Cul-de-sac
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Written by: Roman Polanski and Gérard Brach
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Françoise Dorléac, Lionel Stander

Roman Polanski’s darkly goofy Cul-de-sac is a defining moment in the filmmaker’s career, dropping a style gauntlet that would shape his future filmography and define the term ‘Polanski-esque’. He twists comedy and suspense into a fresh, thrilling, and manic cinematic experience that proves one thing; tough willed men eat eggs raw and weak willed men boil them.

The film opens with a man pushing a car through rising waters, his arm in a sling. His bookish looking partner sits in the passenger side wincing in pain. His gut was shot out in what we assume was a botched robbery (maybe an influence on Reservoir Dogs?) Richard, the burlier of the two (played brilliantly by Lionel Stander, who kids of the 80’s might recognize as the voice of Kup in Transformers: The Movie (among MANY other things)) looks for help and comes across a gothic castle on a hilltop. After raiding a chicken hen for some raw eggs (this guy is a fox!), he enters the estate and calls his boss, requesting to be bailed out. The residents of the massive piece of property, George (played BRILLIANTLY by a particularly animated Donald Pleasance) and Teresa (Françoise Dorléac), investigate the sounds emanating from downstairs and come across the gangster standing in their kitchen. From here, the three engage in a psychological battle that seems to place George at the receiving end of an array of emasculating and humiliating attacks from both his wife and their unwelcome visitor. They rescue Richard’s wounded partner from his now flooded vehicle (an almost surreal piece of imagery) and bring him back to the house, which is located on a tidal island with a road that floods regularly. Richard makes himself at home and awaits the arrival of his boss.

The film could be an early example of a home invasion film; a sub-genre that would go on to include movies like Straw Dogs, Funny Games, and The Strangers. While Richard and his dying partner definitely take the role of the invading threat, they all find their hostage situation interrupted by an unexpected housewarming visit from a group of George’s friends and their troublemaking brat of a kid. It’s here that the film is at it’s most comedic, suggesting the unexpected social engagement might be exponentially more horrifying than being held against your will by a gun wielding gangster (who acts the role of house servant in the presence of the guests). Oddly, I was reminded a bit of Beetlejuice, which is also a sort of bizarre example of a home invasion comedy. Interestingly, Lionel Stander’s intimidating gangster is at times likeable and could arguably pass as the protagonist of the film, much like Beetlejuice. Wait…nobody can leave the house during the tidal flood…just like the characters who can’t leave the house due to sandworms IN BEETLEJUICE!! I think I’m on to something. Regarding the characters; I’d say all three of them are flawed in one way or another, passing along the role of protagonist like a baton in a relay race. George is weak and a little pitiful, Teresa continually emasculates him — right down to dressing him up in her nighty and putting make up on him — and is having an affair, while Richard is…well, a criminal. Watching these three play psychological twister is a ton of fun and Polanski manages to do it with a good amount of humour, some serious thrills, and a fair bit of style.

Speaking of style, Cul-de-sac looks pretty great on blu ray and is only limited by the size of the production and the cinematographer’s style. The black and white photography feels natural and the picture is pretty clean for the most part, but I did notice some slight banding occasionally in the grey skies. Also, this is more of a comment on style but cinematographer Gilbert Taylor goes pretty crazy with the graduated filters (Anyone familiar with the films of Tony Scott, Ridley Scott, and Michael Bay should be pretty familiar with this effect.) Typically this is reserved for vista shots to add some colour to a sky, and the same can be said for Cul-de-sac (used not for colour, but to add darkness to the sky (to great effect!)). However, when the camera is moved, the effect can become distracting as you notice a clearly defined line in the middle of the screen (Taylor even uses this effect indoors, inexplicably). That aside, the film looks great! As for extra features, you’ve got a documentary on the making of the film (originally produced by Blue Underground), a 1967 television interview with Polanski and the theatrical trailer. Not a ton of supplemental materials, but still a great release that would otherwise never get the boutique treatment that Criterion is willing to provide. Definitely a buy. — Jay C.

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