1987-02-01 • 1h 50min
The action in this lavishly produced film takes place at an oddly ark-shaped mansion during World War I, and in spirit (although not in story) it reflects the play which inspired it, the ferociously antiwar Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw. A large group of family and friends have gathered at this country house to dance, drink, and converse. Their conversation, in particular, is adorned with erudite literary references and quotations. Despite their apparent refinement, their preoccupations are simple: sex and violence. Disquieting images break the tranquility of the vacationers' inappropriate idyll: some of these include documentary footage of starving African children, images (both real and re-enacted) of George Bernard Shaw going about his daily life, and a corpse coming to life on an autopsy table, only to cheapen that miracle by scolding a group of women. The music used in the film ironically points to its disturbing message and is uniformly anachronistic.
Conspirators of Pleasure
The Godfather
Titanic
Shutter Island
PK
Rush
Tenet
The Breakfast Club
21 Jump Street
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Scary Movie
The Shawshank Redemption
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Lethal Weapon 3
Back to the Future
The Hangover
Ex Machina
Iron Man 2
8 Mile
