REIGEN
Germany, 1973, 122 minutes, Colour.
Sydne Rome, Helmut Berger, Senta Berger, Peter Weck, Maria Schneider.
Directed by Otto Schenk.
This is a version of the celebrated play by Arthur Schnitzler, La Ronde. It was filmed in France in 1950 by celebrated director Max Ophuls as La Ronde. Roger Vadim also made a version of it in 1964.
The structure of the film is a chain of relationships with one character in a story relating to a story relating to a character in the next who is then linked with a further story. It is sometimes called The Merry-Go-Round? or The Dance of Love.
This is a very German production with a number of prominent German stars of the period including Helmut Berger. Maria Schneider had just appeared with Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris.
1. What was the overall impact of this film: interest, enjoyment?
2. Comment on the style of the film: its use of colour, Vienna, musical themes? How Germanic was the film? Was this to its advantage?
3. What insight did the film offer into themes of love, lust? The twofold characters? The two sides of each character?
4. Comment on the structure of the film and its success: the chain, the merry-go-round, the forward impetus? The chain of human experience and the strange linkings?
5. Consider each character in the film: as illustrated by the incidents, in terms of sexuality, love, lust? What was revealed about personalities? what was the truth? How good were the characters, how bad? Their lives, selfishness, selflessness? Their using of others, their giving of themselves? The film's comment on society, values and morality, human nature, the repetition of behaviour in all classes and amongst all people?
1. Leacardia and Franz
2. Franz and Maria
3. The maid and Andrea
4. Andrea and the wife
5. The wife and the husband
6. The husband and the young girl
7. The young girl and Robert
8. Robert and the actress
9. The actress and the count
10. The Count and Leacardia
6. What value stance did the film-makers take? What stance an morality? The criteria for good and evil?
7. What is the value of making this kind of film? The artistic value of this kind of film?
