Jules Dassin: Circle of Two [DVD] [1981] Richard Burton

R2 originaali, ei suomitekstejä. 

• Director : Jules Dassin
• Media Format : PAL, Full Screen, Dolby, Digital Sound
• Run time : 1 hour and 38 minutes
• Release date : 24 Sept. 2001
• Actors : Richard Burton, Tatum O'Neal, Kate Reid, Nuala Fitzgerald, Robin Gammell
• Studio : Prism Leisure
• ASIN : B000066CSJ
• Number of discs : 1

This is a film about beginnings and endings. Set in Toronto,it tells the story of an ageing 60 year old painter, Alex and nearly sixteen Sarah. This scenario was always going to be controversial as the two quickly establish a chemistry from their first meeting in a cafe. She is trying to escape her dumped boyfriend, Paul and he helps her avoid him. She is an intelligent,feisty girl/woman who is studying literature; her present work is 'Hamlet' which is well tied in to the conclusion. He is a portrait painter who, because he allowed himself to be demolished by criticism, had not painted for ten years.

Soon,they are together at his studio, a shambling barn of a place where he has gathered all his past efforts. The affinity of the arts brings them closer and it is Sarah who encourages him to begin painting again, beginning with a portrait of her. Meanwhile, Sarah's friends and family become concerned about the age gap and presume the worst although what they don't understand is that Art has nothing to do with convention,least of all sexual conventions. They just are - they connect artistically and spiritually,perhaps. Sarah finds a nude portrait of Claudia, Alex's one-time lover; this is the stimulus for Alex to get in touch with Claudia in New York where she helps run an art gallery to tell her he has begun painting again. He has also regained his self-criticism as he was not happy with Sarah's first portrait as he was a bit rusty after ten years. She tells him to keep on doing it until he is satisfied, until he feels the mojo working.

Claudia arrives at the studio and meets Sarah, briefly, and quickly picks up the wrong vibes about their relationship.'You damn fool' she says and departs in a huff. The crux of the matter occurs when Sarah stands nude behind a chair and asks Alex to paint her. ' Get dressed..' he says as he knows what could happen with his and her life if people get the wrong idea, the artist and model scenario and all the misconceptions that go with it.
Unfortunately, Paul whose obsession with Sarah borders on voyeurism, sees Sarah posing behind the chair and he too gets the wrong idea. She leaves angrily, having been rejected it seemed, an encounters Paul outside. He thinks that because he supposed she took her clothes off for everybody else, he should be next and he attempts to rape her. She resists and fractures his skull with a rock.

From there it seems it is all the way down for them both. Her parents shut her up in her room,determined that she would have no contact with Alex.
She resists this too and goes on a fast and the female doctor brought in by her parents tells them some home truths - Sarah is a woman who is mature enough to go with her feelings. From this point, the narrative could have gone in several directions but leads to a heartrending conclusion in New York to which Alex has returned.

This was a heartfelt,emotional film about the insularity of the art world which does not recognize boundaries. It is also about the damage preconceived ideas can foster and how sometimes we put ' unconventional' relationships in a moral strait-jacket. There was plenty of food for thought here and Tatum O'Neil was good whilst Burton put on a restrained performance with his glorious delivery of lines, especially at the conclusion. It raised quite a few issues and drama has always been about issues - one can't always ignore Life and Love.

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