Immediately after the box–office success of his macabre masterpiece Repulsion,
Roman Polanski returned to a theme he had explored in his early classic Knife
in the Water – the destruction of a fragile relationship by a maligned
outsider. The resulting film was Cul-De-Sac. Donald Pleasence and
Francoise Dorleac play a mismatched couple – he effeminate and petulant, she
sensual and enigmatic – who share a bizarre sexual relationship, living in a
remote castle. Their very isolation from the world prevents their eccentric
partnership from foundering. Only an outsider can disrupt their make–believe
lifestyle.
That disruption arrives in the belligerent form of Richard and Albert, two
oddball gangsters straight out of a 1940's film noir, wounded, desperate and on
the run. They demand shelter, and as Richard waits for instructions from his
gangland boss, he slips into a dangerous round of game–playing with his
unwilling hosts. But it seems that Richard is not always to have the upper hand.
With it's larger than life performances, wicked black humour and superb use of
striking outdoor location – the film was shot on Holy Island in Northumberland
– Polanski created an exceptional film.
- Import DVD
- PAL Region 2
- DTS and DD 5.1 Audio Options
- Anamorphic Widescreen
Cul-De-Sac 'Two Gangsters and an Island' featurette. Theatrical
trailer. Talent bios. Poster and stills gallery.
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