``Frantic'' A Hitchcockian thriller in which a foreigner travels between the light and darkness of Paris.

Wandering the “Dark Side of Paris”

If `` Repulsion '' and `` The Tenant/The Man Who Borrowed Fear '' are ``stories in which the protagonist's mind is gradually enveloped in darkness,'' ``Frantic'' is ``a story in which the town in which it takes place is gradually enveloped in darkness.'' It can be said to be a story that continues to unfold.

At the beginning of the film, his wife Sandra hums Cole Porter's "I Love Paris" in the shower room of a luxury hotel. The view from the window is scenic, and the customer service is top-notch. There you will find the city of flowers, Paris, which every foreigner dreams of. However, when she suddenly disappears, this town takes a turn and begins to show its fangs against foreigners.

A reluctant hotel manager and head of security, a police officer who doesn't even try to hide his pretentious attitude, and a useless American embassy staff member. They just do the work according to the manual and do not even sympathize with their husband's suffering. Richard, feeling increasingly lonely and hopeless, races to rescue his wife all by himself, using the suitcase that was left behind as a clue. By wandering around the "Dark Side of Paris", a place never seen by tourists, including nightclubs where cocaine is sold and apartments littered with corpses, Richard gradually uncovers the truth. Getting closer.

The pilot of the dark city is Michel (Emmanuel Senier), The Mule. The strange partnership between the two is probably another highlight of this work. Unlike Richard, who is very clumsy and ruthless, Michelle is free-spirited and resourceful, and accelerates the story, which has been progressing in low gear, into high gear all at once.

"Frantic" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

An unforgettable scene is the nightclub scene where Michelle, dressed in a bright red dress, dances around like a petite cat, looking at Richard, who looks confused. The music playing at that moment is "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)" by Grace Jones. This song, a cover of Astor Piazzolla's "Libertango," is full of indescribable sensuality. If Sondra's song "I Love Paris" symbolizes "Paris of Light," "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)" is a number that symbolizes "Paris of Darkness." Harrison Ford's expression is a desperate resistance to the beckoning of darkness.

However, director Roman Polanski could not overcome the resistance. He fell in love with Emmanuel Seigner, and despite their 30-year age difference, they married. She has appeared as a muse in Polanski's films, including `` The Ninth Gate '' (1999) and `` Venus in Furs '' (13). The role she plays is always "a mysterious femme fatale who beckons to the darkness."

reference:

“Standard Film Art Hitchcock/Truffaut” François Truffaut/Koichi Yamada and Shigehiko Hasumi translation/1990/Shobunsha

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095174/

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine "POP MASTER".

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(c) Photofest / Getty Images