[Death and Virgin]: 8 points
The most talented part of Polanski is that he can see the big from the small, give him a stage script, he can also express his own things in a closed scene with ease. I have watched many movies with a closed space as the background, but very few of Polanski can control the conflict and rhythm of the drama so well. A simple story can better demonstrate Polanski's mastery skills.
On the surface, this is a trial of rapists, but in reality Polanski wants to express the independence of women and the discussion of two political ideas.
Let’s talk about women’s independence. The only victim in the movie is the wife, and the only woman in the movie. In front of two men, she can only gain control by picking up a pistol. The two men that the wife has to face are one who has not pleaded guilty, the other is skeptical about this. What the wife wants to accomplish is to let the raper confess guilt in person. Let’s take a look at the role of the husband. The husband has always been in a cowardly state, even at the last moment, unable to personally determine the culprit, and the wife was sent to jail for protecting her husband. She suffered such a cruel and inhuman suffering. Even so, she couldn’t get her husband’s. Loyalty and trust. On the other hand, the rapist used the advantage of the system to inflict a series of harms on his wife. Afterwards, he was able to treat his doctor with integrity. After he was arrested, he was able to exchange part of the trust of the husband with an innocent image. We can treat the husband and the rapist as a rapist. It is an accomplice between men (the husband questioned his wife from beginning to end). Under the dual patriarchal ideology, the only thing the wife can do is to be hysterical, and even fight for justice for herself with a behavior that makes the audience feel nervous. This view of women also happens to be a manifestation of women's independence. It is just such a frantic struggle that can be exchanged for their own justice.
Another point is Polanski's discussion of democracy. There is a lot of discussion about centralization and democracy. We turned our heads and saw that the wife was a victim of totalitarianism. However, she used the same centralized method to try rapists in the movie. Here, what the husband represents is the system of a democratic society. He has fully expressed the problems that have arisen in a democratic society, from the beginning of questioning to the hesitation at the end of the verdict (even if he has to call to confirm the testimony at the end). In a sense, democracy is the protector of the centralized remnant party, so the wife can only use the method of totalitarianism to defend her own justice. You see, although the state has overthrown the centralized system, the victims of civilized society are still unchanged, and the perpetrators are still protected.
For such a story, Polanski is so mature in the scheduling of the shots. The simple story allows him to control with so much tension, and there are so many profound expressions. This is why Polanski can stay in the hearts of many fans. A sacred location.
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