Ekstase
March 2, 2011
You would think by reputation that there were only one or two scenes in this film, but it is the subtle complexities of the rest that I found intriguing. Promiscuity in female characters is usually played as character flaw in service of an Aesopian tale or applies morality judgments on her behavior, but the cautionary elements are minimal here and the film does not rob Hedy Lamarr of her natural femininity. The film doesn’t judge these characters at all (save for the prudish and bourgeoisie ex-husband). The real subversives are society and the way we will allow carnal desires that are intrinsic in the human condition, but only through the prescribed methods dictated by societal norms and propriety. I can’t watch the film with eyes bound by the same ethical standards of the time of its release, but I’m sure their interpretation was far different and they couldn’t tell that the film was actually passing judgment on the observer and not the morality or natural sexual desires of our couple.
The photography was beautiful and the sexuality was played with a commitment to the human condition. Lamarr was not a hedonistic floosy, but a woman with realistic conflicts and desires that were soft and feminine with a primal undercurrent. The passion was underplayed but palpable and lent dynamism to the film’s portrayal of female sexuality. She doesn’t have sex because of flawed morality nor does she flippantly succumb to the advances of the young attractive worker. No one is taken advantage of and both lovers get to hold their heads up. As she is seduced, Lamarr seems to allow her body to react honestly. There is a soft reluctant parting of the lips and hastening of the breath as beads of sweat dot her body. She surrenders herself to sublime ecstasy and her facial expressions are unrelenting in their unmitigated eroticism. There doesn’t have to be any nudity because the real portal to the undercurrent of primal carnality is in the eyes.
Scenes of workers with suggestive imagery of their tools penetrating the ground and spraying the earth hint at a commentary on class division with obvious preference to the workers struggle. Knowing the political climate of Eastern Europe in the early 20th century lends credence to the theory that the film is a parable for class division and an assessment of the values of the bourgeoisie versus those of the workers. Be wary of devoting too much time meticulously maintaining your appearances for the sake of social conformity. Remember that sex is supposed to be the last avenue of untainted human connection. If you dehumanize it too much a person that doesn’t deny their most raw and pure instincts may just steal your wife.
