moonspinner55 Review of Ecstasy

Ecstasy (1933)

Staccato snapshots of nature in bloom more interesting than the humans or the horses...

[2/10 · 22 October 2010]

Hedy Lemarr shot to prominence in this scandalous Czech production filmed when her name was still Hedy Kiesler. It's a relatively simple and plodding extramarital affair between an engineer and a newly-married young woman whose husband has turned cold towards her (though we are never told why). Director Gustav Machatý has a terrific eye for details and little bits of business (such as the husband crushing a fly while reading his newspaper), yet the filmmaker is unable to use his imagery to propel the story, which takes forever to get going. The elongated opening--with the blushing, seemingly-happy newlyweds arriving to their honeymoon suite--is so coy, it puts the audience in the uncomfortable position of expecting (or, indeed, hoping) something lascivious will happen. The girl's background as the daughter of a horse rancher is sketchily drawn, and her initial meeting with smitten hunk Aribert Mog has the awkward feel of silent-movie melodrama. Still, Lamarr is quite beautiful (especially when tousled), and she has a touching early moment wistfully watching lovers on the dance-floor. "Ecstasy" clearly isn't much of a movie, but at least it gave us one of the cinema's most attractive leading ladies. * from ****