COURTING CONTROVERSY
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is no stranger to controversy. Over recent years a number of films have been met with cries of derision (though support too) from the public, the press and the local authorities. Here’s ten cinematic scandals. Words: Miles Fielder
O Amores Perros The brutal dog fighting scenes in what was dubbed the 'Mexican Pulp Fiction' almost resulted in a ban under UK animal protection laws. That. despite all such scenes being completely staged.
O Audition Film Festival goers didn't know whether to recommend their friends see this bizarre Japanese thriller or warn them away from it. This because of an extraOrdinarily harrowing tOrture sequence involving needles and diamond-dust coated cheese wire.
0 Battle Royale Even the Japanese government wanted this update of Lord of the Flies banned. and Japan isn't known for its squeamishness when it comes to screen violence. Perhaps instead the film's vision of a totalitarian state unable to curb teenage crime hit too close to home.
O Chopper Basing a very funny black comedy crime drama on the life of real criminal Brandon ‘Chopper' Read (he used to snip people's fingers oft with hedge cutters) was just wrong as far as many (notably the police) in
Italian model-turned-actress MONICA BELLUCCI is Keanu Reeves’ new Matrix partner in sci-fi blockbusters II and Ill, yet she’s most proud of a low—budget film which scandalised Cannes and is likely to do the same in Edinburgh. \‘Jortis: Richard Mowe
hen Monica Bellucci was impressionath vouthl‘ul she dreamed of Sophia Loren. (‘lattdia ('ardinale and Monica Vitti. She thought the}
were ‘ver_v Iti)‘stc‘t'iotts and glamorous. even when their
characters were poor and miserahle’. Bellucci. horn 33 )‘Cttt‘s ago in l’erugia. now has grahhcd her share ol‘ the mystery and the glamour. She modelled l'or [)olce & (iahhana. graced the covers ol‘ lz'l/r' and lire/iv. then moved to Paris to pursue her lilm career. She lives with Vincent (‘asseL one ol‘ l-‘rance's hottest acting talents. with whom she created a tidal wave ol cotttt'o\'ct's_\' along the (‘roisette at this _\'ettt"s (‘annes liilm Festival in ll'l’l'l'(‘l'.\'l/)/(’. h_v directorial tttrk (iaspar Not“ (Sr'li/ ('(Ul/l?’ mus ).
With her arresting. dark c_\ es. porcelain complexion and hlack hair pulled hack from her lace somewhat severel_\'. Bellucci makes a striking impression. Words tttmhle ottt in a torrent of huskv linglish punctuated with a l'ew l‘rench and Italian phrases. She‘s rather hemused that most directors have seen her as a dark angel. ‘.\la_vhe the_v lantasisc ahout me in that wa_v.' she s;t}s. ‘\\'hat can _vou do‘.’ It’s hecattse l'm Italian and l have dark c_ves and hair. ’l‘hev alwavs ask me to do these dramatic roles. htit rarer coined}. But that‘s line for the moment. hecause I intend to have a long career. I'll have time to tr_v other things.~
()ne ol' those ’other things'. a lilm far removed from coined}. is ll‘l'(’l'('l‘.\l/)/(‘. lt divided hotlt audiences and critics in (‘annes last Ma). causing a huge commotion in the lirench media and carried an ol’licial warning on screening tickets. This is a journe} into the heart ol‘ darkness l‘or two men on a revenge mission. one shot in reverse chronological order (hence the title). It was. however. the nine—minute explicit rape sequence that caused most ol' the l‘ttrore.
'lt wasn't in the least pornographic or exploitative] sa_\s Bellucci. who passionatel} defends the lilm. ‘liver_vthing is revealed on our laces [hers and .lo l’restia who pla} s the ga) pimp who commits anal rape]. You do not see an_\thing: neither mv hreasts nor m_v sex. liverxthing is clear and
36 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE . . . :
just acting. That is w h_v I don‘t
clinical. which is wh_v it is so dillicult to watch. The camera was in one position. and we shot it tour titnes in one single take. and it was the last one that was used. When I see it on screen I can harer watch it.‘
It‘s .\la_v and Bellucci is talking in the grounds of a rose- colotired Riviera villa. tar l'rom the madness of the t‘estival. She has just flown in for a couple of tl;t}'s l‘rom llawaii w here she was acting with Bruce \\'illis in limit/v Rest-tic. :\.s l‘or lrrcvcrxi/r/t'. Bellucci made it in a rush last summer just hel‘ore she went oil to do the next two .llu/riv lilms with Keanu Reeves.
‘\’incent came home one evening. and said he had been contacted hv (iaspar. who wanted tis to collahorate on a lilm that would have pornographic content.’ s;t}'s Bellttcci. ’\'incent said that we weren’t interested. I was a hit annoved and told him he should get hack in touch with (iaspar and sa_v that we were interested in working together. So we met tip to discuss not the lirst idea. which was something in the stvle ol‘ In I/ic Rut/m oft/1c Senses |.\'agisa
()sltiltttt’s erotic classic in which ‘ I Everything
the SL‘X scenes were not liill'x'Ctll.
hut we talked ahottt brewpub/c. In thls
\\ e accepted. and we had a _ _ svnopsis oi l5 pages from which DUSII‘IESS '5 we had to improvise. What I liked
ahout (iaspar was that he was not
prepared to compromise. abOUt livervthing in this husiness is money, but usuallv ahout monev. httt when
_\otl do this kind ol‘ li'lttt it's to do
do this kind
with integrit} and creativity'
The candour ol‘ the bedroom sL‘L‘llC hetween BL‘llllL‘Cl Ltlttl ('assel caused her little angst. '()l’ course. we ttsed some aspects ol‘ our relationship. hill the rest was
do with
creativity’
of film it’s to
integrity and