Desperate Remedies

A fairly surreal flick. I've tried to describe it to friends, and the best thing I can come up with is "it's like watching someone else's dream."

Definitely not intended for a general audience.

To the poster who commented on "migraine inducing color:" that's a perfect description.

This is a self-consciously quirky film which sets out to be visually arresting and vigorously melodramatic. In the process, it comes close to unintentional humor in its bombastic style, primary color sets and incongruous moments of semi-nudity. In the end, though, Desperate Remedies is a stunning and delightful film, almost entirely due to the convincing, sexy, utterly charming acting by the entire cast.

Movie has migrane-inducingly bright colors, and outlandish costumes - such as a hoop-skirt with nothing under it.

Gay sensibility throughout, in this somewhat peculiar, Victorianish setting.

I watched this again after "What we do in the shadows" reminded me of it. It is aging very well, and for my money is a superior film to "What we do in the shadows". The combination of Gothic, noir and high camp works superbly. The sets and costumes (those dresses!) are wonderful, and the music matches the emotional tone perfectly. The cast amounts to an A list of NZ actors. Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Lisa Chappell make a superb pair of self-made ladies. Jennifer Ward-Lealand is particularly magisterial and easily carries the weight of the film's central character. The men are good too. Kevin Smith died tragically young, so any movie featuring him is a treasure. Michael Hurst is suitably sleazy as the corrupt MP and Cliff Curtis has a ball as the totally decadent Fraser. A great kiwi cast in a great kiwi film.

A chance to see this film again was not to be missed, and it lived up to my memories of it. It is entirely sudio bound on a set with endlessly flowing camera movements, intense and saturated colour, and for those who have seen them the film reminded of Josef Von Sternberg's masterpieces of the 1930's and of his eccentric and wonderful ' Saga of Anatahan ' made in the early 1950's. Watch it if you can find a copy and dismiss the plot, and just enjoy the delirious images. In 1993 I believe it had a certain cult following. It is full of erotic imagery, both Gay and Straight and the performances of Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Kevin Smith are superbly over the top and they succeed in turning what could have been trash into gold. Many will dislike its Camp atmosphere, and although Lesbianism triumphs at the end I longed for Kevin Smith to change his sexual colours as well. The music wins as well with Verdi's Overture to ' La Forza del Destino ' and a mad scene with a Strauss Waltz. It is a crazy film, and I have a fondness for it and my one resevation is that it did not go further into the delirium that only cinema can offer with a plot twist towards the end of an equally triumphant male homosexuality. An 8 with a 10 reluctantly held back.