Film: The Grim Reaper
Year of production: 1962
UK Release date: 25th April 2011
Distributor: Mr. Bongo
Certificate: 15
Running time: 88 mins
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Francesco Ruiu, Giancarlo De Rosa, Vincenzo Ciccora, Alfredo Leggi, Gabriella Giorgelli
Genre: Drama/Mystery
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Italy
Language: Italian
Marlon Brando; Henry Fonda; Sergio Leone. China, Hollywood and, of course, Italy. Bernardo Bertolucci has certainly settled into the film industry with fluid ease, and with titles like Once Upon A Time In The West and Last Tango In Paris to his name it’s no wonder that he has survived four decades in the business. But mighty oaks grow from humble acorns and The Grim Reaper is that very acorn.
Based on a story by Italian artisan Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bertolucci’s writing and directorial debut is a straight forward whodunit. Made during his salad years, the 22-year-old filmmaker stuck to what he knew: the youth of Rome during the swinging ‘60s. The criminal youth of Rome during the swinging ‘60s, that is.
Bertolucci wastes no time getting the facts straight and introducing the murder mystery, getting the plot underway before the credits even make the screen. Led by a faceless officer, an investigation is triggered by the discovery of a prostitute’s body near Tiber River, placing a number of suspects in the spotlight.
Each candidate attempts to clear his name by giving an account of his afternoon’s activities on that fateful previous day. Ranging from whiney, good for nothing teens to renowned offenders, to naïve friends pursuing nothing but romance and a family of their own, a plethora of characters take to the stage. They each make their case, dividing the film into multiple mini sagas that break the film into bite size chunks: the one thing that unites them all is, of course, their presence at the crime scene - and their distinct ‘approach’ to women...
Plot, surprisingly, is mercifully unfussy and quickly established: commendably, time management seems to be one of Bertolucci’s strong points. Exactly why he adopts this tactic, though, is anyone’s guess. To put it bluntly, interest, excitement and engagement don’t exactly fight for the viewer’s attention in Berotlucci and Pasolini’s slow script. What began as a pleasing time saver results in a drawn out, uninspiring investigation that is largely unchallenging and lacklustre. Having made such an efficient job on the narrative, viewers might expect a little more substance from the duo.
In such circumstances, the audience may turn to the characters for a little stimulation and The Grim Reaper surely delivers a wide choice. The problem is that’s all it delivers. Depth and development; insight and expansion - these are all sadly nonentities and, in short, quality has been sacrificed for quantity. No doubt the story would not work without such a range, but viewing doesn’t work because of it. There are too many characters fragmenting the film’s structure, robbing each individual of the time accumulated from plot simplicity - valuable time which could have allowed growth and engagement. Nevertheless, each man is credibly given their own personality, albeit brief and slightly rushed, with a dependence on old ideas. The shifty convict, the innocent youngsters, the solitary soldier, the trouble-maker: if not convincing, they are, at least, identifiable. After all, such a courageously plentiful cast would be demanding of the most experienced of directors, so perhaps viewers may be sympathetic to Bertolucci’s bold move.
The absence of a protagonist, then, is forgivable. Maybe viewers should look a little deeper for value: what is Bertolucci trying to say? Themes, implications, innovative statements - they must be hidden in there somewhere. Alas, if they are, they are hidden well, dominated by the easy story. The collaborative script leaves little to the imagination, although it must be admitted that this is a refreshing change in alternative cinema and makes for accessible viewing. In fact, one might think that this lends itself to a broad reception, open to the mainstream audiences that the director has since gone on to impress. This is not the case. What it offers audiences is so sparse that most viewers - stirred perhaps by Bertolucci’s blockbusters to dig a little deeper into his back catalogue - are likely to be left unfulfilled. Curiosity may be stoked in terms of research, but for its own merit, The Grim Reaper is nothing more than a dull, overwhelmingly mediocre detective story.
Ultimately, for all its minimalism, Bertolucci’s debut may best have been left to its literature roots. Undeniably, this mere acorn is a more than admirable first effort and there are many aspiring directors out there who could learn a lot from it before planting their very own budding oak; in fact, there are many more experienced directors who could learn from it, too. It’s just a shame that Bertolucci’s talents were not based on something more provoking. As it is, with no hero to relate to, no plot to be pondered and no meaning to be uncovered, it is difficult to care just who did do it. RS
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