Repulsion (1965)

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Roman Polanski (original screenplay) &
Gérard Brach (original screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 October 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror | Drama

Tagline:

From the Award-Winning "Knife In the Water"

Plot:

Left alone when her sister goes on vacation, a sexually repressed young beauty goes insane with surreal fantasies of seduction and rape.

Plot Keywords:

Hallucination | Rape | Seduction | Telephone | Banjo

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Catherine Deneuve	...	Carole
Ian Hendry	...	Michael
John Fraser	...	Colin
Yvonne Furneaux	...	Helen
Patrick Wymark	...	Landlord
Renee Houston	...	Miss Balch
Valerie Taylor	...	Madame Denise
James Villiers	...	John
Helen Fraser	...	Bridget
Hugh Futcher	...	Reggie
Monica Merlin	...	Mrs. Rendlesham
Imogen Graham	...	Manicurist
Mike Pratt	...	Workman

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1965) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (1993) (uncut) | Finland:K-18 (1965) (cut) | UK:15 (2004) | Hungary:16 | Iceland:16 | UK:15 (theatrical re-release) | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:M | Norway:16 (original rating) | Norway:18 (video rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1984) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Earl's Court, London, England, UK

Company:

Compton Films

Trivia:

The scene where Catherine Deneuve stumbles across the bridge and down the street was filmed at Hammersmith Bridge, London.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the scene right before the boyfriend is murdered, the old woman's dog can be seen panting, with its tongue hanging out - yet we hear barking.

Quotes:

Hélène Ledoux: Why did you throw Michael's things away?
Carole Ledoux: They don't belong there.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Something to Scream About (2003) (V)

Catherine Deneuve suffers from an industrial-strength case of sexual repression

In "Repulsion" the gorgeous Catherine Deneuve suffers from an industrial-strength case of sexual repression, coupled with a hefty dose of sibling rivalry which foists upon her a succession of rape fantasies and delusional hallucinations. Polanski's direction is unparalleled as he elicits a creepy terror through the use of some fairly unconventional special-effects. The subjective world created for the heroine is a series of dreams and visions of a decaying apartment and psycho-sexual fantasy and this is what the film seems to be about. The cracking walls are perhaps one of the most ingeniously horrifying special-effects in cinematic history. The lack of dialogue that runs throughout complements the restrained narrative design as the neurotic obsessions remain largely unexplained. But for better or for worse, I think better, Polanski's final frame settles on an image which cryptically resolves the entire enigma with a kind of devastating efficiency. All in all, one of the great films of the 1960s.