A Dangerous Method (2011)
Country: GB/GER/CAN/SW
Technical: col 99m
Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen
Synopsis:
During the early years of the twentieth century Carl Jung is a noted exponent of Freud's still theoretical 'talking cure' and a friendship forms between the Swiss Protestant and the Austrian Jew that only comes under threat when Jung begins an intimate relationship with his breakthrough patient, a sexual masochist, now herself a student of psychoanalysis.
Review:
A wordy drama that betrays its theatrical origins (actually a book before that), though what marks it out with typical Cronenbergian irony is that it is not a straightforward case history, that is it is not altogether clear whose head we are shrinking, so to speak. There is some comment, on the one hand, directed against Freud's sexuality-biased system of diagnosis, while on the other he appears in many ways the most grounded and rational of the two men, if we discount his self-importance that is. At the same time Jung is clearly directing his efforts laudably towards curing rather than simply naming, which leads him into areas of disrepute such as telepathy and parapsychology ostensibly borne out by his own premonitory dreams and experiences. And then there is the catalyst, Spielrein, who is drawn to Jung's idealism but appears to espouse Freud's ideas more. It all makes for an uncommonly cerebral brew, with a touch of spanking thrown in, as if to remind us that this is the work of the director of Crash. The locations are a treat, always bathed in splendiforous sunshine, and the performances are poised and beyond reproach (Knightley moves between jutting her chin out and looking devastingly beautiful while sporting a mostly impressive Slavic accent). On the soundtrack bits of Howard Shore-processed Wagner point up the hubris in the story, as well as its transgressive sexuality.
Country: GB/GER/CAN/SW
Technical: col 99m
Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen
Synopsis:
During the early years of the twentieth century Carl Jung is a noted exponent of Freud's still theoretical 'talking cure' and a friendship forms between the Swiss Protestant and the Austrian Jew that only comes under threat when Jung begins an intimate relationship with his breakthrough patient, a sexual masochist, now herself a student of psychoanalysis.
Review:
A wordy drama that betrays its theatrical origins (actually a book before that), though what marks it out with typical Cronenbergian irony is that it is not a straightforward case history, that is it is not altogether clear whose head we are shrinking, so to speak. There is some comment, on the one hand, directed against Freud's sexuality-biased system of diagnosis, while on the other he appears in many ways the most grounded and rational of the two men, if we discount his self-importance that is. At the same time Jung is clearly directing his efforts laudably towards curing rather than simply naming, which leads him into areas of disrepute such as telepathy and parapsychology ostensibly borne out by his own premonitory dreams and experiences. And then there is the catalyst, Spielrein, who is drawn to Jung's idealism but appears to espouse Freud's ideas more. It all makes for an uncommonly cerebral brew, with a touch of spanking thrown in, as if to remind us that this is the work of the director of Crash. The locations are a treat, always bathed in splendiforous sunshine, and the performances are poised and beyond reproach (Knightley moves between jutting her chin out and looking devastingly beautiful while sporting a mostly impressive Slavic accent). On the soundtrack bits of Howard Shore-processed Wagner point up the hubris in the story, as well as its transgressive sexuality.
Country: GB/GER/CAN/SW
Technical: col 99m
Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen
Synopsis:
During the early years of the twentieth century Carl Jung is a noted exponent of Freud's still theoretical 'talking cure' and a friendship forms between the Swiss Protestant and the Austrian Jew that only comes under threat when Jung begins an intimate relationship with his breakthrough patient, a sexual masochist, now herself a student of psychoanalysis.
Review:
A wordy drama that betrays its theatrical origins (actually a book before that), though what marks it out with typical Cronenbergian irony is that it is not a straightforward case history, that is it is not altogether clear whose head we are shrinking, so to speak. There is some comment, on the one hand, directed against Freud's sexuality-biased system of diagnosis, while on the other he appears in many ways the most grounded and rational of the two men, if we discount his self-importance that is. At the same time Jung is clearly directing his efforts laudably towards curing rather than simply naming, which leads him into areas of disrepute such as telepathy and parapsychology ostensibly borne out by his own premonitory dreams and experiences. And then there is the catalyst, Spielrein, who is drawn to Jung's idealism but appears to espouse Freud's ideas more. It all makes for an uncommonly cerebral brew, with a touch of spanking thrown in, as if to remind us that this is the work of the director of Crash. The locations are a treat, always bathed in splendiforous sunshine, and the performances are poised and beyond reproach (Knightley moves between jutting her chin out and looking devastingly beautiful while sporting a mostly impressive Slavic accent). On the soundtrack bits of Howard Shore-processed Wagner point up the hubris in the story, as well as its transgressive sexuality.