THE FOURTH MAN

Holland, 1983, 95 minutes,Colour.
Jeroen Krabbe, Renee Soutendijk, Thom Hoffman.
Directed by Paul Verhoeven.

The Fourth Man is a strange film about a writer and reality and fantasy. It is based on a novel by Gerard Reve (allegedly non-autobiographical). The film is directed by Paul Verhoeven, probably the best-known Dutch director - Business is Business (1971), Turkish Delight (1972), Soldier of Orange (1977), Survival Run (1978).

The film focuses on a bisexual writer. In straightforward terms he goes to a city, gives a lecture, becomes involved with a widow, wants to seduce her lover, the lover is killed in an accident and the writer breaks down. However, the film relies on many fantasy sequences - which throw into some doubt how much of the realism is real. In addition, the film uses many symbols, especially strikingly with the opening spider web and flies and the spider walking on the face of a crucifix. There is Christ-figure symbolism - associated with sexuality and with homosexuality. There is a sequence in a Dutch church with the figure of the crucified which is designed to shock and which many would interpret as blasphemous.

The film is very stylishly made, runs the danger of being accused of pretentiousness, is similar to the work of Ken Russell in many imaginative features and is quite a fascinating and absorbing study of human nature, drives, psychology and religion.

1. The impact of the film as entertainment, as a study of a strange human being? Arresting and fascinating? Repulsive? Accusations of pretentiousness?

2. The work of Paul Verhoeven? Dutch cinema? The quality of the production style and skills? The background of Amsterdam and Flushing: apartments, hotels, trains, cars, the beach. the cemetery? A feeling of authenticity and realism?

3. The use of fantasy and dreams: the initial strangling of the cello-player, the strange hotel and its corridors, the fourth door and the gouged eye, the church and Herman naked on the crucifix, Herman coming from the sea in a bloodstained sheet/shroud, the door in the cemetery, the castration sequence and the woman with blue nail polish, the various presences of Mary? The striking visuals of the fantasies? The blend of reality and unreality in Gerard's life and consciousness?

4. The use of sound. electronic rumblings, music?

5. The use of symbols for themes? The importance of the credits sequence and the close-up photography of the spider, the web, the devouring of the flies, the spider walking over the face of Jesus crucified? Christine's beauty parlour and the sign:’ Sphinx' with the letters unlit highlighting S P I N (spider)? The coffin at the station and Gerard's story of the enormous coffin and the attendant dwarfs? The statuary in Gerard's room: crucifix, statue of the Blessed Virgin? The focus on statuary of the Virgin Mary and prayers: to Jesus through Mary? Rooms, corridors? The use of the gouged eye symbol? The bloodstained shroud? The cemetery and the glass window? Blood?

6. The linking of the spider with Christine? The Christ element in Christine's very name? Her husband and Gerard and Herman as flies and her devouring them? Her beauty ? Gerard covering her breasts to make her the equivalent of a boy, her blue nails and the castration nightmare, Christine as the spider castrating? Her associating with the Sphinx and the spider? Christ as spider-trodden? The linking of Herman with crucified Christ? The initial crucifix, the beautiful body, Gerard grasping the nude Herman on the crucifix, the emphasis on the genital Christ? The spider on the Herman Christ? Her man and his shroud? Gerard's exclamation: to Jesus through Mary after the sexual encounter with Christine? The use of specifically Catholic symbolism for psychological understanding and images?

7. The use of Catholicism: Gerard's lecture, the questions about his faith, his interlinking of science and faith, his not being ashamed of his Catholicism? The crucifix and its place in iconography, Jesus as Saviour and dying, saving others by dying, love for the Saviour, desire for the Saviour? Jesus as man, Mary as woman? The sexual overtones of love of God? Sexuality and death? The traditional linking of sexuality to the image of death? The credibility of this use of symbols with Catholic overtones?

8. How effective was the story in its linear presentation: the portrait of Gerard, his waking up, lifestyle, relationship with the lover, going to give the lecture, the railway station, seeing Herman and chasing him to the train, the encounter with the woman and child (Madonna overtones) in the train, the lecture, the questions, the encounter with the doctor, with Christine, Christine's fooling him, inviting him home, the sexual discussion, the liaison, breakfast, his staying on, seeing her beauty parlour, spying on her and letters, the discovery of Herman's photograph, his saying to write, discovering her films of her husbands and looking at them, the planned seduction of Herman, Christine's naivety, the outing, the speeding in the car, the cemetery and the storm, the seduction in the crypt, Gerard's fears, warnings, the driving (with the echo of Christine's recklessness on the building site), Herman's death, the ambulance, hospital, Gerard's madness and accusations of witchcraft on Christine? The portrait of a writer, a man, his needs, drives, creativity, poetry, sexuality and seduction, fears and madness?

9. The importance of Gerard as writer and his theories of truth, stories and lies? The story introducing his talk of the hearse, the giant coffin and the dwarfs? His telling the truth? The importance of images not being accurate but true? The doctors throwing this at him in his state of shock at the end?

10. Christine as real character: taking the photos, seducing Gerard, her home, as woman, his seeing her as boy-like, her work, love for Herman, her not telling Gerard about her husbands, her wanting Gerard to cure Herman of his sexual aggressiveness, her visit to the hospital and Gerard's attack? How real was she meant to be? Was she a figment of Gerard's imagination? The intimations of her witchcraft ? the numb feeling in her back, her killing her husbands? Her being a spider?

11. The use of the home movies: the portrait of the three different men, their sports, abilities, love for Christine, her love for them, the three different marriage scenes? Gerard's drunken watching them? His visualising the solutions and their deaths at Christine's contrivance - the skydiving and the parachute, the lion park and devouring the husband, the motor boat tearing through the other boat? The build-up to his warning of Herman? Herman's death ?caused by Christine indirectly, caused by Gerard?

12. Herman as the beautiful but callow young man, at the station, eluding Gerard, the seductive pose and the photo, his presence on the cross, seductive pose, Gerard's undressing him, nudity? Seeing him in the shower? Breakfast, his curiosity about the media world, scandals? The shallow talk, self-centredness, his exploitation of foreign workers? A nothing personality? His willingness to go along with Gerard in the crypt? The ironic discovery of the ashes of Christine's husbands? The bringing on of fears, the reckless driving, his death and the gouged eye? The fourth man? The alternate to Gerard's death?

13. The doctor, his introduction to the talk, friendliness, the irony of his receiving Gerard in the hospital, treating him, his comments about Gerard's physical and mental condition and creativity?

14. Themes of story, accuracy, truth, lies, sanity and madness? With religious overtones?