Cul de sac [FR Import] [DVD] [1966]

Firstly despite the difficult filming process that this film was engaged in,The direction and performances run so smoothly as if it's chocolate flowing neatly in to its final block that will be welcomed greatly from one like me to get my jaws in too. Quite simply every line in this film is delivered with the utmost perfection leading to some of lines being absolutely hilarious. 'Pleasence' made me laugh greatly when ever he's trying to explain that 'Stander' has mental problems talking about him as he's some senile old fool, brilliant. The performances of all involved are highly energetic kept me hooked throughout,the casting for this picture was a stroke of genius.I am a massive fan of Polanski and this is certainly one that stands out quite possibly as his best. It's a unique experience not many other films give of quite such a good ambiance , Top marks it's a cinematic gem.

This is one of those great "Art" films - a term I don't like much, but which has to be applied here. It's about time this got a good DVD release and ODEON have done us proud. Beautiful B/W 1.78.1 photography, Crystal clear picture. The sound leaves just a little bit to be desired, but that is mainly due to Plesence's tendency to mumble hysterically (which of course is his character),and Dorleac's occasional impenetrable accent, neither of which spoiled a moment of this film's pleasures. What performences Pleasence and Stander give! Both probably deliver the best performences of their careers, and I just marvelled at them both. Dorleac is so just right as the (odd) young trophy wife, and adds her madness to the plot, as well as her rather perfect nude body. It doesn't seem a moment too long at 107' and made me want to watch "REPULSION" again. Highly recomended to everyone who likes slightly different, non mainstream cinema (I hope those words don't limit an audience to film buffs only). Oh, Jack MacGowran is pretty good too!!. There are extras too, but I haven't watched them.

A very unusual and quirky film. Atmospherically set in Lindisfarne castle and conveying a brooding sense of isolation caused by the remote location with its tidal causeway. The dysfunctional, arty lifestyle of the odd couple living in the castle is overturned by the arrival a crude and dangerous gangster on the run after a botched robbery. A black and white film that is very much a product of the 1960s which adds to its surreal charm.

I think the merits of this film are well documented by the previous reviewers and there is really nothing more to add, but maybe the real stars of this film are being overlooked, namely the island and the castle itself. I recently paid a visit to Holy Island and also had a look around Lindisfarne castle. The car drive over the causeway is a unique experience with a distinct feeling of adventure about it. Polanski was searching for just this type of island to make the film on and a finer example he could not have found anywhere else. The castle it's self is like something out of a fairytale and Polanski's return here for Macbeth can be well appreciated. The inside of the castle is more or less as it was in 1965 when Polanski filmed Cul- de -Sac, and sitting in the kitchen gives you a definite feeling of déjà vu. The three overturned boats seen outside the castle are still there, although two have been replaced with newer examples. The only downside to this visit was that only two of the national trust staff who were in attendance that day had actually seen the film, one told me she had not seen it because people had said it was awful and hard to understand!!! Anyway, that aside, this was a very interesting visit to Lindisfarne and we finished the day off by experiencing the tide come over the causeway as dusk began to fall.

Great little quirky film

I won't try to improve on Film Buff's review but will tell you how good the Criterion release is. The remastering has brought out more detail and coupled with deep blacks this is the best i've ever seen it, noise, scratches etc. have been removed so that it looks lovely even though the film itself is disturbing. It's 1.66:1 with English LPCM 1.0 and extras are :- Two gangsters and an island - a video about the problems making the film with Director, producers and cinematographer. 24 mins. The Nomad - an interview with Polanski. 28 mins. Two trailers - 6 mins. Last but not least an informative 16 page booklet about the film by David Thompson. I love this film and miss Françoise Dorleac who died far too young.

I shall be returning the Italian Blu-ray version of Cul-de-Sac. Yes, it's sharper than my standard DVD copy (Anchor Bay) but several scenes in the film are strangely significantly darker in Blu-ray. One of the interior scenes changes from light to dark and back again within a minute. The night scenes on the beach are particularly murky on Blu-ray but, again, perfectly clear on my standard DVD. In addition, the Blu-ray offers only stereo sound in English while the standard version offers 5.1. What a pity - this has been one of my favourite films since I first saw it in the 1960's. Perhaps the French Blu-rversion listed by Amazon won't have these odd fluctuations?

It has been 30 years since I first saw this film, yet it still rates as one of my all time favourites. Forget about special effects and daredevil stunts-you won't see either of those in Cul-De-Sac. It's a strange film which highlights the devastating effect that unexpected events can have on human relationships. At first glance it's a black comedy, but running throughout the film are dark menacing undercurrents which maintain the attention of the audience. All of the leading acters are good, but Donald Pleasance, as the bumbling, insecure host to his unwelcome guests is outstanding. In my opinion his best performance ever. Polanski's quirky direction has never been bettered, and the exterior photography is spectacular. Brilliant.

Ce film, réalisé par Roman Polanski, raconte l'histoire d'un couple vivant dans un manoir situé sur l'île de Lindisfarne, une presqu'île située en Grande-Bretagne et protégée par les marées, qui est tenu en otage par un gangster en fuite. La psychologie des personnages est bien décrite. George (Donald Pleasence), le maître des lieux, est un personnage plutôt instable et assez efféminé. Sa femme Teresa (Françoise Dorléac) est une fille un peu fofolle qui triche son mari et ne fait que l'humilier. Richard (Lionel Stander) le gangster est un gros macho qui tente d'en imposer à ses otages. Ce drame psychologique, tourné sur Holy Island dans des conditions climatiques pénibles, n'attirera pas tous les fans de cinéma mais il s'agit d'un film intelligent qui laisse songeur vis-à-vis de personnages qui semblent plus ou moins équilibrés. C'est tout de même un bon Polanski. ATTENTION: Le titre de la page est trompeur. Ce Bluray n'a pas de piste française ni de sous-titres français. Il n'a qu'une piste anglaise avec des sous-titres anglais.

Habe den Film überall gesucht und nirgends auf Deutsch gefunden. Sehr schade!! Vor ca. 35 Jahren lief er noch in deutschen Kinos und ich kann mich gut an eine glänzend gelungene Synchronisation (tolle Synchron-Stimme von Donald Pleasence) erinnern, habe ihn damals mehrmals gesehen, weil er einfach fantastisch ist. Gewaltig in seinen schwarz weißen Bildern, skuril in der Story, fantastische Darsteller, ein unvergleichlicher Polanski! Der Import ist trotzdem eine eindeutige Kaufempfehlung, denn der Film wäre sogar ohne Ton ein Jahrhundert-Kaliber!

Opera fondamentale assieme al coltello nell'acqua per valutare le qualità registiche di Roman Polanski. a mio avviso a tali livelli di espressività non è più arrivato, nemmeno con il pianista o chinatown , che pur sono due splendidi film. La vere potenzialità però ,a mio avviso, si vedono nei film iniziali, dove senza vincolo ancora di alcun tipo, la descrizione psicologica dei personaggi è perfetta.

1966's Roman Polanski film, "Cul de sac" just got recognized by Criterion and the result is as well as expected. Donald Pleasence, Lionel Stander and Francoise Dorleac star in a film of unstable people. The film was made at just the right time in Polanski's career when it had been on the shelf and after "Repulsion" (1965) Polanski was able to pull it together. Written by Polanski and long-time collaborator Gerard Brach who worked with Dario Argento on his "Phantom of the Opera", one can not help but admire the creative talent at work, much better than "Repulsion"'s limited means, more perplexing than entertaining, but quite a good film nonetheless. Criterion did a good job as usual. I hope no one forgets the creativity that went into early Polanski films as they admire his later work. Though Polanski's world is a dark world and "Cul de sac" is no exception.

Le Maitre Polanski