Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Connianatu How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

lasttimeisaw THE NIGHT PORTER, is a doomed love story in its kernel while being notorious for its sadomasochistic exploitation between not any random two, but Max (Bogarde), a former Nazi SS officer and Lucia (Rampling), his prisoner in the concentration camp. It is such a campy plot design, blatantly excites for controversy. Directed by the Italian art-house cult- director Liliana Cavani, my very first foray into her filmography, what sticks in my mind after watching is not the sensational perverseness of the sex act, but a tenacious nihilism animated by those two equally impenetrable characters, with the most passive and futile resistance, it is a fearless scenario of two against the whole world, nothing else matters, as long as they can march toward their grim fate together, no compromise or whatsoever, which is intensely heart-rending. Vienna 1957, 13 years after WWII, Max now is a hotel's night porter, and by a mere chance, Lucia and her husband, an orchestra conductor come to perform in the city and stay in the same hotel. This unexpected encounter stirs memory flashbacks in both and instigated by Mozart's MAGIC FLUTE, which is conducted by Lucia's husband, their mutual longing reaches the boiling point, the sadomasochistic torment (more spiritually than physically) which generates the irresistible pleasure, reunites them, Lucia leaves her husband and moves into Max's cramped apartment, even voluntarily being chained inside, if that's so, as long as everything is consensual, they might be the happiest couple in the world. However, Max is an ex-Bazi officer, and is currently involved with a coterie of former SS comrades, lead by Hans (Ferzetti), they are intent on destroying any documents and dispatching all the possible surviving witnesses in order to clear their names so that they can live in peace. So, when they find out Lucia's presence, both her and Max's lives are at critical stake. Well, one major drawback in the plot is the elliptical motivations of the coterie, on the surface, they arrange a certain trial of its members individually, yet, an ultimate purpose is to eliminate all the evidences associated in the war crime (as Max mercilessly murdered one of his witness, we can only hear the voice-overs playing while on screen it is Max in his apartment, disconcerted), so why on earth they need such a trial? Some kind of remedial therapy? Moreover, in the scenes where Hans faces Lucia alone in the apartment, obviously, it is much easier to whisk her away or simply finish her off, so she will no longer be a threat, but instead, Hans painstakingly wheedles her to be the witness in the so-called trial against Max, which is rather perplexing.From then on, the narrative steers towards the hungry strike in a claustrophobic status, aimlessly hemmed in the apartment, Max and Lucia indulge in their memories, haunted by their memories and can only get excited through their memories, complete devoid of any political agenda, it is a battle between human's primal sex impulse and basic desire to survive. Ms. Rampling is renown for taking unorthodox projects and braving challenging roles, here, apart from her strikingly alluring solo-dancing scenes among Nazi officers, which doesn't connect the story necessarily, instead impairing her vulnerable status as a powerless victim, indeed is a hyped gambit to be shamelessly titillating and contentious. She compellingly conveys Lucia's abstruse psyche through her expressive facial expressions and body languages; Bogarde, symmetrically excellent in veiling Max's complex lust with a chilling sophistication, both can be gauged as the top-picks of their eclectic careers. Shot in lurid Technicolor in 35mm, THE NIGHT PORTER is unequivocally Cavani's most popular work and fairly speaking, it is a singular curio might find audience among those who are not feeble-minded and vacant from all the political innuendos, also one has to accept that it doesn't conform to the formula where in the upshot, those loathsome wrongdoers never get their comeuppance.

Red-Barracuda The Night Porter is a film that earned a controversial reputation back in the 70's when it was made. In truth, it still has retained a lot of its infamy even today. The reason for this was that it was considered by some as being exploitative and for trivialising the Holocaust. Perhaps more specifically, its mixture of eroticism with Nazis is one that I am guessing has the power to make people feel very uncomfortable. Its story centres on Max, a night porter working in a Vienna hotel in 1957. One day a young woman guest called Lucia arrives at the hotel and his past catches up with him. It turns out he was an S.S. officer who worked at a concentration camp during WWII and Lucia was an inmate who he used as a sexual slave. Their chance encounter leads them to embark on another dark sexual relationship but with slightly different power dynamics. Meanwhile former Nazi comrades of Max have become aware of the situation and plan to silence Lucia who is a potential witness to their war crimes.The central plot idea that underpins the narrative is the Stockholm syndrome. This is a known psychological condition where those repressed and incarcerated form romantic bonds with their captors. It's especially troubling here in that the master and servant are an S.S. officer and his Jewish victim. The sheer real life horror of the Holocaust ensures that this is dark waters for the basis of a film. But overall, despite pushing several provocative buttons along the way, this isn't a very exploitative film. It's certainly a long way away from the Nazisploitation cycle of films that emerged in Italy shortly after this one. Those films were unashamedly sexploitation flicks that really were pushing the limits of good taste. In fact, one of the more notorious examples The Gestapo's Last Orgy also features a dark romance between a camp commandant and Jewish girl, although that's more or less where comparisons end with The Night Porter. No, this is actually a pretty sober and cold movie with a focus squarely on the psychological aspects rather than the salacious ones. It examines a damaged woman's strange compulsions and the inconsistent impulses of her ex-Nazi captor.Although, to be perfectly honest, I felt the film itself is most memorable cinematically when it does feature the flashbacks to the concentration camp. These scenes are always presented in an unreal, dream-like fashion. They never seem very real and this I guess gives the film a bit of overall distance which allows it a bit of leeway regarding its controversial subject matter. Those scenes do feature some very sinister yet surreal moments like the death carnival ride. Yet they often are simply strange such as the S.S. man who performs a homo-erotic ballet routine for his fellow Nazis or Lucia's erotic song and dance number replete with Nazi regalia, which is a sequence that really accentuates the Nazi erotica angle which is understandably problematic for some.The film benefits considerably for having Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling in the central roles. These are difficult characters for actors to tackle to say the least but these two are pretty fearless performers. The acting style is very mannered, as opposed to realistic but this fits in with the overall detached feeling that the film has as a whole. This goes against it a bit to be fair, as it isn't always as engaging as it could be and the pace is pretty slow. It means that this is a film with considerable interest in terms of brave subject matter but one that isn't very easy to connect with. Although given the central idea, this may not be strictly such a bad thing.

popcorninhell Imagine you live in Germany. Only a decade has passed since the end of WWII. The Cold War is in full swing and your country is separated by east and west. Infrastructure is back to normal but the scars inflicted by the war have only begun to heal. You were an SS officer who used to have a job that was unpleasant, yet in your mind necessary. Now you're a lowly night porter for a swanky hotel in West Berlin.Thus starts the story of Maximilian Aldorfer (Dirk Bogarde) a man who lurks in the shadows along with a small cabal of surviving Nazis. They quietly meet to conduct "trials" to conceal any inkling of their past before the authorities find out, going so far as to kill possible witnesses. Max's life is unassuming and guilt-ridden; "I want to live like a church mouse" he says. That is until the arrival of Lucia (Charlotte Rampling), a former concentration camp prisoner whom he had a sadomasochistic relationship with and was her pseudo-protector. They recognize each other right away and the question becomes what will they do about it? The movie devolves from its tension inducing premise to a sensationalistic exploitation film. Don't get me wrong its leaps and bounds above Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975) but the intention is artistically the same and the fact that director Liliana Cavani tries to claw for deeper meanings beyond its trashy premise makes the film more manipulative than engrossing. There are references to the book of Mark and John the Baptist, a near naked ballet sequence of Mozart's Die Zauberflote and comparisons between Pelleas and Melisande all of which amount to a bucket of filth. It a film that attempts cultural literacy but makes the fatal mistake of being alienating, unpleasant and ultimately wearisome to watch.The Night Porter (1974) is not so much a movie as it is a forceful invitation into the minds of two severely damaged people. As the relationship between Max and Lucia turn into a despairing echo of what it used to be we see the extent of Lucia's Stockholm syndrome and the depths of Max's depravity. Yet what is forced upon us is the notion that this sordid love story 1: matters and 2: is tragic in a saccharine Romeo and Juliet kind of way.There is an uncomfortable, long-running juxtaposition between sadomasochism and Nazis. Perhaps it's because even today we equate Nazism with death, destruction and absolute authority. In some circles it's hard not to get aroused by staring death in the face (especially when it's carrying a whip). But while I'm sure this sexual predilection pre-dates The Night Porter, Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) and The Producers (1967) I can't help but feel this kind of treatment makes light of the Nazis and their resoundingly negative contribution to world history. Perhaps instead of dressing up in black leather and swastikas it would be wise to downgrade to a Vichy Greatcoat and Kepi, you know, just in case a friend goes rummaging through your closet.Ultimately while the premise is intriguing and there are touches of artistic merit, The Night Porter is an insipid, opportunistic treatment of history. It makes menial attempts at making its characters believable and relatable but sequentially removes them from a realm of reality within the films final, grueling half hour. What should have been a movie about history, human frailty or lacking that credible love, became a kinky provocation offering little other than cheap thrills.http://www.theyservepopcorninhell.blogspot.com

currierej This movies has been reviewed in depth (reading them inspired me to write this), I just wanted to add a small comment.When most people talk about the convoluted and twisted relationship of the main characters they seem to miss one point, their current positions.Max has gone from a man of great power, life and death by the wave of his hand, illustrated by his present to her at the dance. And she was a "dead" person, sent to a camp to die, kept alive by his simplest wish, the slightest misstep and she is dead.Now, years later he is a basic servant, reduced to hiding by night and waiting on other people. She has become rich and powerful, people wait on her.Other people mentioned the guilt felt by Holocaust survivors, and here she is knowing that not only did she survive, but she survived by not only collaborating with the enemy, but (possibly) enjoying herself while doing it. Imagine the guilt in that situation. Her return to his control is less of a S/M response and more of a guilt reflex, she cheated death in the arms of the enemy and guilt drives her back to suffer for her sins. He has a chance to return to his former glory, he regains control over her and by opposing his fellow Nazi's, he once again has control over not only her life, but his own.They return to their former roles out of guilt, the love and the sex are by-products, a way of reinforcing the return to their former roles.The Stockholm syndrome might have influenced her actions at the camp and therefore would have added to her guilt, but I think her reaction to meeting him again is driven more by the guilt of her past than a desire to relive it.They are driven by the guilt of their past actions, he deserved to die for what he did, she did not deserve to live while so many others died.By the way...I'm probably totally wrong in my assessment.Also by the way, I'm not a person obsessed by guilt, I just feel in reference to this movie it is an important addition to the plot.All that said, I liked the movie, I found it engrossing and was drawn into the story, others have mentioned how great the cinematography was, but I found that I was too interested in the story to notice (a sign of great cinematography).A movie that to really appreciate you must look past the story and into the dark soul of life.