"The Damned" *** 1\2 (out of ****)Rarely has decadence looked so good. Here is a film which submerges itself in themes consisting of murder, lust, greed, pedophilia, incest and the worst of all activities; politics.
"The Damned" (1969) was directed by the great Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti. It is one of the few films I can think of which Visconti directed which has absolutely no likable characters. Every character engages in despicable acts. There is not one character we can relate to.
The film takes place in Nazi Germany (many consider this the first part of Visconti's "German trilogy") and presents Germany as a cesspool for incest, homosexuality and pedophilia. The first image we see during the credits is of a steel factory, where we see fire and lava. It looks as if we are in Hell, which is fitting for a film called "The Damned". Are we about to witness Hell on Earth?
The film revolves around the Essenbeck family and their steel factory. The film starts off with a birthday party for Joachim Essenbeck (Albrecht Schoenhals), the owner of the factory. Everyone gathers for the joyous occassion but already the wheels are in motion for deception. Many of Joachim's relatives and colleages want to take control of the factory. They are all driven by a thirst for power. The people include; Konstantin Essenbeck (Reinhard Kolldehoff), an unabashed Nazi supporter, Spohie von Essenbeck (Ingrid Thulin), her son, Martin (Helmut Berger), Herbert Thallman (Umberto Orsini) and his wife, Elizabeth (Charlotte Rampling), unabashed Communist, and Frederick Bruckman (Dirk Bogarde), Sophie's lover.
The happy celebration coincides with the Reichstag Fire. Immediately the family finds out the Nazis have captured those responsible. With the political environment rapidly changing in Germany, Joachim makes an import decision. Since it is apparent Hitler and the National Socialist are to be the dominate power, Joachim must protect his steel factory, which he prides above all else. It would be in the factories best interest if Konstantin become the new vice-president, replacing Herbert. With this news now each characters plan for power begins. Frederick wants to become president. In order for that to happen, first of all Joachim must die and the next in line, Martin must appoint Frederick the new head above Konstantin. But when will Joachim die and how do you get Martin to give Frederick control? The plan is simple. Murder Joachim and frame Herbert. Sophie, who has an incestuous relationship with Martin, has her ways to persuade him to agree to Frederick's demands. And this will lead us down the path to damnation.
Even though it was made 40 years ago "The Damned" can still stir emotions. It is a controversial film. Some of the most troublesome images may be of Martin pedophile addiction. Visconti doesn't leave much to the imagination. We see Martin's preying eyes hunting these young girls down. He caresses them and gently kisses them. Visconti's camera never breaks away. Or disturbing moments are the incest scenes. French filmmaker Louis Malle once made a film about incest between a mother and son, "Murmur of the Heart" (1972). Despite the topic, it is actually, in its own way, a charming film. Compared to "The Damned" however, it looks like Sesame Street.
The film probably has the best cast Visconti ever assembled. It might be at times hard to believe this international all-star are all Germans, especially since the film was released in English, still everyone does a remarkable job. Each actor is given a chance to shine. But with so many characters many times it feels as if certain characters are lost in the shuffle as we don't see them for huge chunks of the story. You wish there was more screen time for them.
Those that come out looking the best are Ingrid Thulin, best known for her work with Ingmar Bergman and his films "Cries & Whispers" (1973), "Hour of the Wolf" (1968) and "After the Rehearsal" (1984). Visconti really accentuates her beauty having the camera many times linger on her. Bogarde has some very powerful moments as an almost MacBeth type of character. He is largely viewed as a weak man. He doesn't have the guts to make tough decisions. It is Sophie who must do it for him. Charlotte Rampling looks absolutely stunning. What a beauty she was at one time. And even today she still manages to give wonderful performances. She and Bogarde would even work together again in the masterpiece "The Night Porter" (1974).
I've written before about the great Visconti. I included his final film "The Innocent" (1976) in my "Masterpiece Film Series" and wrote about his film "Sandra" (1965). Visconti is one of my favorite filmmakers. I often find not enough people are familiar with his work. When some think of Italian cinema Federico Fellini comes to mind or perhaps Bernardo Bertolucci or Rosselini but rarely do I ever hear Visconti mentioned. He was at one time an important figure in Italian cinema. It was he who made the first neo-realism film "Ossessione" (1943), an adaptation of "The Postman Always Rings Twice".
Visconti was someone who didn't have to make films to earn a living. In fact, he didn't have to do anything to make a living. He was born into aristocracy. His father was the Duke of Grazzano. But it became clear Visconti had developed a love for the arts. Visconti's first films were in the neo-realism tradition. But after the movement came to an end in the 1950s, Visconti started shifting styles. By the 1960s he was venturing off into sexuality. In my review for "Sandra" I said he was the wrong director for it. The film should have been more erotic given the subject matter. That wasn't his strong suite. His films also started to become much more lavish. They were really eye candy. They had an operatic nature in tone. "The Damned" is a culmination of all these things. When I first saw this film I reviewed it on amazon and compared it to the TV show "Dynasty". And in some ways it is like a soap opera.
After viewing the film again I now find it to be a stronger picture. It is one of Visconti's very best. It even managed to earn an Oscar nomination for its screenplay, which was written by Visconti and frequent collaborators Nicola Badalucco and Enrico Medioli. Sadly it was the only nomination Visconti would ever receive. The Academy hasn't even had the decency to award him an honorary award.
I wouldn't recommend this as your first film into Visconti's library, only because it isn't one of his more "typical" films. But it is a strong film. It may be too demanding for some viewers due to the themes and some moments of violence, but the film is gripping and fascinating. Film buffs should make every attempt to see it. One can see how this film would have inspired the play and film "Cabaret" (1972).
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