The Night Porter

In Vienna in 1957 a man works the night desk at a hotel. A conductor arrives with his wife. She recognises the porter: he is the officer who photographed her in the camp and tortured her. He recognises her too. Neither of them leaves, and the relationship resumes. The subject is not love but the bond between victim and perpetrator continuing after the war. Around the film a group of former Nazis gathers, holding private tribunals to clear one another; the woman, as a living witness, counts as a threat. The relationship in the room is therefore folded into an organised effort at forgetting outside it. The form is enclosed and airless. In its final section the film shuts almost entirely into one apartment; neither can go out, the food runs down and the relationship decays physically. It drew a large reaction on release. Some critics found it exploitative, others counted it among the few works to address the relation between fascism and desire. Liliana Cavani said she came to the subject while researching accounts of the camps. The argument continues. Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling lead, and Rampling's appearance in the role became the film's most reproduced image. Who it is for: viewers who like contentious European cinema and difficult films. Who it is not for: anyone troubled by how the subject is handled; the objection is serious and the film does not make it easier.