The Comfort of Strangers

Summary

“Do you know where we are? Should I tell you? We are on the other side of the mirror.”

A couple months ago, I decided that I would read Ian McEwan’s novel The Comfort of Strangers in preparation to view Criterion’s new Blu-ray release of the film. The novel is short but distinct and memorable due to its gothic atmospherics, gloomy disposition, and sexual frankness. The adaptation was written by playwright Harold Pinter and directed by Paul Schrader. I am a fan of Schrader’s writing and film work so I was more than happy to see what he did with the material. It is safe to say that this film will not appeal to everyone, and that goes the same for the novel. I sat down and watched the film so I could see what remained the same and what was different. I am happy to report that the film adaptation takes very few liberties from the novel and brings the novel vividly to life. The Criterion Blu-ray features a brand new 4K digital transfer supervised by cinematographer Dante Spinotti and approved by Paul Schrader.

Colin (Rupert Everett) and Mary (Natasha Richardson) are taking a vacation from their life in London. They have come to Venice with hopes of rekindling their relationship. They are also cognizant of the possibility that their relationship may end if they don’t feel more for each other by the end of the trip. The trip is already marred by the fact that they have visited Venice just two years prior, and therefore the sense of discovery and adventure is lessened. One of the principal issues between them is that Mary has two children and Colin has not been able to commit to taking on that responsibility. While looking for a place to eat in the serpentine alleys of Venice, they meet Robert (Christopher Walken) – a mysterious Venetian dressed in a white suit. Robert offers to take them to a nearby bar so they can get some food and drinks. Famished and lost, they agree and follow him to a bar. The cook is out unfortunately, so Robert purchases a good bottle of wine and begins to tell them about himself. His wife is Canadian and he grew up in London – the son of a diplomat. His relationship with his siblings was strained and his father was overbearing and occasionally cruel. He was the favorite of his parents and inherited much when they died. He plies them with stories. Colin and Mary leave the bar drunk and she becomes sick. Exhausted, they sleep in an alleyway near a bridge that night. The next morning they wake and search for a restaurant to get water. While sitting there waiting on the waiter to return with water and coffee, Robert arrives and invites them to his house where they will be much more comfortable than their hotel. He insists. They agree. When they wake, their clothes have been taken by Caroline (Helen Mirren) – Robert’s wife. Caroline is slightly crippled from a back injury. They join her for some conversation and drinks and then dress. She lets them know that as they slept she had momentarily watched them sleep. The excitement of these encounters spills over into Mary and Colin’s relationship and they find themselves sexually attracted to one another and their relationship on the rebound. Their acquaintance with Caroline and Robert may pose more danger than they realize.

The Comfort of Strangers is essentially a perfectly realized literary adaptation. The writing by Pinter pulls all of the most memorable sequences verbatim into the script, and Schrader and his team capably found locations to match the drama in the novel. I have been fortunate enough to visit Venice twice in my life, which is a gift given that I am a huge fan of Hemingway. Schrader brings Venice to life in a very realistic way with the aid of the stunning cinematography by Dante Spinotti. Anyone who has ever been lost after the storefronts have closed down in Italy will understand the feeling that this film conveys perfectly. The film was shot in the late months of the year in Venice when less people are there and this allowed for Venice to seem more mysterious and dangerous in the film. Is the film unsettling? Absolutely. For anyone who has read the book, that should come as no surprise. The novel was written by Ian McEwan at a time when he was writing such dreary subject matter that he was given the nickname of “Ian Macabre.” The novel itself is potent and impressive considering its brevity. I think the film is equally impressive in its ability to bring the novel to the screen. There is one discernible difference between the source text and the film and it comes at the very end of the film. It is not a minor change, but also not one that I think most people will mind.

The film (like the book) is frank in its sexuality and the characters played by Rupert Everett and Natasha Richardson are often nude. This is not out of exploitation but actually to serve the realism of the film. When two lovers – even unhappy ones- go on vacation, are they not often nude in their hotel rooms? The two characters share some fantasy talk with one another that also might put people on edge, but it is lifted directly from the novel. The film does feature one sex scene which lasts for a couple moments. The film is more unsettling once it explores the relationship dynamics of Robert and Caroline, but that sequence does not call for any nudity or sexual talk – just words. 

The acting in the film by the four lead actors is strong across the board. Rupert Everett is well cast as Colin. Natasha Richardson had worked with Paul Schrader before on Patty Hearst and she handles the role of Mary with ease. Helen Mirren is perfectly cast in the role of Caroline. I don’t think it would be possible to find a better person for that role. That said, the film belongs to Christopher Walken. Walken is a fantastic actor, especially when cast in an eccentric role, and he really sinks his teeth into the role of Robert. He nails down the perfect combination of friendliness and menace that is needed for the part. It is also worth noting that the score by the legendary Angelo Badalamenti is beautiful and compliments the film extremely well.

Overall – The Comfort of Strangers is a moody and atmospheric piece that will not please everyone who watches it. It’s a perfectly realized literary adaptation, but the source material was not meant to please everyone either. Paul Schrader does an exceptional job of bringing the book and Venice onto celluloid.

Video

Criterion have released The Comfort of Strangers with a new pristine 4K digital transfer supervised by cinematographer Dante Spinotti and approved by Director Paul Schrader. The transfer looks remarkable. Spinotti explained in the special features that they attempted to shoot architecture in Venice that was more inspired by the Turks than the Italians. They also shot the film on a higher grade film stock of Super 35MM in order to capture more detail. The decision to film in wide shots but intentionally keep the rooftops out of shots to box characters in lends an interesting look and style to the film. It really encapsulates Venice. The transfer is presented in the preferred aspect ratio of 1.67:1 instead of 1.85:1. I am not entirely sure why this decision was made, but I can say that the film looks fantastic on this format. Fine detail is excellent and a very fine grain hangs over the picture lending a very filmic look. 

Audio

Criterion Collection have provided a very well done LPCM Mono track for the film. The score by iconic composer Angelo Badalamenti is beautiful. Paul Schrader had instructed Badalamenti to make the motifs Middle Eastern in nature to fit the architecture that they were filming. The results are fantastic. This is mainly a dialogue driven affair and dialogue is crystal clear. The film has never sounded better.

Supplements:

• Paul Schrader – in this new interview filmed in 2020, Director Paul Schrader discusses in detail the production process of the film, his recollections of working with Harold Pinter and the actors, and the thematic elements that they pursued with the film. It’s a fantastic piece. Fascinating.
• Christopher Walken – in this new interview, Christopher Walken discusses working on the film. This is an enjoyable interview but it is so brief that it feels a little slight.
• Natasha Richardson – an archival interview with Natasha Richardson which conducted by the American Film Institute in 2001. She has sadly passed away since this interview, so it was nice to hear her memories of working on the film and her discussion of the processes of Paul Schrader.
• Dante Spinotti – I love interviews with cinematographers and this one does not disappoint. In this interview filmed in 2020, cinematographer Dante Spinotti discusses what informed his decision making process for filming The Comfort of Strangers. It is a beautifully shot film, so it was interesting to hear how they filmed it on Super 35mm to grab more detail, and focused on wide shots that typically did not show rooftops or ceilings. 
• Bill Pankow – Editor Bill Pankow, who also worked on numerous films for Brian De Palma, discusses working on The Comfort of Strangers in this new interview.
• Ian McEwan – an archival episode of The South Bank Show where Ian McEwan is interviewed. I love watching authors describe their writing process and this did not fail to grab my interest.
• Trailers

Overall Scores:

Video – 5/5 

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4.5/5

The Comfort of Strangers is a strange film that is likely to entrance as many viewers as it repels. It is an atmospheric film with macabre sensibilities. The film is likely to disturb some, but that is the intended effect. I read the novel by Ian McEwan prior to watching the film, and I can certify that the film is a pitch perfect adaptation of the material. The screenplay by playwright Harold Pinter does an excellent job of bringing to life the most memorable moments of the novel. I saw some reviews that called the film pretentious, and my guess would be that they did not read the novel or they would have had similar disparaging thoughts about it. Paul Schrader capably directs the film with excellent cinematography by Dante Spinotti. The four central performances are excellent, but it is safe to say that the film is dominated by the screen presence of Christopher Walken. The film has a fair amount of nudity and one sex scene that lasts for a couple moments, but it all serves the plot and makes the characters feel more realistic. Fans of the novel will be very happy to see how well the film was transported to the screen. Criterion Collection’s new Blu-ray release features some excellent supplemental materials, a perfect 4K video transfer, and solid audio. Recommended.