Set from 1918 to 1926, the film revolves around an officer who returns to Berlin three years after World War I with nothing that suits his skills other than menial jobs where he eventually becomes a gigolo amidst a growing conflict between Nazis and Communists. It is a film that explores a man just trying to find his role after the events of the world but it’s a film that wants to be a comedy but also a drama as well as a period piece but writers Ennio De Concini and Joshua Sinclair create a story that is just a fucking mess. Notably as the protagonist of Paul Ambrosius von Przygodski (David Bowie) is always in some situation where he is often lost and is often made to look like a buffoon. Notably as he would take jobs that are humiliating while is pining for a longtime childhood friend in the revolutionary prostitute in Cilly (Sydne Rome). Paul would often find himself in situations such as being an unwilling participant in a resistance group led by his former superior in Captain Herrmann Kraft (David Hemmings) that would eventually become the Nazis and eventually become a gigolo for the Baroness von Semering (Marlene Dietrich) where he woos older women including an officer’s widow in Helga von Kaiserling (Kim Novak).
David Hemmings’ direction is all over the place where it begins in the battlefield where Paul is at the front line of a battlefield where he meets Captain Kraft only to be hit with a shell that lead him to a French hospital where he’s mistaken for a French officer. There are some unique shots that Hemmings creates but the film has a lot of tonal issues in whether he wants to create something serious that is meant to be played for laughs or the other way around and it never works. There are also these moments on whenever a new year in the story begins, there is this recurring gag of two old ladies talking as it never establishes their purpose in the film while Hemmings’ direction with the actors has them in some situations that is humiliating with the exception of the two scenes with the Baroness. Even as it wants to be some political film or a character study yet there is never sense of cohesion throughout the film where Hemmings wants to make this some kind of political-comedy or a character-drama about a man who is lost after World War I. Overall, Hemmings crafts a messy and meandering film about a World War I Prussian officer who later becomes a gigolo.
Cinematographer Charly Steinberger does nice work with the film’s cinematography as it has some stylish lighting for some of the scenes at the Hotel Eden where the Baroness lives as well a few exterior scenes at night. Editors Siegrun Jager and Alfred Srp do fine work with the editing though given that the international version was cut down from the 147-minute premiere version to 105 minutes though there are moments in the film where it does meander. Production designer Peter Rothe does excellent work with the look of the home where Paul and his family live in as well as the ballroom of the Hotel Eden and the home of the Prince whom Cilly is sleeping with. Costume designers Mago and Ingrid Zore do amazing work with the stylish dresses that the women at the time with the former creating some designer clothing for the Baroness, Cilly, and the clothes that Paul wears.
Hair/makeup artist Antony Clave do terrific work with the look of the characters as it is stylized for the times. The sound work of Gunther Kortwich is good as it help play into the atmosphere of the locations though there’s moments that it does too much to play into the humor. The film’s music by John Altman and Gunther Fischer is wonderful as its mixture of jazz and folk to play into the music of the times do play into the humor while music supervisor Jack Fishman provide a soundtrack including some standards as well as an original song written by Bowie that a group of rebels sing early in the film as well as the titular song that is sung by the Baroness.
The film’s ensemble cast do have their moments though a lot of them were hampered by the film’s nonsensical script and messy direction as it include some notable small roles from Hilde Weissner as Paul’s aunt Hilda, Evelyn Kunneke as an old woman that is one of Paul’s conquests late in the film, Erika Pulhar as a prostitute who lives at the apartment where Paul’s family live in, Werner Pochath as Captain Kraft’s brutish yet idiotic henchman Otto, Rudolph Schundler as Paul’s catatonic father who spends much of the film not moving in a stupid way, and Curd Jurgens in a wasted two-scene appearance as a Prince whom Cilly is having an affair with as he barely does anything in the film. Maria Schell is fantastic as Paul’s mother who is amazed that he is alive while worries about the thing he is doing as a gigolo but also in his time with Captain Kraft. Marlene Dietrich is incredible in her brief two-scene appearance as Baroness von Semering as she just maintains this presence in her role as this woman who runs a brothel of gigolos as she is just a joy to watch.
David Hemmings’ performance as Captain Herrmann Kraft is just terrible in the fact that he is this former military officer who is trying to be part of the Nazi movement is often played for laughs though there is nothing funny in what he’s doing while he takes it way too seriously to be engaging. Kim Novak’s performance as an officer’s widow in Helga von Kaiserling is an odd performance that really doesn’t do much for Novak to be engaging but rather be this seductress who tries too hard at times while her attempts to be funny are forced. Sydne Rome’s performance as Paul’s childhood sweetheart Cilly as this revolutionary prostitute who later becomes a Hollywood film star is badly written as someone who wants Paul but then wants to be with the Prince and follow her dreams where Rome does have her moments as a cabaret performer but never finds her balance as someone who really is Paul’s love interest. Finally, there’s David Bowie as Paul Ambrosius von Przygodski as a Prussian World War I officer who is lost in trying to find work only to become a gigolo where Bowie never really gets to find his footing in the role where his attempts to be funny is forced while the dramatic moments barely has him doing anything as it is definitely one of his worst performances in his acting career.
Just a Gigolo is a horrible film from David Hemmings. Despite the two-scene performance from the late Marlene Dietrich in her final film performance, the film is a meandering mess that never finds its footing while giving its ensemble cast nothing to do. Even fans of David Bowie will find the film to be a chore as the man himself also made his dislike about the film after its release as he is given nothing to do other than look ridiculous. In the end, Just a Gigolo is just a bad movie by David Hemmings.
© thevoid99 2022
Based on the short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Le notti bianche (White Nights) is the story of a newly arrived city transplant who meets a sheltered young woman on a canal bridge as they begin a complicated romance that is filled with longing and unfulfilled ideas. Directed and co-shot by Luchino Visconti and screenplay by Suso Cecchi D’Amico from a screen story by Visconti, the film is a look into a man trying to figure out his way in the world while falling for a beautiful yet troubled young woman. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Maria Schell, Jean Marais, and Clara Calamai. Le notti bianche is a haunting yet evocative film from Luchino Visconti.
Told in the span of a few days at a canal city in Italy, the film revolves a man who is new to the city as he meets a young woman on a canal bridge claiming to wait for a former lover whom she believes will return. It’s a film that play into the idea of longing as well as unfulfilled love as a man tries to understand what this young woman is going through just as he is in love with her. The film’s screenplay by Luchino Visconti and Susu Cecchi D’Amico does have a reflective narrative of sorts when it’s told by Natalia (Maria Schell) who is awaiting the return of her former lover (Jean Marais) who was a tenant at her family home years ago as they fell in love only to leave mysteriously claiming he would return. For Mario (Marcello Mastroianni), he would listen to Natalia’s story while isn’t sure if they’re true yet he still pursues her thinking he’s found someone he can be with as he is still new to the small town he’s at.
Visconti’s direction is definitely intoxicating for the way he captures post-war Italy at its most vibrant but also with a sense of melancholia as it relates to those who long to be part of something. Shot entirely at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, Visconti uses this small town filled with canals and bridges at the center with a bar nearby as he brings a lot of attention to detail of the locations as well as where Natalia and Mario meet as they would meet again near the same bridge. Visconti’s usage of wide shots to get a scope of the location play into how vast and small the location is where there are a few regulars of this location including a white dog that Mario would meet early in the film. Visconti would also use close-ups and medium shots to play into Mario and Natalia’s meeting as well as a scene at a club where they dance with other couples as it’s one of the film’s most vibrant moments.
Visconti’s direction also has this air of style in the way he let things play out in a few long shots that include flashbacks of Natalia and her lover at the home of the former. There are moments that are intimate and full of life but there is also this sadness in the way Visconti presents Natalia’s heartbreak as he creates some unique framing devices into the way Natalia is seen in that moment and how it matches with a shot of her telling the story to Mario. Visconti would also play up the melodrama as it relates to Natalia’s own hysterics over her former lover and Mario trying to understand her though he becomes frustrated by her behavior. Even as Mario wonders if Natalia is telling the truth during the film’s third act as it would eventually lead to the possibility of a future for themselves. The scene that play into that possibility is presented with a sense of wonderment and hope yet Visconti is aware that these ideas of fantasy are just fleeting once reality would start to re-emerge. Overall, Visconti crafts an intoxicating yet somber film about a man pursuing a sheltered woman who is waiting for her lover.
Cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, with additional work from Visconti, does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it play into its sense of style in how nighttime exteriors are lit as well as the scenes set in the day along with the low-key look of the dance scene. Editor Mario Serandrei does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts and other abrupt cuts to play into Natalia’s flashbacks. Art director Mario Chiari and set designer Enzo Eusepi do incredible work with the look of the scenes set at the canal bridges with so much attention to detail in how the canals look as well as the interior of the bars and the dance hall.
Costume designer Piero Tosi does fantastic work with the costumes from the look of the suits that Mario wear as well as the dresses that Natalia wears. The sound work of Oscar Di Santo and Vittorio Trentino is terrific for its usage of natural sounds in the dance scenes as well as well as sirens and bells from afar. The film’s music by Nino Rota is amazing for its rich and intoxicating orchestral score that is filled with lush string arrangements and textures to play into the drama as it is a major highlight of the film.
The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles and appearances from Maria Zanoli as a hotel maid, Marcella Rovena as the landlady at the hotel Mario is staying at, and Clara Calamai as the prostitute who is often hanging around at the bar near the canal bridges as she tries to woo Mario. Jean Marais is brilliant as Natalia’s unnamed lover as this mysterious man who arrived at her home years ago with books and so many things while being cagey in what he wants and what he does for a living. Maria Schell is phenomenal as Natalia as a woman that is longing to see if her lover will return as she also copes with the idea of him not showing up at all where she befriends Mario and later realizes there is an idea of hope with Mario as it’s a performance that is full of anguish and energy of a woman who is complicated. Finally, there’s Marcello Mastroianni in a sensational performance as Mario as man who is new to the city as he meets and falls for Natalia wanting to help her as well as be someone that she can rely on as it’s a performance filled with humility but also liveliness in the film’s dance hall scene as it is one of Mastroianni’s finest performances.
Le notti bianche is a spectacular film from Luchino Visconti that features incredible performances from Marcello Mastroianni and Maria Schell. Along with its gorgeous visuals, captivating story of longing and uncertainty, high-quality art direction, and Nino Rota’s intoxicating score. It’s a film that play into two people trying to find love in an intimate setting at a time where so much around them is changing. In the end, Le notti bianche is a tremendous film from Luchino Visconti.
Related: Two Lovers
Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Bellissima) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – Senso – Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches (1967 film)- The Witch Burned Alive – The Damned (1969 film) – (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – Death in Venice – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent (1976 film)
© thevoid99 2018
