{"id":30671,"date":"2024-07-13T10:39:17","date_gmt":"2024-07-13T09:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/?p=30671"},"modified":"2024-07-13T10:39:17","modified_gmt":"2024-07-13T09:39:17","slug":"diary-of-forbidden-fantasies-sensual-surrealismin-polanskis-che","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/diary-of-forbidden-fantasies-sensual-surrealismin-polanskis-che\/","title":{"rendered":"Diary of Forbidden Fantasies: Sensual Surrealismin Polanski\u2019s Che?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Still from Che?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Che?<\/span><\/span> is one of the most controversial and lesser-known films in Roman Polanski<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s repertoire. Unlike his more structured works, both early and late<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>which often draw from literary sources, <\/span><\/span>Che?<\/span><\/span> was created without a script, relying heavily on the actors<\/span><\/span>\u2019 <\/span><\/span>improvisations. In the United States, <\/span><\/span>it saw<\/span><\/span> a limited release <\/span><\/span>a <\/span><\/span>year after its creation, while in Poland, the Polanski<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s homeland, it was <\/span><\/span>never<\/span><\/span>shown. On various databases, <\/span><\/span>its<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>audience<\/span><\/span> rating rarely exceeds <\/span><\/span>six<\/span><\/span> stars out of ten. According to <\/span><\/span>a <\/span><\/span>legend, the film was initially titled <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Diary of Forbidden Fantasies,<\/span><\/span>\u201d <\/span><\/span>and the puzzled exclamation <\/span><\/span>\u2018<\/span><\/span>Che?!<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>was<\/span><\/span> producer Carlo Ponti<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>reaction upon first viewing the edit.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Still from Che?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The metaphor of freedom permeates the narrative, reflecting in the characters<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>behavior<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>, morals, and relationships. In many ways, the film explores territories <\/span><\/span>of nonsense <\/span><\/span>mastered by Bu<\/span><\/span>\u00f1<\/span><\/span>uel, Fellini, and <\/span><\/span>\u0160<\/span><\/span>vankmajer, <\/span><\/span>and<\/span><\/span> often ventures beyond their boundaries. The<\/span><\/span> film<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>characters are driven <\/span><\/span>by<\/span><\/span> carnal desires, <\/span><\/span>with<\/span><\/span>the heroine<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s liaison occurring with Coco, <\/span><\/span>p<\/span><\/span>ortrayed by Marcello Mastroianni with an expression of world-weariness, a symbol of Euro-decadence<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>He <\/span><\/span>immediately proposes <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>doing something together<\/span><\/span>\u201d <\/span><\/span>and invites Nancy to his abode, where engages her in bizarre role-playing games, draping himself in a tiger skin and demanding to be <\/span><\/span>whipped<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Still from Che?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I<\/span><\/span>n the film<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>t<\/span><\/span>he boundary between fantasy and reality is hopelessly blurred; it is an endless grotesque<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>a celebration of absurdity <\/span><\/span>set<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>in the locale<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>one<\/span><\/span> wish<\/span><\/span>es<\/span><\/span> to see <\/span><\/span>in <\/span><\/span>every other Italian film. It feels as though the director, accompanied<\/span><\/span> by<\/span><\/span> a camera and a merry <\/span><\/span>band<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>ventured<\/span><\/span> on vacation and decided to <\/span><\/span>amuse<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>himself<\/span><\/span> by filming a surreal opus. <\/span><\/span>M<\/span><\/span>ost likely that’s exactly how it was<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>Polanski<\/span><\/span>, known for overspending budgets, made the film cheaply<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>complet<\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span> shooting ahead of schedule.<\/span><\/span> \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The film has faced criticism for its fragmented plot<\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span>perceived triviality, accused of failing to convey significant meaning. <\/span><\/span>B<\/span><\/span>ut what coherence can one expect from a dream? Critics argue that Polanski projected a collection of his personal fetishes <\/span><\/span>on<\/span><\/span>to the screen, yet these fetishes are equally a byproduct of the collective unconscious of the 60s and 70s.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Still from Che?<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span><\/span>ith his <\/span><\/span>obsession<\/span><\/span> for bohemian life, Polanski uses visual language to distort its accompanying attributes: the allure <\/span><\/span>of<\/span><\/span> contemporary art, the availability of excesses, <\/span><\/span>an <\/span><\/span>insatiable thirst for power, and experiments with perversions<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>the pernicious games of aestheticizing elites. It is interesting to consider <\/span><\/span>Che?<\/span><\/span> as Polanski<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> break with hippie culture, revealing that even in a world of free love, coarseness and falseness can manifest.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>In the film<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>finale, at the <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>mad tea party,<\/span><\/span>\u201d <\/span><\/span>the nearly naked heroine <\/span><\/span>is <\/span><\/span>bewildered by the hush-hush mockery of others. Her feminine curiosity and naivety become too easy a prey for mediocrity and idleness<\/span><\/span> that<\/span><\/span> ripe<\/span><\/span>n<\/span><\/span> into <\/span><\/span>violence<\/span><\/span>. Nancy manages to escape once more<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>an escape that hardly resembles an expulsion from paradise.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Che?<\/span><\/span> is a dream that holds meaning only for the dreamer, yet it evokes a fetishistic interest in those who hear its retelling. Polanski<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s <\/span><\/span>jeu d<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>E<\/span><\/span>sprit<\/span><\/span> is<\/span><\/span> a frivolous artifact and perverse amusement, whose rules should not be taken too seriously.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a dark and sultry Italian night, an American tourist Nancy (Sydne Rome), hitchhiking,narrowly escapes a sexual assault and stumbles upon an unruly private villa. What follows is reminiscent of a Lewis Carroll scenario, yet the Mad Hatter is reimagined as a retired pimp, and the motley company comprises Nietzsche-loving nudists, a freakish priest, a group of degenerating youths, and a demented owner whose death is eagerly anticipated by the eccentric residents. The appearance of the stranger does not surprise anyone; her sexuality, too obvious and deliberate, becomes a magnet for passion, envy, and mockery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":30672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"type_post":[184],"column":[],"class_list":["post-30671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30671"},{"taxonomy":"type_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_post?post=30671"},{"taxonomy":"column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column?post=30671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}