Final Unity; Bleak Vision

Looked at this way, we can see how Wertmuller's tragedy (of the betrayal of ideals) fits together with her black comedy. The latter sees in both films the protangonist staggering ludicrously under the weight of a dead body (in Seven Beauties, chopped up and in three suitcases sniffed at by dogs), and it's a telling image.

In this director's world, the spirit and the flesh are both willing, but also both fatally weak. The way to survive is not to take on responsibilities, or be idealistic but abandon these weights: to be like [unclear: pr] lino in Seven Beauties and forget [unclear: yo] ciples; or to be like most of the [unclear: pro] in Love and Anarchy and accept [unclear: wi] scruple (unfortunate word!) or [unclear: thog] new customer or regime that comes [unclear: a] But then, the films ask, what have [unclear: yo] vived for? On the other hand, if [unclear: you] for what you believe in, isn't that [unclear: jus] meaningless, ultimately?

In Love and Anarchy, [unclear: monuments] past overshadow the characters and [unclear: i] themselves on the action, and the [unclear: en]ment we often see the conspirators [unclear: in] sists of rigid geometrical forms, [unclear: lines] point at them and fence them in. [unclear: In] instances they are usually seen [unclear: from] tance, small and insignificant. Who [unclear: c] fight against such overwhelming [unclear: forc] What's the use of resistance anyway?

The film's final image is of pure [unclear: ge] try, the corner of the prison cell, [unclear: com] unchanged by the life or death of [unclear: thi] cular anarchist, or any that came [unclear: bef] Order prevails. So what's better, [unclear: to] and die, or to lose out and live? [unclear: Bott] very black indeed.

Pretty grim stuff to come from [unclear: on] the funniest, most uproarious films [unclear: to] the city in a long time.

Paul Hagan