{"id":4438,"date":"2014-05-21T10:39:38","date_gmt":"2014-05-21T09:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=4438"},"modified":"2014-10-17T00:35:02","modified_gmt":"2014-10-16T23:35:02","slug":"blanche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/05\/21\/blanche\/","title":{"rendered":"Blanche"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"review_Blanche\"<\/a>
Blanche<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\nCamera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection<\/a>

\nFormat:<\/B> Dual Format (DVD + Blu-ray)

\nRelease date:<\/B> 8 September 2014

\nDistributor:<\/B> Arrow Academy

\nDirector:<\/B> Walerian Borowczyk

\nWriter:<\/B> Walerian Borowczyk

\nBased on the poem by:<\/B> Juliusz S?;owacki

\nCast:<\/B> Ligia Branice, Michel Simon, Georges Wilson

\nFrance 1971

\n92 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Walerian Borowczyk\u2019s medieval tragedy fools audiences into expecting one of the erotic films for which the director later became infamous. In the opening sequence of Blanche<\/i>, the title character is seen emerging, completely naked, from her bath. The camera\u2019s lascivious eye sets the scene for a tale of forbidden desire, but Blanche herself is as pure as her name (French for \u2018white\u2019). For the rest of the film she always appears, nun-like, in long gowns and modest caps that hide all but her hands and face. Young, beautiful, and married to an elderly baron, Blanche must flee the attentions of other men, starting with Bartolomeo, the notorious young page of a visiting king. <\/p>\n

With its elegant costumes and set design, Blanche<\/i> could be described as a historical drama, but the film\u2019s sophistication exceeds conventional models. Borowczyk\u2019s background in fine arts allows him to bring an additional layer of authenticity to the film by drawing on the representational style of the Middle Ages. Shots, composition and framing pay homage to medieval landscape and religious painting. Windows, doors and alcoves dramatically divide interior shots. Exterior long shots emphasise the harmonious juxtaposition of hilltop, pasture and road, with grazing animals and passing cavalcades reduced to minute decorative detail. The film also employs an animal symbolism characteristic of the period. The king arrives with a monkey on his shoulder, a disquieting emblem of insinuating, irrepressible sexuality that has free run of the castle, hiding away only to pop up unexpectedly throughout the film. In contrast, Blanche\u2019s gentle, vulnerable innocence is mirrored by the caged white dove in her bedroom. Tempering the film\u2019s loyalty to a medieval aesthetic, Borowczyk introduces self-reflexive techniques, such as disorientating point-of-view shots, which situate the film within a current of modern cinematic experimentation.<\/p>\n

Daniel Bird<\/A>, who is responsible for the restoration of Borowczyk\u2019s films, says that Blanche<\/i> (1972) inspired Terry Gilliam\u2019s vision of the Middle Ages in Monty Python and the Holy Grail<\/i> (1975). I would suggest that Blanche<\/i> itself appears to have been inspired by Jacques Demy\u2019s Peau d\u2019\u00e2;ne<\/i> (Donkey Skin<\/i>, 1970), a camp fairy tale about a princess (Catherine Deneuve) who must run away from home when her father decides he wants to marry her. The baron in Blanche<\/i> is played by Michel Simon, who made his name in 1930s French poetic realist films like Boudu sauv\u00e9; des eaux<\/i><\/A> (Boudu Saved from Drowning<\/i>), L\u2019Atalante<\/i><\/A> and Le quai des brumes<\/i><\/A> (Port of Shadows<\/i>). He was in his late seventies when he appeared in Blanche<\/i> opposite Ligia Branice, Borowczyk\u2019s wife; as the baron is old enough to be her father, an early shot of him kissing Blanche on the mouth appears incestuous, echoing the theme of Demy\u2019s film. Jacques Perrin, the young actor who played Prince Charming in Peau d\u2019\u00e2;ne<\/i>, reappears in Blanche<\/i> as Bartolomeo, another role in which he ultimately defends the heroine\u2019s honour.<\/p>\n

The baron justly describes his wife as \u2018a saintly woman, above all suspicion\u2019, but halfway through the film he suddenly loses his trust in her. As he becomes irrationally hostile towards Blanche, we may assume that the old man is suffering from dementia. His condition seems to infect the film\u2019s narrative, which loses its grip on the thread of logical coherence. Still, Borowczyk has woven such a mesmerising tapestry that the audience can\u2019t help but continue to watch as it slowly, senselessly unravels.<\/p>\n

Alison Frank<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With its elegant costumes and set design, Walerian Borowczyk\u2019s sophisticated medieval tragedy exceeds conventional historical dramas.
\nReview by Alison Frank<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11,1,3],"tags":[893,145,892,891,156,880],"class_list":["post-4438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-check-it-out","category-cinema-releases","category-dvds-and-blu-rays","tag-fairy-tale","tag-french-cinema","tag-michel-simon","tag-middle-ages","tag-polish-cinema","tag-walerian-borowczyk"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/surUP-blanche","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4449,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/05\/22\/who-is-walerian-borowczyk\/","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":0},"title":"Who Is Walerian Borowczyk?","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"May 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As part of our exploration of the ground-breaking Polish director, we look at his career as a board game. Comic strip review by Tony HItchman","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"review_WBcomic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/review_WBcomic-594x840.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/review_WBcomic-594x840.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/review_WBcomic-594x840.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4579,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/06\/28\/les-astronautes\/","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":1},"title":"Les Astronautes","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"June 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As part of our exploration of Walerian Borowczyk's work, we look at this wonderful short film, made in collaboration with Chris Marker. Comic strip review by Lord Hurk","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Les Astronautes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Les-Astronautes-594x2087.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Les-Astronautes-594x2087.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Les-Astronautes-594x2087.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4662,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/07\/22\/the-beast\/","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":2},"title":"The Beast","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"July 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Part fairy tale, part sex romp, part Buñuelian satire, Walerian Borowczyk\u2019s most notorious film remains a quirky oddity. Review by Sean Hogan","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Beast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/The-Beast-594x422.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/The-Beast-594x422.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/The-Beast-594x422.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4421,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/05\/10\/the-streetwalker\/","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":3},"title":"The Streetwalker","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"May 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Walerian Borowczyk\u2019s beautiful melancholic meditation on sex in a dirty, dirty world, with Sylvia Kristel and Joe Dallesandro. Review by John Bleasdale","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Margin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/The-Margin-594x453.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/The-Margin-594x453.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/The-Margin-594x453.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4506,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/06\/18\/the-story-of-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":4},"title":"The Story of Sin","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"June 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Eve is traditionally the temptress, but in Walerian Borowczyk\u2019s 19th-century romance, it is Ewa who is tempted. Review by Alison Frank","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Story of Sin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/The-Story-of-Sin-594x337.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/The-Story-of-Sin-594x337.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/The-Story-of-Sin-594x337.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":640,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2009\/06\/04\/goto-lile-damour\/","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":5},"title":"Goto, Island of Love","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"June 4, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"This release of Goto, l'île d'amour fills in a vital, pre-erotic step in Borowczyk's work, revealing a highly individual approach to live action as seen through the eyes of an animator. Review by Stephen Thomson","rel":"","context":"In "Home entertainment"","block_context":{"text":"Home entertainment","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/dvds-and-blu-rays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Goto Island of Love","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Goto-Island-of-Love-594x426.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Goto-Island-of-Love-594x426.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Goto-Island-of-Love-594x426.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4438"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5131,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4438\/revisions\/5131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}