Reviewed by Robert Hull
Stars Marcello Mastroianni, Sydne Rome, Hugh Griffith, Guido Alberti, Gianfranco Piacentini,
Roman Polanski, Christiane Barry, Romolo Valli | Written by Gérard Brach & Roman Polanski
UK certification 18 | UK RRP £14.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 114 minutes | Directed by Roman Polanski
Folly = (definition) a whimsical or extravagant structure built to serve as a conversation piece. What? = a pretentious, self-indulgent mess of a movie that’s billed as a sexy, surreal comedy – but isn’t.
It’s irrefutable that Roman Polanski, as writer and director, has been involved in some of the most compelling and artistic movies served up to a cinema audience. Any auteur’s output that can include Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, Death and the Maiden, Frantic and The Pianist is to be admired and cherished. What? serves as a reminder that left unshackled even accomplished artists can deliver ponderous, patronising rubbish. You know something? – more often than not plot, story and careful characterisation are really necessary ingredients. Released, amid a degree of outrage at its ‘amoral’ tone, in 1972, What? can be seen as a version of Alice in Wonderland for a youth culture still reaping the rewards and dangers of sexual freedom and drug experimentation.
It’s a psychedelic whirl of a trip for Nancy (Sydne Rome), the innocent American abroad, who plunges into the perplexing world of a Mediterranean villa inhabited by pimps, priests and pianists. No one is her guide in this seedy, screwed-up vision of life, as she falls for the bizarre charms of Alex (Mastroianni – easily the best part of this incoherent ramble) the villa lothario and resident tease. It’s easy to use ‘arty’ as a word for criticising something that attempts to be different or adventurous, but it’s particularly relevant to use it as such for Polanski’s What?. Here, that criticism is for the self-indulgence rather than an attempt to deride a talented writer (in Gérard Brach), director or leading man. What? is a frustrating experience because a sharper focus could have delivered a more polished and rewarding experience, but then perhaps we need to allow our auteurs the odd off-road departure, in order for them to feel truly independent and creative.
EXTRAS *** Sydne in Wonderland is an entertaining recent interview with star Sydne Rome about her experiences shooting the movie, while Memories of a Young Pianist reveals the story behind the film’s musical score, and A Surreal Pop Movie is an informative chat with cinematographer Marcello Gatti.