1977 Altman movie
Rating: 17/20
Plot: A randy rich guy relates the story of how a woman won't sleep with him.
It's like The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie but with fucking instead of food.
This is another I needed to rewatch before compiling that 1977 Best Films list that I know all of my friends are eagerly awaiting.
Told in flashback to passengers on a train who wanted Rey to explain why he dumped a bucket of water on a poor woman, this story of unfulfilled lust against a backdrop of terrorist bombings (including some from a group called the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, a great band name) is darkly hilarious. Sometimes a train is just a train, but I'm not sure it is here. Why these particular passengers, by the way? There's a dwarfish psychology professor, a judge, and a mother and daughter. The latter is sent away when the story gets especially randy, and as viewers, we can be thankful that the youngster wasn't subjected to Fernando Rey's oppressive chest hair.
Two actresses play the love interest of Rey's character here, a perplexing choice by Bunuel but one that works. Rey doesn't seem to notice that she's two separate women. Or more accurately, his penis can't tell the difference. He's just concerned with getting in her pants. He first tries a move that seems like it should work every single time--aggressive hair fondling. Later, he uses money, gifts, inspiring persistence, the gal's mother, words that he thinks she probably wants to hear, rationalizing, exhibitions of his importance, and violence. At one point, he even goes full-Trump!
The power dynamics are a lot of fun here. Rey's got money and gender on his side but is helpless against the powers of the fairer gender and her chastity pants. This is a movie about those dynamics and one about how man views women, but mostly, it's just a funny comedy. The Bunuelean surreal side bars--a mouse, a fly in a martini, recurring shots of a guy with a sack, a pig baby--keep you on your toes, and just having this world where an act of terrorism that kills 290 people doesn't even make front page news makes me laugh.
Or maybe I didn't actually laugh. I don't even know what to type here anymore.
The funniest moment is when the flashback gets particularly sexual and is interrupted by a shot of the passengers on the train. There is, after all, a child listening to all this! With that shot, however, it's revealed that a second child has actually joined in to listen to this man's gaudy tale of lust and unrequited sex. Now that surely made me laugh!
Actually, I can't guarantee that made me laugh either.
Ok, I have to go make my 1977 list now. I apologize for writing several of these things that aren't worth anybody's time.
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