This is not The Producers. Today's Film is Rhinoceros, the far-less famous Movie featuring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. There's a good reason why- it's really bad. The Film is apparently based on a semi-famous Play of the same name that was part of the French Absurdist Wave of Theater. It sure is absurd- it's just not funny. The Film apparently stripped the Story of nearly all of its subtext to boot, rendering it extra pointless. The Plot involves people being turned into Rhinos (off-camera) for no clear reason and the epidemic is spreading (entirely off-camera). Can anyone stop it? Will anyone try? Will I laugh even once? To find out, read on...
A posh man (Mostel) and a drunk man (Wilder) are mismatched friends. One is trying to 'fix' the other.
Without warning, a Rhino runs down a busy street. At least, that's what they tell us.
Seriously, could you not have cut in even B&W Nature footage? It wouldn't look real, but at least it would be a joke!
While this is happening, Wilder pines for Karen Black (like most people in 1974). Does he have a shot?
More Rhinos- now with random debris thrown in. Movement = Humor...right?
Wilder goes to his office job (with Black) and more Rhinos- this time with POV (and only POV).
More banter. More flailing. More posing.
Laugh at this, damn you!!!
The next day, he goes to see Mostel again. They talk and talk before the latter starts to freak out.
They fade to black and...I guess he became a Rhino too. Alright then.
A few days later, we learn that more people transformed- off-camera again- and he finally hooks up with Black.
Unfortunately for him, she leaves and transforms too.
Wilder is the last man on Earth (I guess) and he vows to never change.
Oh so NOW you remember the subtext...in the final Scene. The End.
Wow. Just wow. This is how you waste good people. Gene Wilder. Zero Mostel. Karen Black. They're all...just not that good in this Movie. It shouldn't be hard to make at least one of them look good here. Sadly, the Film fails at even this. Wilder tries his best to act big and interesting. Mostel is loud and tries to be interesting. Black is fun and all, but the Script does nothing for her. Nobody thrives here. They just act big and play big. They just try to make this work. It just doesn't. The actual Story apparently has subtext about the rise of movements like Fascism. That's lost here. This is just people being big and loud & reacting to nothing. Bless them for trying, but they could have been given a better Script. It's...such a disappointment. Sorry- I'm that Dick.
Next time, something else non-Horror to give you some variety before October. It will still be weird though. Stay tuned...
Seriously, could you not have cut in even B&W Nature footage? It wouldn't look real, but at least it would be a joke!
Laugh at this, damn you!!!
They fade to black and...I guess he became a Rhino too. Alright then.
Unfortunately for him, she leaves and transforms too.
Oh so NOW you remember the subtext...in the final Scene. The End.
Oh man, this movie... I was in a production of Ionesco's play back in high school. I really liked it; it was my introduction to absurdist theater, and the themes have grown on me more as time goes on.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem with this movie (okay, _second_; first is missing the whole point of the story!) is that it gets itchy with the material and tries to make it a comedy. Absurdist doesn't always mean 'funny', and Rhinoceros isn't necessarily a comedy. I'm fine with casting Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel, but not in the way they used them (Wilder once even said he didn't think he was a 'funny' actor, and most of his post-Mel-Brooks attempts to do so fall flat).
It also misses the fact that the play is pretty damned reserved for a story about people turning into rhinoceros. This film goes for loud and boisterous, much to its detriment. The idea of the animals never being seen works much better if the play doesn't go into hysterics... it implies chaos but keeps distanced from it.
When we did the play in school, our teacher discussed showing the film version after. Except she then previewed it and told us she changed her mind (she even loaned it to me since I was insistent on knowing how the film worked). I think she made the right move on that part. This film just completely botches its source material in some of the worst ways.