Creezy (La Race Des “Seigneurs”)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C- Film: B-
A
politician’s certain life (Alain Delon) and success with power becomes
challenged by his involvement with a young model (Sydne Rome) who also lands up
posing for Oui! Magazine in Pierre
Granier-Deferre’s Creezy. The thing is, this takes place in 1973 and
the man is married, so there is a tension that existed then that would not be
so shocking now. What could have been a
lame Melodrama instead turns out to be a smart, mature drama that is
interesting to watch throughout.
Before
things get heated up, he consults an old friend (Jeanne Moreau, playing older
than she was at the time) who tries to advise him wisely, but his desire for
what is a very sexual woman cannot seem to be countermanded by common
sense. It also indicates that the man
who has everything is still not happy and even suffocated by his life, one of
public service that has become banal to him.
The
letterboxed 1.66 X 1 image is slightly windowboxed due to slivers of black on
the sides on the frame, shot by cinematographer Walter Wottitz, who captures
the subtlety of the wealth and glamour of the upper class world the character
inhabit. The presentation has some color
consistence and is from a good print, but it softer than usual throughout as
well. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono fares a
bit better, no matter what the language and also features an interesting score
by Philippe Sarde. This is a simple and
effective sound design. The only extras
include biography information on Granier-Deferre, Delon, Rome, and Moreau and the original
French theatrical trailer.
It also
says something good about the French film industry that as the French New Wave
came to an end, they could turn out a film like this on the great, rich talent
available that no cinema today can seem to come up with. As I sat watching, I was reminded in a new
way how good and good a range of all kinds of films were getting made into the
early 1980s because of the pride of those making their films. Creezy
is testament to maturity lost and is worth a look.
- Nicholas Sheffo
