Not Coming to a Theater Near You
You know him?”
“Not socially. His name’s Jaws, he kills people.
It’s midsummer in 19th century Sweden and a noblewoman, Miss Julie, romances her male servant, Jean. Apparently, she has inherited a dominating, almost sadistic disposition from her mother, who, instead of bestowing a love of freedom and independence to her daughter, bequeaths an ingrained hatred of self (particularly the feminine self) to the doomed Miss Julie.
The film is based on the play by August Strindberg, who was no stranger to controversy in regard to his views on the roles women assume in society. One would say that the film is decidedly anti-feminist if it were not for the ambiguity that director, Alf Sjoberg, takes in his visual approach with the material. And thank goodness. The film is probably the better for it. It leaves the viewer with a disturbing picture of a woman’s search and ultimate failure to find an identity within a highly limited, stratified society.
by Marlin Tyree | Source: Homevision VHS
27 Feb 2007 6:41 PM | Submit Comment
