Customer Reviews

The Pornographer

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This film is certainly a mixed product. Some strenghts but more weaknesses.

A fifty year old pornograhic director comes out of retirement after many years of idleness supported by his architect wife. He tries to make a film but the younger directors and producers overpower his vision and produce a typical porno product. Jacques, the director, tries to make the film naturalistic with restrained dialogue, no fingernail polish, and restrained whimpers during sex rather than overacted screams of pleasure. He is quickly over-ruled and he quits the project.

This man has lost much and will lose more during the film. His first wife committed suicide, leaving him with a little boy. The boy discovers his father is a pornographer and leaves home. When his son returns, they have little to say. Eventually Jacques leaves his devoted wife and alienates his best friend and isolates in a single room writing and editing his random thoughts.

One redeeming aspect of the film however was a description by Jacques of his early career and work. He saw pornography as a political and social act in which he and his friends and girlfriends engaged. Thus pornography had a rebellious political and artistic overtone that became washed out through commercialization. This sentence helps explain why Jacques was considered to be a great film maker, even 30 years after he was in retirement. His films were alive because they were created with the political and social spirit of the times in which they were produced. They were works of art as well as pornography. Now Jacques does not have that same rebellious spirit. We are reminded of the nature of youthful, unrealistic, energetic, eutopian, rebellious, protest in the film when Jacques' son and his friends have the ultimate rebellion against society by becoming mute.

One thing to remember, this film actually contains a pornographic scene that is as explicit as any porno movie.

I can't believe how many people on Amazon. com dislike this movie. Two Star Average Customer Review? Come on! I saw the preview for this movie on the DVD of Teorema. I wanted to see it for two reasons; the movie looked pretty, um, cool and the only movie I'd seen with Jean-Pierre Leaud
is The 400 Blows, a movie he did when he was 14. Now in his late-fifties/early-sixties Leaud is still a fine actor who hits all the right notes in his performance as an aging pornographer. Leaud plays Jacques, a pornographer that had a slew of hits in the seventies but has retired. He now has a wife and an adult son (Jeremie Renier, "L'Enfant") he rarely speaks too, but decides to return to making movies. Problem is, porn has changed since Jacques was making it and he's not able to make it the way he wants it too. As his world falls apart around him, Jacques begins to reexamine himself and, in the process, begins to lose his mind. The movie is actually a really good character study, although it sometimes takes itself to seriously. One part almost made me laugh, when Jacques is giving an interview to a journalist and is talking about a scene in which (I'm paraphrasing) "The scene where she came, brought tears to my eyes." The movie has probably got more attention for it's graphic sex scene than anything else. This scene (which occurs about 30 minutes into the movie) is graphic...But it's not. You see more of the guy than you do of the girl, in fact you really don't see anything of the girl. It is, technically, graphic...But "The Brown Bunny" had more nudity. A lot of the reviewers on here say the movie is dull. I didn't find it dull; I actually found it pretty interesting and thought provoking. It's no masterpiece, it's not in a league with masterpieces, it's not even the best look at the world of pornography, but it's definitely an underrated film.

GRADE: B-

This French Canadian film about a middle-aged man who is forced to re-enter his life as a pornographic filmmaker because of his need for money is quite thought provoking. The film he makes acts as a sort of emotional backdrop that propells him to think about his own personal misgivings and his estrangement from his son. For those of you looking for lots of gratuitous sex you will be disappointed. There are several quite graphic scenes, but they are far from titillating. This is not a sex film. Recommended for its quiet, reflective nature.

Personally, I felt this film really captures the essence of pornography and its affects on people. If this was your business, how would it affect your life? How would you grow old? How would you go mad?

Jean-Pierre Leaud plays a fifty year old director of pornographic films who finds himself working again after a long absence. But, while his reasons for doing it in the 60's might have been revolutionary, they are now purely financial.

This film is about loss. The loss of contact with his son, both his wives, his friends, and ultimately his mind as the director withdraws into a tiny clean room.

Ironically, the sex scenes occur early in the film. They seem all the more disturbing because we are behind the scenes (so to speak) with the characters. They decrease allowing us to engage with the character. A bit depressing, but overall, a good film.

THE PORNOGRAPHER (Koch Lorber) is Betrand Bonello's explicit and controversial portrait of Jacques, a once famous and acclaimed -- but now burned out -- 50 year old pornographer from the 70s who tries to get back in the business of erotic films for the bucks.

However, he soon sadly discovers that he has lost his passion personally and professionally and must examine his own life and the trajectory that has brought him to this place. Jacques descends into a lonely isolation as he disconnects with his son, two ex-wives and finally himself.

Be warned, there's brief but very explicit sex.

Pointless boring and uninteresting. Probably just about sums up this film. Pot bellied middle aged man who used to make porn movies wanders around babbling, chain smoking and in general trying to make himself look intelectual.

Yes you may argue that it examines his relationship with his family, other artists in the business but the thing is, does anyone care? The characters are so dull and boring there is just no reason why anyone would want to know more about them. There is nothing 'erotic' about this film and nothing of any real interest.

Watch this and you will be kicking yourself you wasted a part of your life even watching such rubbish.

Not what everyone would think firsthand in general opinion this film covers the life of the subject, the filmmaker, and everyone he impacts in life. A moving, though agreeing with another reviewer possibly perceivably boring or rather slower pace, look at the real lifes of him, friends, coworkers, and family. About life and a good presentation. Worth watching even if you don't agree with the title and topic. A bit of warning though some scenes are not recommended for minors.

poor editing, absent-minded acting, lousy casting....
you just name all the bad things that could come up and put down here. only a few french movies could ever and never so bad. every role in this movie seemed like under nourishment, no energy, looked so tired and bored him or her self during the shooting.
porno? nothing interesting and boring here either. i rejected the dvd after 30 minutes. i could neither get my money or my 30 minutes life back.

A fair French movie about this ageing porn director whos too 'accomplished' to do anything else. There are some nice visuals & cinimatography, and even some good dialog here but then theres the sub-plot with his alinated son that comes from nowhere & then goes nowhere. There is one hardcore scene in here but its meant to show how the main character hates being on the set. But, its shot from across the room, in picture frame, so its not really even graphic enough that you relate to his discomfort. Dont expect to be blow away by this one...

excuse the pun, but i agree with some of the other reviews that said the characters are rigid and uninteresting. Fasinating subject and I was intrigued with the setup: Over the hill Porno directer gets back in the buis. even though morally he has quams. I'll make this short, first twenty minutes pretty cool. Including a hard core sex scene that i found quite hot. But after that it goes to this french; anarchy, Political, extistential, (feel free to put another word here that i can't spell), deal. Maybe they should have put that scene at the end so that we had to pay for our dinner. If you buy it get for cheap. Best feature; scence selection goes right to sex scence making future viewings easy.