Don't try to over-analyze. Take this for what it is. It's a beautifully crafted masterpiece and has aged very well. It's January 2013 and I just watched this for the third time since it came out and was mesmerized. It's weird, yes, but it works.
It's centered around the eternally classic macabre play The Duchess of Malfi. This sets the mood. And in Venice during Carnival, even better. Ingestion of human meat in the opening scene with an imprisoned John Malkovich asking if it's low in cholesterol tells you that it's going to be a dark comedy.
From here it's a free for all, but a very calculated one. It's not meant to be a plot driven thriller but it locks you in with its originality. David Schwimmer is perfectly cast, a once shallow TV actor doomed to forever be known for his role in Friends breaks his chains as the conniving assistant director determined to take over the filming of The Duchess and seduce the leading lady. There's your plot, however buried it may seem.
Burt Reynolds rules and Saffron Burrows is the most beautiful woman on the planet.The sex scenes are significantly dirty and the soundtrack is impeccable. I feel like I have been drugged and shipped to Venice to witness the most magnificent production of The Duchess of Malfi ever made. I will most likely watch it again tomorrow.
It's centered around the eternally classic macabre play The Duchess of Malfi. This sets the mood. And in Venice during Carnival, even better. Ingestion of human meat in the opening scene with an imprisoned John Malkovich asking if it's low in cholesterol tells you that it's going to be a dark comedy.
From here it's a free for all, but a very calculated one. It's not meant to be a plot driven thriller but it locks you in with its originality. David Schwimmer is perfectly cast, a once shallow TV actor doomed to forever be known for his role in Friends breaks his chains as the conniving assistant director determined to take over the filming of The Duchess and seduce the leading lady. There's your plot, however buried it may seem.
Burt Reynolds rules and Saffron Burrows is the most beautiful woman on the planet.The sex scenes are significantly dirty and the soundtrack is impeccable. I feel like I have been drugged and shipped to Venice to witness the most magnificent production of The Duchess of Malfi ever made. I will most likely watch it again tomorrow.