India Song
Posted by martinteller on April 26, 2008
Now THIS is boring. Utterly dreadful. If Duras is making some kind of statement about the tedium of the idle rich, then bravo. A lily-white woman hangs out all day at the French embassy in Lahore with her lily-white husband (I think? the story is deliberately obtuse to the point of annoyance) and some more lily-white Europeans that she apparently boffs whenever they ask. We never see any of this alleged boffing, although we do get a 5-minute closeup of Delphine Seyrig’s breast, just in case you missed it in one of her other roles. They all look perfectly depressed and bored, but not as bored as I was. No wonder they’re so long-faced all the time… they’re in the middle of an exotic and fascinating country, but they seem to never leave the grounds of the embassy. Hell, they barely ever leave the drawing room. I think we’re meant to learn something about romance, but it’s as if it was written by a 15-year-old girl who knows nothing about romance. There’s more to being in love that just talking about being in love and how much it tortures your soul. Points for a somewhat original narrative (although it’s blatantly influenced by Resnais) and some painterly images (which you will have a LONG time to study), but otherwise a real drag. Rating: 3
