La marge

André Pieyre de Mandiargues is known as a dark romantic or a very late heir of literary symbolism, but he also follows surrealism. Among his most discussed works is the novel On the Edge, honored with the renowned Goncourt Prize for the best novel of 1967. Netflix, the first Czech distributor of Borowczyk's adaptation of the same name, chose the title Interregnum.

Businessman Sigismond (Joe Dallesandro) is in Paris on a business trip. In the red-light district of Rue Saint-Denis, he meets a prostitute, Diana (Sylvia Kristel). He visits her repeatedly, loses himself in her, and finally receives a letter informing him of the death of his son and wife.

The chance encounter between Dallesandro and Kristel, two icons of their time, brings their characters a relief from pain and sadness, a literal escape in primal physicality, accompanied by contemporary hits by Pink Floyd, 10cc and Elton John. As in several of Borowczyk's other films, the development of the final act elevates the work to a higher level of emotional depth; bringing a psychological subtext and complexity that is deeply felt and haunting.

Letter from Paris / Brief von Paris
directed by Walerian Borowczyk
France - Germany 1975 / 40 min. / DCP / French / CZT / EF

After a short intermission, we will screen Letter from Paris, the last film of the retrospective, Borowczyk's return to the role of an amateur filmmaker with a refined sense of detail, editing and shot composition. Formally, it is a dynamic montage of bustling and anonymised footage from Paris at the time of Intermezzo (On the Edge).