be sure, but also quite effective.
The film isn't completely without substance, either. Van Warmerdam uses this canvas to paint a picture of a suffering, dejected humanity whose participants willingly seize upon any chance for love or affection that they can find, even if it's of a twisted variety. THE DRESS is well worth a look, not only because it's so much different from anything else currently available, but because it's an enjoyable motion picture.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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