Venus in Fur

Roman Polanski has become the new master of adapting good theatre pieces into even better filmic experiences. Two years ago, the celebrated but slight Tony-winning play by Yasmina Reza, "God of Carnage," became a swift and more robust movie, "Carnage." Two decades ago he inproved on Ariel Dorfman's "Death and the Maiden." Now, he's adapted David Ives compelling Tony-winning work, "Venus in Fur," into a leaner and more entrancing entity. Here the two mediums blend together rather seamlessly and, on DVD, give an added intimate flavor to this psychosexual chamber tango.

The script has been translated into French and stars Mrs. Polanski, Emmanuelle Seigner and the great French actor Matthew Amalric, who bears an eerie resemblance to the director, albeit a younger version. And while the casting of Seigner might reek of nepotism, it proves to be a stroke of genius.

The crux of the story is inspired by Austrian novelist Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's 1870, "Venus in Furs," where a man becomes willingly enslaved by the woman he worships. The film opens as playwright Thomas (Amalric), has undergone a long day of auditioning the role of Vonda, the leading lady in his play, to no avail. Enter a blustery mess of a woman named Vonda (Seigner), wanting to audition. Thomas protests. But the doggedly persistent, deliciously trashy Vonda insists, wangling control almost from the outset. As the two characters read from the play, a potentially explosive, mesmerizing game ensues.

Seigner brings her own sexually-charged panache to the role. She's a sly, mysterious, gorgeous creature. She's also frighteningly crafty and slick, like a black widow lying in wait.

Amalric plays Thomas like a post-pubescent boy eager to be told what to do, longing for anything sexual. And the fact that he's a Polanski doppelg�nger, gives the performance a creepy, fascinating edge.

The widescreen transfer enhances Pawel Edelman's terrific camerawork and the audio track allows for Alexandre Desplat's fantastically haunting score to truly chill.

There are only two special features (besides the previews at the beginning), the original theatrical trailer and 12-minutes of interviews with Polanski, Seigner and Amalric. All three offer up intriguing insights but no one is allowed to elaborate beyond sound bites, which is unfortunate. Let's hope for a special edition somewhere down the line.

"Venus in Fur" is an intense experience, a meditation on passion, power and sexual desire that is highly recommended.

"Venus in Fur (La Venus a la Fourrure)"
DVD
$24.98
http://www.mpihomevideo.com/Store/Detail.asp?ProdID=11252