[.ca] The Damned

From Amazon.com:
This brooding, operatic movie about Nazism makes Cabaret look like wholesome family fare. The family in The Damned is a symbol of German society circa 1934. The Krupp-like steel magnate Baron von Essenbeck represents the spineless establishment. The Nazis kill the baron, then frame one heir apparent, a socialist (married to the stunning Charlotte Rampling). A bearish, boorish Essenbeck representing the SA, the Nazis' early goon squad, takes the reins. But Hitler murdered the SA in the 1934 "Night of the Long Knives," providing The Damned with its bravura action scene, a Nazi massacre at a gay SA orgy. The winning Essenbeck is the murderous, pedophilic, transvestite, mother-rapist Martin (sharp-featured Helmut Berger), who represents Nazism. Though he's better in director Luchino Visconti's 1971 Death in Venice, Dirk Bogarde is classy as Martin's stepdad. The Damned got an Oscar screenplay nomination, and Vincent Canby called Berger's Martin "the performance of the year." --Tim Appelo

Yuck:
Wallowing around in all of the sensationalism is an interesting story--about how the German upper classes tried to use Hitler and wound up being used by him--and how a lucky few, particularly the Krupp family, lived to tell about it and keep getting rich . . . Unfortunately, this story gets lost because of two things--the Marxist viewpoint of the script, which sees Hitler as the natural product of capitalism (Hitler was the product of a lot of things, but he wasn't natural and whatever the numerous flaws of this particular economic system, it has yet to produce a fascist dictator is this country) and Visconti's determination to prove just how bad the Nazis were by piling on the perversions, never more so than in the character played by Helmut Berger, the cross-dressing, child-molesting, drug-abusing, mommy-loving Nazi. Apparently, just oppressing the entire German population, murdering six millions Jews, and starting World War II just wasn't wicked enough--to make sure we really hate the guy, he has to shoot up and wear nylons as well . . . Saddest of all, the film completely lacks the combination of epic sweep and intimate storytelling that characterizes Visconti's best films, such as SENSO and THE LEOPARD. It moves like lead, is lit like a campy horror film, and reduces one of the great evils of world history to camp. And that is a crime against art.

Mesmerizing:
I was quite young when The Damned was originally released, but remember the controversy when it played on television in the mid 70s. The DVD release was my first opportunity to see it, and I did so with apprehension. I have seen Pasolini's "Salo" and wished I hadn't, and I still don't have the nerve to watch an "Ilsa" movie, so I wasnt quite prepared for what turns out to be a lush and gorgeously photographed family psycho-drama. Its a difficult film to wrap around, I felt a lot of the dialogue was dull and mundane and on second viewing I had to watch it with the closed captioning on just so I could absorb the first half hour. Im not very familiar with Italian filmmaking styles but I can see the influence of this movie in Coppola's The Godfather, from the "look"* down to the story structure and pacing. Not understanding the historical significance of some of the background events, the burning of the Reichstadt and the night of the Long Knives, didnt make my first viewing any easier. But Ive watched it 4 times in the first month of release and I am very happy with the purchase of the DVD and feel I have received my entertainment dollars worth. Its a big fat scandalous family saga! *"the Look" of the damned is nothing short of beautiful: the clothes and fashions of early 1930s Europe, the oppulance of the Von Essenbeck's home, the use of the color red against sombre tones. Mesmerizing!

GREAT FILM - VERY BADLY PRODUCED DVD:
Oh, how disappointing! This is such a great movie and it deserves better treatment. As somebody already pointed out, the sound is aweful, but the compression as well is so low en. It just looks aweful! Shame!

Twilight of the Industrialists:
"The Damned" is an entertaining soap opera concerning the destruction of a German Industrial family during the early years of Hitler's consolidation of power. There are many very good performances in this movie such as Dirk Bogarde, Ingrid Thulin, Helmut Greim, Charlotte Rampling (seen in the recent Swimming Pool), and especially Helmut Berger who is evil personified as Martin Von Essenbeck. Luchino Visconti directs the movie with operatic opulence though there are a few sections in the movie that tends to slow to a crawl. Despite these moments, you will find yourself immersed in a compelling story. I have to agree with other reviewers who are critical of the sound, as I occasionally activated the subtitles to catch what was being said. Finally, regarding whether or not The Damned has in fact been edited to an R rating. I saw this movie in a theater when it was first released, and while I will concede that my memory may be flagging, I honestly do not recall any scene that has been trimmed. I believe that the X rating in 1969 is a reflection of the moral standards of the period. This movie includes issues of rape, pedophilia, and incest which were taboo in movies during this period. Think of the landmark X rated movies such as "Last Tango in Paris", and "I am Curious Yellow". In both cases, seen by today's rating standards, these two movies only warrant an R rating. I believe "The Damned" falls into the same category.

EXCELLENT ... DVD!:
I posted earlier in anticipation of this DVD and my expectations were far exceeded! Thank you Warner Bros! By now you've probably read the plot about a rich, decadent family's empire crumbling in sync with the rise of the Nazi party. This DVD is the ultimate way to experience the film! First off, this is indeed the UNCUT VERSION, don't let the R rating fool you. It runs 157 minutes (as compared to my old 147 minute VHS tape), and according to the MPAA ratings database, this uncut version was resubmitted this year and received an R rating (it was originally X-rated in 1969). Way to go WB DVD giving us this classic in all it's uncut, shocking glory! Also, the quality of the DVD is probably as good as it's going to get! No need to complain when we've got a widescreen uncut print on our hands, right? The movie is old so it's not going to look clean and crisp and new like a DVD of "Daddy Day Care" or "Gigli." I'm just glad it's out on DVD now and I hope that in this format the movie will now be discovered by people who haven't yet seen it. Maybe I'm hyping it up too much, and I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me and find the movie too boring, but it takes its time and after watching it, you look back and everything you've been exposed to in the film seems like an unsettling dream. That's entertainment!