MovieChat Forums > White of the Eye (1987) Discussion > Huh?

Huh?

posted 10 years ago by Alwood
3 replies | jump to latest

I've wanted to see this film for years, as it's gotten high praise amongst many individuals and critics of whom I think very highly. The UK Blu-ray arrived this morning and I immediately watched it.

Donald Cammell made a career out of making slightly "off," slightly "arty" movies, or more specifically, genre pictures dressed up as art films (PERFORMANCE, DEMON SEED and WHITE OF THE EYE).

While the first two titles are films I admire, I have to say that WHITE left me scratching my head. There are some impressive visual florishes, including a stunning opening that shows the brutal murder of an affluent housewife more through implication and symbolism than traditional slasher movie gore. From there, however, it was all downhill.

The acting is solid by the entire cast, particularly David Keith, playing the lead, but the film never really gels into anything coherent. Antonioni made symbolic, metaphorical "art" films, but they also made sense!

If anyone who reads this thinks I'm completely off base, I'd love to hear your analysis of this film, as I'm utterly baffled as to what it all meant.

[–] LeonardPine 10 years ago

Cathy Moriarty's character has been with her quirky but loveable husband for a number of years and it turns out he's a serial killer. A fact he has kept hidden from her until until his crimes and past catch up with him.

Not sure whats baffling about the film. It IS very stylized and it's not clear what goes on inside David Keith's head, but the film is a pretty clear cut psycho thriller albeit with Cammell's arty visual flourishes.

I've loved the film since i first saw it at the cinema in 1987. I was very dissapointed with the new Bluray release. It looks just the same as the dutch import dvd from a while back. Very grainy and doesn't look re-mastered at all.

"Perhaps he's wondering why someone would SHOOT a man before throwing him out of a plane..."

[–] King-Grim 10 years ago

It's hard to understand if you don't initially realise that the flashbacks are actually flashbacks...

Have you ever talked to a corpse? It's boring!

[–] pufduff 9 years ago

I loved the different approach this took to the genre. The pacing was different and the focus was different than other films. There wasn't focus on the killings or the investigation too much, the focus I thought was more on Cathy Moriarty and David Keith, their relationship and their past. Moriarty played the role well, I felt the way she reacted to her husband to be realistic as opposed to just being wide eyed and screaming in hysterics (most horror reactions).There was so much in this film, but it seemed like they rushed making it a bit, the editing and pacing were poor.