princess_lilmisspiggy It's wonderful to see a film that knows exactly what it wants to be with no pretensions towards greatness. VENUS IN FUR is pure adult entertainment that takes total pleasure in the magnificence of acting. Emmanuelle Seigner is so delicious, loopy, sexy, funny, mean that it hurts (pun intended). Although created for the New York stage, director Roman Polanski totally inserts himself into the action via actor Mathieu Amalric who once again delivers a wonderful screen performance to match Seigner's. The play attempts to take on more than it can chew at the end as the explanations fly but actually the film is much better than that. The point is clear. No explanation needed. It is all overt enough. There is no real depth to VENUS IN FUR, it's about the magic of acting and the world we create around ourselves.

Clare Quilty In San Francisco I got to see "Venus in Fur" about two months before the film came out. The play blew us all away and we were sorry it was the last night it ran at A.C.T. because we'd have gone again. David Ives managed to update and serve the original material (an obsessive and vital Victorian novel that gave a name to sadomasochism) while making us laugh and then surprising us with a final, fatal twist.I really looked forward to the movie. After all, it was Polanski! I wish I could say something good about it, but I couldn't remember it the next day. Even the performances evaporated. I do remember waiting for them to heat up and get good, and I remember about 30 minutes into the movie realizing this was as good as they were going to get. The sexy power play on stage was like bad sex on the screen; it just laid there, too "kewel" to rise to the occasion.

Prashun Chakraborty Roman Polanski is a controversial figure in the world of cinema, many people boycott everything associated with him because of the infamous rape incident but I have always been able to look past it though not condone it simply because his films are too damn good (yes even the newer ones). Venus in fur is the most unique Polanski film I have ever seen when it comes to the nature of the film, all the shooting takes place in a single set and the film derives all it's complexity through dialogues between the only two people starring in the film. The film's protagonist Thomas is holding auditions for his lead actress in his adaptation of the renowned 19th century erotic play Venus in fur. The whole day was a disappointment until Vanda shows up who not only shares the same name as the female lead of the play but also has her fiery attitude. During the audition and rehearsing of the lines between Thomas and Vanda, reality starts to blur and viewer is constantly questioning what part is the play and what is not. This film is adult in it's truest nature, there is a not only a lot of S&M and sex talk but how it influences one's psychology and perception of the opposite sex. There are also some feminist angles here along with some mysticism, this film is all over the place with just one set, I found it very intriguing. Polanski at 80 plus years of age doesn't shy away from an extremely erotic film which would leave a lot of people red in cheeks, this what made me a fan of him because he doesn't compromise his artistic integrity, shame it got no academy award nominations.

MisterWhiplash Venus in Fur, adapted from a play that couldn't be more made for a play originally than if it was just actors reading from a script (no wait, they do that here, don't they) is, frankly, good but minor Polanski. It's never less than entertaining, and it has engaging performances by the director'ss surrogate Matthieu Almaric (seriously, doesn't he look like him more than a bit?) and his wife, who is so incredibly spot-on at being seductive and crazy and smart as a whip and ahead of the game, Emmanuelle Seigner.It also has an ending that is as unforgettably deranged as its brother movie ending from the director, The Tenant. And why is it minor? For me, it just felt kind of a shallow experience, not very deep, and the back and forth motions as to who is the Dom and who is the Sub (in sex but also power terms) moment to moment gets frustrating at times. And, yes, the cinematography of course is intense and this filmmaker is nothing if not a master of having a couple of people in a room and making it cinematic for an hour and a half and change. Perhaps it just reminds one of other, greater Polanski work a little too much.However, certainly for fans of high heels and silk stockings it's really something!