Contempt

Its been awhile...

So I just got done watching Contempt and I admit this was a very unique film. I understand that the film is about a film being shot but wow the men in the film really irritated me. What annoys me the most is the way the women were portrayed in the film. Of course, they are viewed as nothing but sex objects and I noticed a few inappropriate parts coming from Jerry and the way he treats Francessca. Although there weren't any actual sex scenes in the film it was obvious from the scenes where Camille is lying naked talking to Paul that those were suppose to represent sex. The truth is Jerry's character made it really hard for me to even like this film to begin with.

Also, it was strange to see Paul's character have no emotional response to Camille's death. All through out the film the two were bickering and fighting and yet he loved her so much. As soon as he finds out that Jerry and Camille are dead it was as if he was reading something in the newspaper but saying it aloud to Francessca. There was no grieving or feeling sorry for Camille who did love her husband but had fallen out of love because he kept leaving her and letting her go with Jerry instead. I think the reason why the film didn't bother to show Paul's character in grief is because the love was already gone between the two. In the film, Paul talks about how if he kills his lover's suitor then she will be mad and he will have lost her forever, but if he killed his lover then he would be all alone and have lost his love too. I think at that moment when he found out that she had died there was nothing else to feel because he had already lost her when she admitted that she despised him. Her mind was already made up so there was no changing it even if he tried some more.

What are your thoughts on the role of women in the film and Paul and Camille's relationship?