The Comfort of Strangers (film)

The Comfort of Strangers

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Paul Schrader
Produced by Mario Cotone
Angelo Rizzoli Jr.
Screenplay by Harold Pinter
Based on The Comfort of Strangers
by Ian McEwan
Starring
Music by Angelo Badalamenti
Cinematography Dante Spinotti
Edited by Bill Pankow
Distributed by Skouras Pictures
Release dates
 1 September 1990 (Italy)
30 November 1990 (UK)
Running time
 107 minutes
Country Italy
United Kingdom
Language English

The Comfort of Strangers is a 1990 Italian-British drama film directed by Paul Schrader. The screenplay is by Harold Pinter, adapted from a short novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. The film stars Natasha Richardson, Christopher Walken, Rupert Everett and Helen Mirren. It was screened out of competition at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.[1]

Plot synopsis

It is a movie about relationships between two distinct and very different couples. Colin (Rupert Everett) and Mary (Natasha Richardson) are a British couple vacationing in Venice for the second time. They are not married, but Mary has two children, who have been left at home with her mother. We are shown glimpses of a tall man dressed in white, who seems to be observing them from afar. Late one night, they become lost as they search for a restaurant. As they wander around, they meet Robert (Christopher Walken), the British-Italian owner of a local bar. He is the very elegant-looking man in all white. Over several bottles of wine, he tells them stories about his sadistic father who was an Italian diplomat. Robert also talks of the cruel tricks his younger sisters played upon him.

After this late evening, Colin and Mary try to walk back to their hotel through the labyrinthine streets of Venice. However, they lose their way and are forced to sleep in the streets. In the morning, hung-over and hungry, they make their way to an outdoor restaurant in the square at St Mark's Basilica. There they see Robert, and after realizing his thoughtlessness at not guiding them back to where they stay, he insists they come back to his home and dine there. They discover he and his wife Caroline (Helen Mirren) live in a spacious Moorish-styled apartment which is like a museum.

The purpose of Colin’s and Mary’s trip is also to revitalize their relationship, and they decide to marry upon their return to England. However, Robert and Caroline are a very mysterious couple who attract and repulse the other pair. Robert is clearly obsessed with his past. He also seems suspect of women’s power over men. Gradually, he draws them further into his influence much as a spider entraps his prey.

Cast

References

  1. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: The Comfort of Strangers". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
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