Film

Review
Repulsion

Figure 1 Repulsion Poster

Repulsion by Roman Polanski produced in 1965 is a sex psychodrama where the Mise-en-scne of the
environment is a character itself as it reflects the mental state of the main female protagonist Carol
(Catherine Deneuve). It is a black and white film and is Polanskis first English made film.

Repulsion is set in the 60s when woman started to become more in control of their own lives as
feminism was on the rise and the Womans Liberation Movement was in protest as woman wanted to
be freed from oppression and a male dominated world. The contraceptive pill called Enovid was
introduced in the 60s and this revolutionized sex for woman as previously sex out of wedlock was
frowned upon. Repulsion tells the story of Carol who is a virgin in a time when woman could have fun
with sex and begin to become more independent as the 60s were called the swinging sixties and the
summer of love. Polanski is immense at showing the difference in character of a sexually active
person as Carols sister Helen (Yvonne Furneaux) has a boyfriend called Michael (Ian Hendry) and is
having intimate relations with him as Carol hides in her room covering her ears with a pillow as Helen
cries out passionately. The focus on a female protagonist who is completely paralyzed by her fears of
progressive 1960s sexuality provides this film with a cultural viewpoint that reflects the changing of the
guard for 1960s as women headed into the sexual revolution, for Carols swinging sister, relaxed,
changing attitudes about sexuality and dating are liberating, but for Carol, theyre absolutely
debilitating (Myers 2015) Helen is constantly going out, doing things and meeting people while the
frigid Carol is repeatedly stuck at home with only her thoughts to occupy her. Polanski uses the
difference in the two characters ways of life to show how mundane life is without sex, as Carol seems
to be just going through the paces around her apartment as she slowly goes mad while she is left at
home alone.

Carol is the embodiment of feminine beauty, long blond hair, big wide eyes with an attractive figure
and its easy to understand that she would get a lot of attention from the opposite sex and the
character who has fallen for her is Colin (John Fraser). Carol completely repels all of Colins advances
towards her as she is utterly repulsed by all men and the masculine nature in which they carry
themselves, she is visibly sick to her stomach when she smells the masculine pheromones off Michaels
vest and one asks the question, why is so disgusted to this extent about all men?

There is a multitude of many impressive metaphors to Carols mental state and repugnance for men
one being when the wall turns to putty which makes it feel like flesh trying to incase her and also
when the hairy manly arms protrude out from the narrow walls trying to grab and hold her.
The Chiaroscuro of the set design gradually manifest into dark and twisted proportions to mimic
Carols mental state as she unhinges and slips into insanity as massive deafening cracks appear
randomly around her apartment, splitting its foundations into crumbling pieces. A shot of potatoes in
the kitchen is shown with wiry, jagged chits sprouting out of them and the decaying rabbit left on top
of the table show how long time has passed and how long Carol is left alone and isolated.



















Figure 2 Wall of hands



As Carol becomes more unhinged as time crawls on, her apartment begins to transform into forbidden
territory as the proportions start to become completely obscene, the shadows in the rooms become
darker and give a sense of smothering and claustrophobia while the bathroom is narrow with all the
furniture crammed against the back wall, Rooms start to appear massive and completely dwarf Carol
as it feels as though she is lost and doesnt belong to her once safe haven. Polanski reflects in stylistic
terms the distorted nature of Carols perception of the world. His use of short focal lengths, depth of field,
and the unusual design of the set have the effect of elongating the space within the flat, distorting the
normal spatial relationships (Johnston 2005). Polanski is impressive with his use of suspense as he
uses Hitchcock tropes of offering glimpses of macabre as there is a shot of Carol with a straight razor
behind her back the viewer knows she is about to slice the landlords throat.












Figure 3 crack in wall

Polanski is phenomenal with his use of Mise-en-scne to get inside Carols head as the gradual
altercations of Carols apartment and use of Dutch angles and close up shots makes the viewer feel as
though they are watching from carols eyes, even the opening credits of the film are projected over
Carols eye which is a very imaginative and detailed use of creative visionary.

The film ends with a close up of a picture of Carol glaring menacingly at a man and this scene leaves
the viewer wondering could Carol have been repulsed by men all her life?, could Carol have been
possibly molested by a man when she was young?, Polanski leaves it up to the viewers own
interpretation. Forty-eight years after its original release, Repulsion is still thrilling. Collapsing pleasure
and pain, attraction and revulsion, fragility and volatility, it is a thoroughly compelling film about all the
contradictions of cinema and its obsession with femininity. (Cummings 2013)


















Figure 4 final scene of Carol in picture

Illustration List

Polanski, R. (1965) Figure 1 Repulsion poster
http://thequietus.com/articles/11038-repulsion-roman-polanski-bfi-reissue
(Accessed on 1-17-17)


Polanski, R. (1965) Figure 2 Wall of arms
http://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3408569/roman-polanskis-psychological-horror-tour-deforce-repulsion-turns-51/
(Accessed on 1-17-17)


Polanski, R. (1965) Figure 3 crack in wall
http://www.the-frame.com/2011/10/
(Accessed on 1-17-17)


Polanski, R. (1965) Figure 4 Final scene of Carol in picture
https://psychocinderella.com/2014/08/06/repulsion-review/
(Accessed on 1-17-17)

Bibliography

Cummings, B. (January 4th, 2013) thequietus.com,
http://thequietus.com/articles/11038-repulsion-roman-polanski-bfi-reissue
(Accessed on 1-17-17)


Johnston, I (October 24th, 2005) notcoming.com,
http://www.notcoming.com/reviews/repulsion
Accessed on 1-17-17)

Myers S. (2015) gointothestory.blcklst.com
https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/classic-60s-movie-repulsion-4065d7e9c1e0#.6zfl9oq4f
Accessed on 1-17-17)