Repulsion

Pros: Tense psychological thriller; great script; superb direction by Polánski; magnificent out-of-type performance by Deneuve
Cons: Might not have enough blood-and-guts for your basic horror film buff

Roman Polanski's Repulsion (1965) is a great film. I haven't seen a large enough fraction of the man's oeuvre to declare it his finest film (Stephen would know!), but it is certainly finer that the best films of many other directors. I might ...

Pros: Leaves you thinking. Catherine Deneuve is incredible.
Cons: Requires a substantial amount of concentration and patience.

I consider myself an open-minded spectator of the cinematic arts. I am also a discerning viewer - someone who isn't prone to fall for the latest Hollywood hype (or to even know the latest Hollywood hype, for that matter). I enjoy the strange,...

Pros: magnificent - a masterpiece of psychological horror
Cons: few

Polanski likes to film adaptations of novels and plays – when he’s on, as with his adaptation of Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby, he’s incomparable – when he’s off, as with his adaptation of Arturo Perez Reverte’s incandescently brilliant novel The...

Pros: Catherine Deneuve, interesting plot, good supporting actors
Cons: slow...you could slip into unconsciousness easily

This classic movie made Catherine Deneuve famous with her ability to perform a disturbing role of a reserved young woman who lives in a neurotic world of her own. Roman Polanski's loves to play the dark side of human nature as projected by the young...

Pros: very intense movie, the b/w and very little dialogue, a fantastic character driven movie
Cons: none

Polanski's work is usually on the surreal side, and with Repulsion he has did it once again.
Repulsion is not a film for those who like a lot of dialogue and action in their movies. This movie has very little dialogue and the...

Pros: Polanski's incredible vision and the skill to realize his vision
Cons: The fusion score is dated (walking around the city scenes)

Unfortunately for his American fans, Roman Polanski is remembered more in the USA for his interpretation of Lolita than he is for his films. In fact, word is that if he steps foot on American soil again, he would be arrested (hence Ninth Gate filmed...

Pros: direction, sets, special effects, direction
Cons: story is slow to build, some violence

After the critical success of his film Knife in the Water (1962), talented Polish director Roman Polanski emigrated to the West. His first English-language film was Repulsion. It was a horror film that was far more intense than his most...

Pros: Very interesting. Wonderfully photographed. Deep.
Cons: Nothing.

I think every woman should watch this film. In this film you watch a young woman (Carol) retreat from society and slowly loose her sanity. Polanski doesn't reveal the cause of her insanity, but you get the feeling that something traumatic happened to her...

Pros: Another classic psychologically terrifying film by Polanski.
Cons: None.

Roman Polanski's "Repulsion" is a prime example of how to make a truly scary movie: The trick is not to fill the screen with monsters or indestructible serial killers, it is to portray fear in a way that will be familiar to the audience. It is...

Pros: Excellent 1965 special effects. B&W production helped keep viewers "in the dark" until the end.
Cons: Must have a high degree of concentration, or you'll never figure out this Polanski film.

Catherine Deneuve's portrayal of a neurotic, introspective young female keeps you wanting more...dialogue, interaction, explanation. The film is shot in black-and-white and has many scenes that seem inexplicable until nearly the end of the movie. Constant scene-shifting keeps you guessing and interested. Roman Polanski made this movie "before its time" and I'll wager the film left many people wondering what it was about. Throughout its meanderings, this picture follows Deneuve's Carol Ledoux character and wants YOU to follow her, as she wanders the city and barely speaks. Her sister undoubtedly blames herself, but I don't. The rise and fall of action can be hard to follow unless you have a high degree of concentration. I saw this on cable and just had to own it for myself.