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TIE ME UP! TIE ME DOWN!
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars: Antonio
Banderas, Victoria Abril, Loles Leon
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic
Transfer
Studio: Anchor Bay
Features: Theatrical Trailer
Length: 101 Minutes
Release Date: January 16, 2001
Film ***
I must confess, I haven’t seen too many of Pedro
Almodovar’s films…why he’s been slipping in under my radar, I’m not
sure…but I was definitely looking forward to Tie Me Up!
Tie Me Down! when I learned it was the follow up to Women on the
Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which I considered one of the wittiest and
most refreshing comedies I’d seen in the last ten years or so.
I wasn’t prepared for this movie, however.
As a critic, I must be honest in my assessment and admit that I liked the
film. As a human being, however,
I’m not sure what that says about me. I’m
even less sure what it says about Almodovar.
If ever an NC-17 rating wasn’t an arbitrary one, this would have to be
the case.
It’s basically your boy meets girl, boy falls for girl,
boy kidnaps girl and keeps her in bondage until she can learn to love him kind
of story. The boy is Ricky (Banderas),
who is getting his release from a mental hospital at the picture’s opening.
The girl is B movie actress Marina (Abril), who has a shaky history of
her own, dealing with drug dependency. Ricky
comes right to the set of her latest project, steals a few necessary items
including the keys to her apartment, and before long, he makes his unwelcome
presence in her life.
To say their relationship gets off on the wrong foot is an
understatement, and there are a few brief scenes of violence that really jolt
and force you to question whether or not this movie is supposed to be funny.
What does Ricky want? Not a
sexual relationship, it turns out. He’s
no rapist. He wants a wife to take
care of, and some kids. He has
loved (or at least obsessed over) Marina for a long time.
He is patient in a way that’s both sweet and psychotic.
He will keep Marina in his control until she learns to love him.
Banderas is the right choice for Ricky.
It’s the kind of role that could easily put off an audience, leaving
the film without an emotional backbone. He’s
an actor known for bringing a certain amount of charm to roguish characters, and
that aspect lets us stay with Ricky, even though what he’s doing is pretty
unsettling. When Marina screams at him that she will NEVER love him,
there is even a surprising, disarming scene of Ricky weeping into the bed
covers, before he pulls himself together and goes on with the scenario.
As for Abril…she has to get the good sport of the decade
award for her role. She’s a very
beautiful woman and a capable actress when allowed to really perform, but
Almodovar seems to make her the object of some very warped fetishes, from the
obvious bondage to humiliation, even to urination (was it really necessary that
we see her take down her underpants and sit down to pee?
Before you answer, know that the other main actress, Loles Leon, gets her
own screen time with the porcelain throne).
Abril is forced to appear naked a lot, and while I’m no prude, I
couldn’t help but feeling for the actress in those scenarios more than the
character.
And, of course, there’s the famous sex scene, which I
found eye-popping even for a guy who sat through the likes of Caligula and
Last Tango in Paris. All in
all, I’d have to say the two leads in the film definitely earned their
paychecks for this one.
But apart from the more disturbing aspects of the film
(which were meant to be controversial, and succeeded), I still found it
appealing overall, mostly from the strengths of Banderas and Abril in their
roles. They manage to keep the
scenes just on the inside of being too-disturbing-to-watch, and there’s
something about the way their relationship develops that’s strangely innocent,
despite the use of tape, ropes and handcuffs.
Plus, Almodovar succeeds in creating a situation where we, the audience,
have no clue how things will end up. There
is a kind of structural freedom that could allow him to take an alternate route
at any time. I won’t give away
the ending, except to say there are many possibilities as to how these
characters’ stories could have ended up, and Almodovar chose one.
For me, the most standout scene involved not the bondage
nor the sex, but a well crafted and edited piece that juxtaposes Ricky being
revenged upon by some drug dealers, while at the same time Marina is trying to
make her first real escape attempt. Each
of these scenes heightens the tension and suspense of the other, and the rhythm
in which they play out is terrific.
But in the end, I’m left a little at a loss.
I don’t know if Almodovar made this film for his audience, or for
himself. I can’t guess as to
whether he was trying to make a point about relationships under duress, or if he
just filled the screen with images that he personally wanted to see.
As I mentioned, I’m not affluent enough in his filmography to really
pass judgment on the man.
All I can say is, I enjoyed the picture, but for extremely
different reasons than I enjoyed Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
I can’t call it a masterpiece, but I have to admit, it both
intrigued me and unsettled me, and has shown definite signs of staying with me.
I may have to do a bit of serious soul searching after I finish writing
this review.
Video ****
Anchor Bay delivers yet another top notch anamorphic
transfer. This film is a treasure
trove of colors, and they render beautifully:
deep blues, bright reds, and everything in between, with a natural and
vibrant look and no containment problems. Images
are sharp and clear throughout, with no noticeable grain or compression.
The print itself is in excellent condition.
Detail is very good from foreground to background, with no softness to
mar the strong definition. This
disc is a definite visual treat.
Audio **
The soundtrack is a simple two-channel mono mix, and seems
perfectly adequate. It’s
difficult sometimes to judge dialogue clarity for a foreign language film, since
you’re paying attention to the subtitles and not the spoken words, but there
seemed to be no issues there. A
perfectly decent listen; no more, no less.
Features *
Only a trailer.
Summary:
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! can be considered both romantic and a comedy, depending on how far you’re willing to stretch your definitions of such. This NC-17 film is certainly not for everybody, as it mixes the sensual with the disturbing in amounts so equal they nearly cancel each other out. Overall, I have to give it a marginal recommendation simply because it’s that rare kind of film that gets into your head and forces you to think about it afterwards. With this pristine transfer from Anchor Bay, it’s definitely worth a look if you have the faculties for it.