A Night of Love

This movie is a sort of a mess, but it did inspire one of the actors, Simon Callow, to write one of the best books on the process of filmmaking, "Shooting the Actor." His unhappy recollections are punctuated by comments by the movie's director, and the two have irreconcilable but instructive differences in discussing what actually happened on the set.

So if obstreperous Balkan humor about sex and politics is your bag, this movie is as good as any other, but read Callow's book along with it, and you'll thank your lucky stars your fantasy of becoming a movie actor never came true.

I recently attended a film festival here in Reykjavik to see two of Makavejev's films (Sweet Movie and Mysteries of an Organism, both from the 1970s), with Makavejev attending as the guest, answering questions and making comments as appropriate. I had completely forgotten that he directed this film and when I decided to do more research about his films, seeing as how the two I saw at the festival were dark, deeply symbolic, filled with perversity and obscenity (more to make a point than to be perverse and obscene for the sake of either quality). A Night of Love is a much more straightforward departure from these very hazy pictures from the 1970s. A recurring theme for Makavejev, though, seems to be the urgent need for openness in sexuality. This film charmingly illustrates that need through vivid imagery and great performances from the actors involved. Gabrielle Anwar was positively adorable in this role.

In true Makavejev fashion, this movie looks like a lovely fluffly cake, but inside it is filled with bugs and bizarre things! There is a great deal of sex in this movie, and it all feels feverish and vital and right. See early film performances from Alfred Molina, Gabrielle Anwar, and Eric Stoltz. The plot is as wild as the costumes and scenery- apparently this was shot in what was Yugoslavia, and it is beautiful. Definitely worth a look, but not with the kids!