11-22-2021, 10:17 AM
(seen on Criterion)
Fassbinder's final movie, released after his death from overwork and a cocktail of drugs.
This is so gay. And so French. Only it isn't French, but it talks like one. There's a lieutenant ever recording his thoughts, which acts sort of as voiceover. But then there's voiceover itself, from several of points of view. And then there's events and speech occurring in real time. But it's overwhelmingly mental, climbing into people's heads. Everyone thinks of sex, but not in simple terms. It's grandiose language, impossible to untangle. Here's a couple examples:
Or how about this:
There's a certain weirdly appealing cadence to it all, this tale of sailors doing sailor things, only very gay. At the center of it all is Querelle, a handsome sailor who takes an interest in Lysiane (Jeanne Moreau), the main draw at a bar/whorehouse. But to have her he must roll dice with Nolo, her husband and owner of the establishment. If Querelle wins, he gets access to her. If he loses, Nolo gets to fuck him in the ass. Querelle ends up cheating, changing one of the die on his roll when Nolo isn't looking, essentially changing a winning roll into a losing one. Yep, so that table nearby gets some heavy use. And so it goes.
I didn't learn anything about the psychology/philosophy of gayness, despite this being Fassbinder's soapbox. It's an overwrought lurid tale told in expressionistic colors, over the top in a bent over a table way.
Franco Nero plays the lieutenant. Brad Davis (who starred in Midnight Run) plays Querelle.
Recommended only if you're really really gay and the above quotes made complete sense to you.
Fassbinder's final movie, released after his death from overwork and a cocktail of drugs.
This is so gay. And so French. Only it isn't French, but it talks like one. There's a lieutenant ever recording his thoughts, which acts sort of as voiceover. But then there's voiceover itself, from several of points of view. And then there's events and speech occurring in real time. But it's overwhelmingly mental, climbing into people's heads. Everyone thinks of sex, but not in simple terms. It's grandiose language, impossible to untangle. Here's a couple examples:
Quote:Lysiane: A penny for your thoughts, Querelle.
Querelle: I acknowledge the existence of authority in Mario. I note his objective gestures. Objectivity is the companion of total power. It holds sway over unchallengeable moral authority. It's a perfect social organization.
Or how about this:
Quote:Lieutenant Seblon: We have Jesus to thank that we are able to glorify humility, for He made it the sign of the divine. The godhead in our innermost depths. For why should we renounce the violence of this world? If this Godhead is to confront violence, then it must be strong if it is to achieve the victory. And humility can only be born of humiliation. Otherwise it is nothing but vanity.
There's a certain weirdly appealing cadence to it all, this tale of sailors doing sailor things, only very gay. At the center of it all is Querelle, a handsome sailor who takes an interest in Lysiane (Jeanne Moreau), the main draw at a bar/whorehouse. But to have her he must roll dice with Nolo, her husband and owner of the establishment. If Querelle wins, he gets access to her. If he loses, Nolo gets to fuck him in the ass. Querelle ends up cheating, changing one of the die on his roll when Nolo isn't looking, essentially changing a winning roll into a losing one. Yep, so that table nearby gets some heavy use. And so it goes.
I didn't learn anything about the psychology/philosophy of gayness, despite this being Fassbinder's soapbox. It's an overwrought lurid tale told in expressionistic colors, over the top in a bent over a table way.
Franco Nero plays the lieutenant. Brad Davis (who starred in Midnight Run) plays Querelle.
Recommended only if you're really really gay and the above quotes made complete sense to you.