VICTORY

UK, 1995, 99 minutes, Colour.
Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Irene Jacob, Rufus Sewell, Jean Yanne, Ho Ye, Bill Patterson, Simon Callow.
Directed by Mark Peploe.

Victory is an adaptation of the short novel by Joseph Conrad, written in 1915. There have been several versions of Conrad's stories for cinema and television including the 1960s Lord Jim and the 1990s television series Nostromo.

Conrad was a sailor and this story reflects his world travels, the setting being the Dutch East Indies in 1913. The film focuses on a recluse played by Willem Dafoe. Into his life comes a violin player (Irene Jacob), part of an orchestra in a hotel - but the women are also hired out as prostitutes. When he takes her to his island, the jealous owner of the hotel incites two roving criminals who have set up gambling dens to go to the island to get treasure. The couple are played by Sam Neill and Rufus Sewell.

The action takes place mainly on the island, the confrontation between the loner and the two criminals, ending in tragedy. The film has quite some sweep and is particularly colourful. However, there were production and release difficulties, four years between production and release and ultimately release was very limited.

The film was written and directed by Mark Peploe, a collaborator with Bernardo Bertollucci with such films as The Last Emperor and The Sheltering Sky.

1. Joseph Conrad's novels? Their status as English classic literature? Screen versions? Conrad's Polish background, his being a sailor, his insight into human nature?

2. The exotic settings, the period, the Dutch East Indies, Java, the smaller islands of today's Indonesia? The islands, the jungle, the sea? The homes, hotels? Re-creating the way of life of the period, costumes and décor? Musical score?

3. The title, its ambiguity? Its reference to particular characters, to Axel, to Alma?

4. The focus on Axel, his life on the island, his household, his being a recluse? His visit to Java, the hotel, the owner and his attitudes, the owner's wife? The performance by the orchestra? His being attracted by Alma? The discovery that the orchestra women were sold as prostitutes? The owner of the hotel and his wanting to buy her? The interaction with Alma, her persuading him to take her to his island? The friendship, the growing love, the sexual encounters?

5. Jones and Ricardo and their arrival in Java, their relationship, the homosexual overtones, the inherent violence in Ricardo? Conmen and their travelling the East? In the hotel, the relationship with Schomberg, their setting up the gambling? Schomberg and his antagonism towards them, his plan to get rid of them? His telling Ricardo about Axel, suggesting that there is treasure on Axel's island as well as Alma? Their accepting this at face value, their decision to go?

6. The character of Jones, Sam Neill's style, suave, corrupt? Relationship with Ricardo? Ricardo's dependence, violence?

7. Their arrival on the island, insinuating themselves, the confrontation with Axel? Their not finding Alma?

8. Ricardo and Alma, his attraction towards her, his plan to kill both Axel and Jones, his still wanting the treasure? Alma and her attitude, leading him on, the audience believing that she was betraying Axel or not?

9. Axel and his servant Wang, Wang and his stealing the gun, his going across the island? Axel and his advice to Alma to go? His decision to confront Jones? Her refusing to go? She having a plan to get Ricardo, his knife?

10. The final confrontation, the denial of any treasure, Axel explaining that there was only Alma? Alma and her struggle with Ricardo, Jones and his shooting, his wounding Alma, his killing Ricardo? Wang arriving, shooting Jones? Alma, her death, talking to Axel?

11. Axel, his grief, his setting fire to his house, his disappearance?

12. The device of the voice-over by the detached sailor, his comments on behaviour, character, action? His final philosophising about the nature of victory, Axel's victory because of Alma's self-sacrifice?