Kameliendame 2000 (1969)

Kameliendame 2000: Directed by Radley Metzger. With Danièle Gaubert, Nino Castelnuovo, Eleonora Rossi Drago, Roberto Bisacco. Sensuous Marguerite is addicted to sex and money. She is kept by a wealthy man, has a string of young lovers and hosts wild orgies in her luxurious villa.

“Radley Metzger is not to everybodyu0026#39;s taste but this is less extravagant than others of his and avoids the most extreme excesses. Bringing the classic Dumas story up to date was a highly (over?) ambitious task, trying to project the characters and their interactions over such a time span, but it works remarkably well. The futuristic setting looks rather dated now, but it must have been quite convincing at the time as a portrayal of a fin-de-siècle jet-set world and does not adversely the main theme.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe chemistry between principals is almost tangible, and most of all the way their emotions are handled by the their eye-expressions in the u0026quot;jail partyu0026quot; scene. Several supporting characters are outstanding – the malevolent Baron de Varville and the manipulative Olympe provide weight, while seemingly carefree Gaston provide much needed balance.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne trick I would have expected from Metzger given his penchant for bizarre symbolism was to have made the opening scene a production of u0026quot;la Traviatau0026quot;. But he showed his true talent in the closing moments.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBest, Metzger remains true to the original story, modifying only as dictated by the modern context and making the translation with skill and sensitivity. From beneath the superficiality and cynicism, a deeply moving film emerges.”