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“The Comfort of Strangers”

September 2020

Terror Lurks in the Shadows of Venice

The Criterion Collection 1041
Format: BD

Overall Enjoyment
***

Picture Quality
****1/2

Sound Quality
***1/2

Extras
***

In The Comfort of Strangers (1990), Colin (Rupert Everett) and Mary (Natasha Richardson) are on holiday in Venice, trying to define their relationship. Mary wants a firmer commitment; Colin is happy with the loose arrangement they’ve had so far. In early scenes, they frankly address their differences — or rather, Mary addresses, Colin deflects. Seemingly by accident, they run into a married couple, Robert (Christopher Walken) and Caroline (Helen Mirren), who live in a luxurious, Byzantine-style apartment. Robert tells them much of his history and acts as a tour guide; Caroline’s part in this story grows more gradually.

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