The Comfort of Strangers [Criterion Collection]

Director: Paul Schrader Paul Schrader

Overview

In this erotic thriller, a young English couple on vacation in Venice find themselves seduced by a mysterious older couple. Mary (Natasha Richardson) and Colin (Rupert Everett) have come to Italy to chart the future of their troubled relationship. They soon meet Robert (Christopher Walken), the enigmatic owner of a picturesque watering hole. He entertains them with copious vino and colorful stories of a childhood spent with a brutal, domineering father. Later, drunk and lost in the maze-like city, the couple once again encounter Robert, who puts them up at his gorgeous villa. They also meet his wife, Caroline (Helen Mirren), who suffers from crippling back pain and obvious emotional instability. Fascinated by the glamorous older couple but disturbed by their dysfunctions, Colin and Mary find themselves slowly drawn into sexual and emotional games that culminate in sudden violence. Directed by Paul Schrader, The Comfort of Strangers was adapted by playwright Harold Pinter from the novel by Ian McEwan. Richardson previously starred in Patty Hearst, Schrader's portrait of the newspaper heiress-turned-terrorist.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/18/2020
UPC:	0715515250412
Original Release:	1990
Rating:	R
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:44:00
Sales rank:	22,984

Special Features

New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Dante Spinotti and approved by director Paul Schrader New interviews with Spinotti, Schrader, actor Christopher Walken, and editor Bill Pankow Interviews from 1981 and 2001 with novelist Ian McEwan and actor Natasha Richardson Trailers SDH subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Christopher Walken	Robert
Rupert Everett	Colin
Natasha Richardson	Mary
Helen Mirren	Caroline
Manfredi Aliquo	Concierge
Rossana Caghiari	Maid
Fabrizio Castellani	Bar Manager
Mario Catone	Detective
David Ford	Waiter
Daniel Franco	Waiter
Giancarlo Previati	First Policeman
Antonio Serrano	Second Policeman
Fabrizio Sergenti Castellani	Bar Manager
Mary Selway	Actor
Angelo Badalamenti	Composer

Technical Credits

Harold Pinter

Paul Schrader	Director
Angelo Rizzoli	Producer
Mario Cotone	Executive Producer,Producer
Harold Pinter	Screenwriter
Angelo Rizzoli Jr.	Producer
Linda Reisman	Producer
Luca Anzellotti	Sound Effects,Sound Effects
James Beshears	Sound Effects
Marko A. Costanzo	Sound Effects

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- The Comfort of Strangers
1. Vation In Venice
2. A Terrible Story
3. After Hours
4. Robert
5. Bitten
6. In Love
7. No Uncertainty
8. Dissent At Dinner
9. Revitalized
10. Revelations
11. Teatime
12. Understanding
13. Questions

Menu

Disc #1 -- The Comfort of Strangers
   Play The Movie
   Chapters
   Supplements
      Paul Schrader
      Christopher Walken
      Natasha Richardson
      Dante Spinotti
      Bill Pankow
      Ian McEwan
      Trailers
   Subtitles
      Subtitles: Off
      Subtitles: On

Editorial Reviews

Like many of Paul Schrader's films, The Comfort of Strangers is a mournful examination of decaying innocence and sexual transgression. With the alien, old-world beauty of Venice providing both the picture-perfect backdrop and the grimy emotional context, the film wanders slowly off the beaten path and into danger. Rupert Everett is appropriately callow and Natasha Richardson fittingly naïve, their English tourist protagonists led inexorably astray by the depraved Eurotrash sophisticate played by Christopher Walken. Nailing screenwriter Harold Pinter's typically elliptical, repetitive dialogue, Walken exudes sinister charm without devolving into villainous schtick. Meanwhile, Helen Mirren plays his enigmatic wife with a mixture of masochistic passivity and morbid sex appeal; of the two, her character is the far more disturbing. Unfortunately, the film's sumptuous setting and Schrader's glassy sensuality don't always mesh well with the messy subject matter. Reserved and voyeuristic, the filmmaker is content to watch the characters play out their ugly little drama from a dreamy distance. Suggestive rather than elucidative, the film lacks the moral complexities that made the subsequent Light Sleeper one of Schrader's all-time best. Nevertheless, The Comfort of Strangers has enough fine performances and intriguing ideas to satisfy fans of the director's oeuvre and of psychological thrillers in general.

All Movie Guide - Brian J. Dillard